March Madness Final Four predictions and national champion picks
From chalk favorites to hot upsets, the panel shares Final Four picks and bold calls on who cuts down the nets.
From the first moments that the men’s NCAA tournament brackets were unveiled, South Florida basketball has been a chic pick for an upset in the first round.
The Bulls, the 11th seed in the East, will get their chance to against No. 6 seed Louisville in Buffalo, New York, on Thursday.
USF, the American regular season and tournament champs, is riding a 12-game winning streak. Plus, they have the conference’s player of the year in 6-foot-10 Izaiyah Nelson, who is averaging a near-20-point double-double.
Watch USF vs. Louisville in NCAA tournament on Sling
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have a big question mark in their backcourt. Mikel Brown Jr., a freshman averaging over 18 points per game, has been hobbled by a back injury and isn’t a sure bet to play in the tournament.
Two major college basketball entities have released their picks for every game throughout the tournament, and USF was a popular pick.
ESPN’s Jay Bilas picks USF over Louisville
Perhaps the preeminent voice in college basketball is ESPN analyst Jay Bilas. He laid out his predictions for every single game in the tournament — not just the first round, but all the way to the championship game based on his picks.
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In this USF-Louisville matchup, Bilas favors the Bulls.
“One thing is for sure in this game: There will be a lot of long rebounds because both teams like to shoot 3s,” Bilas wrote. “This is a great upset pick: Mikel Brown Jr. has been out because of a sore back, and South Florida is tough. It’s worth rolling the dice on this one because Michigan State will likely beat either team.”
Sure enough, Bilas has MSU taking down USF for a spot in the Sweet 16.
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CBS Sports’ Isaac Trotter picks USF over Louisville
CBS has been one of the longtime homes of the NCAA tournament, and one of its sports arms’ writers, Isaac Trotter, has the Bulls upsetting the Cardinals in Round 1, too.
“South Florida’s personnel is really good. Joseph Pinion and Wes Enis are outstanding snipers,” Trotter said. “Big man Izaiyah Nelson is a two-way menace. South Florida has won 19 of its last 22 games, and two of the three losses came in overtime and the other was by one point. It is not far away from being 22-0. South Florida matches up really, really well with Louisville across the board. It can out-rebound the Cardinals. It can shoot with the Cardinals. It can guard these actions.”
