Kansas over Michigan State for NCAA title?

1. Iowa & UNI will go further than Iowa State

Iowa State, which lost in the first round last year to No. 14 UAB, will lose in the first round again. I haven't liked what I've seen from Iowa State against weaker opponents this year. They have a tendency to show up when they're facing stiff competition (like the did in the Big 12 tournament almost, knocking off Oklahoma), but they fail to play well against worse teams. Iona has the ability to score the basketball (79.6 ppg), which makes it harder for Iowa State to just purely outscore them.

Iowa and UNI, on the other hand, will not be sent packing after the first round. UNI will upset a Texas team that is very inconsistent and has been recently trending downward (not to mention UNI is red-hot right now), and Iowa will defeat Temple in the first round and then follow that up with an upset of No. 2 Villanova, which will exit failing to reach the Sweet 16 AGAIN, (Nova has failed to do so every year since 2009).

2. Only one No. 1 seed will make the Final Four

If you already have four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four you don't know anything about basketball and hopefully this guide will help you to at least maintain some dignity. That anomaly has only happened once in the history of the NCAA tournament (2008). Only one No. 1 seed will make the Final Four this year. Not Oregon, not North Carolina and not Virginia. Yes, I have Kansas as the only No. 1 seed. Here's why the other three won't make it:

Oregon is purely just not good enough to make the Final Four. The Ducks have by far the easiest path to the Final Four, which is ridiculous since they are probably the worst of the four No. 1 seeds. In my eyes, Oregon already has peaked this season when they defeated Utah by 31 points in the Pac 12 tournament, and I don't see them playing much better or as good as they did that night. The furthest they will get is to the Elite Eight, where they will most likely lose to Oklahoma.

UNC has plenty of talent and should be able to make the Final Four. If the Tar Heels were in the West region (the region Oregon is currently in), then it would be a cakewalk to the semifinals. But they are in probably the toughest region in the tournament, the East. UNC will have to either play Providence or USC in the second round, both teams could give it fits but I expect the Tar Heels to come out on top in that round. It will be the next round in which they will lose, the Sweet 16 to Kentucky. Kentucky has reached at least the Elite Eight in each of Coach John Calipari's seasons with the Wildcats and it will continue that trend this season by making it all the way to the Final Four.

Virginia is a very good team but has a little team called Michigan State in its bracket. The Spartans knocked of the Cavaliers in last year's tournament and I am sure the Cavs will want revenge. It doesn't matter though. Denzel Valentine is too good, Bryn Forbes is a knockdown shooter and Matt Costello brings a fire to the Spartans that can't be matched by any other player in the tournament. Don't forget, they also have Tom Izzo.

3. UConn always shows up

It seems like every year come March the Huskies kick it into a second gear. UConn just won its conference tournament, it won it all in 2014 as a seventh seed, so it doesn't really matter where UConn is placed. However, UConn is facing the best team in the country in Kansas in the second round (if UConn wins in the first round over Colorado, which won't be an easy game). Personally, I don't have the guts to pick against the Jayhawks so early in the tournament, but if you do, I wouldn't think you're crazy.

4. Wichita State will upset Arizona and Miami

I might get some heat for this pick considering I live in the state of Iowa and UNI just manhandled the Shockers in the Missouri Valley Conference tourney, but I really think the Shockers are for real. They have made deep runs as lower seeds before (2013: reached Final Four as a No. 9 seed; 2015: reached Sweet 16 as a No. 7 seed), and are poised to do so again despite a recent downward trend. Fred VanVleet is their leader and if he is healthy the Shockers will be a force to be reckoned with. I believe they have a shot at the Sweet 16. I definitely think they can beat Arizona, which I think is terribly overrated this year, and they might be able to follow that up with a win over Miami.

5. Don't trust Duke

The Blue Devils have been terribly inconsistent this year. Duke beat UNC, Virginia and Indiana, but lost to Clemson, Syracuse and Notre Dame (twice). The Blue Devils lack depth as well. They essentially play six to seven players and have no inside presence outside a banged up Marshall Plumlee. Expect Duke to get knocked off in the second, or even the first, round.

6. The Big Ten will do well

The Selection Committee kind of dissed the Big Ten by not making Michigan State a No. 1 seed, but the Big Ten still will do well. Michigan State will make the Final Four, Purdue and Iowa will make the Sweet 16, Indiana, Maryland and Wisconsin could make the Sweet 16 (I project those three teams will lose close games in the second round), and they will only have one team with a first round exit, Michigan. Watch out, the Big Ten is coming.

7. Maryland continues their second round woes

As stated in the previous prediction, Maryland could very well make the Sweet 16, but I don't think it will. Maryland could even lose in the first round to a very good South Dakota State team (if you're looking for a possible 5-12 upset you might want to look there). Regardless, I think Cal is a much more talented team. Cal is young and talented, just like Maryland, but I think the tendency to lose in the second round, like Maryland has done repeatedly, and the inconsistency we have seen from the Terrapins this year will come back to bite them once again.

8. Green Bay could upset Texas A&M

If you're looking for a major first round upset look here. Texas A&M did almost just beat Kentucky and it did just destroy Ben Simmons and LSU, but it might be feeling a little too cocky and might just look past The Phoenix. The Phoenix are the highest scoring team in the tourney (84.2 ppg) and have a great defense that can force turnovers. The Aggies also have trouble at the free throw line, so if this is a close game, which I project it will be, look for the lower seed to come out on top.

9. Pick mostly chalk

Despite a 'crazy, giant slaying year” as put by TNT's Kenny Smith, the NCAA tournament will be different. There aren't a lot of teams that are lower seeds that I could see going further than the Sweet 16. Maybe Iowa, depending on which Hawkeye team shows up (no bias). Maybe Gonzaga, it has a favorable second round matchup with Utah if it can get past Seton Hall. Or maybe it will be the Wichita State Shockers again, shocking the world as they did in 2013. Outside of those three teams, I think you would be far-fetched to find a team that can slay a giant.

10. January, February, Izzo.

The month of March, or more accurately named, Izzo, always is a good month to be a Spartan, and this one won't be any different. The Spartans should be a No. 1 seed, but that doesn't matter as much since they have a favorable bracket ahead of them. I expect Denzel Valentine to lead his team to wins over Middle Tennessee State (which has zero chance, sorry), Dayton (it can sometimes be scary, but still a double-digit win), Utah/Gonzaga (eh), and Virginia. This Virginia game is by far the toughest game the Spartans will play in their region. Virginia can flat out guard you. This also will be the only game that will be under double-digits.

Although Izzo and the Spartans are great, it is going to be a Kansas victory over Michigan State in the championship game. This will definitely be a single-digit game and I could see it going either way. When it comes down to it though, I think Kansas has more guys who can take you off the dribble than Michigan State has. Kansas has Wayne Selden Jr., Frank Mason III, Devonte' Graham and Perry Ellis. Michigan State has Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes - and that's probably it. Either way I would go with either the Spartans or the Jayhawks, and please don't pick your bracket by the mascots.