[ot-caption title=”This year’s NCAA Tournament looks to be an exciting one, with a team seeking to go undefeated and several upset minded teams looking to go far. (Via Jeff Turner)” url=”https://pcpawprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/ncaa-e1426442495522.jpg”]

The arrival of March can mean only one thing: March Madness. And with it comes office pools, busted brackets, and productivity taking a huge hit in favor of watching college basketball’s biggest event. With only one win necessary to advance through each round, basically anything can happen (just ask Ali Farokhmanesh). After the sixty-eight team tournament field was announced on Sunday night, Type One’s own sportswriters gave their predictions on who will succeed in the tournament and who could give some big name teams a run for their money.

Sofia Caro, Staff Writer: 

Kentucky’s been riding high recently with a dominating win against UF to cap off their 31-0 regular season. Their play has been nothing short of dominant almost this entire season, leading them to be my favorites to win the NCAA tournament. However, nothing is predictable in the NCAA Tournament and watch for Wisconsin, led by senior Frank Kaminsky to put up a fight and possibly win it all. Arkansas and Louisville are must-watch teams as they contend for the title, possibly pulling off an upset along the way. All around, this tournament will certainly live up to the madness surrounding it, and I have no doubt it won’t be an easy road to a championship for any team.

Samuel Dern, Staff Writer:

I’m banking on the Arizona Wildcats to bring it all home. With outstanding senior leadership from senior point guard T.J McConnell, a roster full of adept long-range shooters, and exceptional athletes and rim protectors in seven footer Kaleb Tarczewski and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, the Cats have everything it takes to win a championship. Also, look for the Wyoming Cowboys to bust brackets in 2015 and reach the second weekend. The Mountain West champs play old-school, gritty, defensive basketball and are battle tested after winning three one-possession games to capture their Conference Tournament and steal an NCAA bid. The Cowboys open play against a highly celebrated, yet very unproven Northern Iowa squad and then a Louisville team still looking to recover from the departure of their most prolific scorer, Chris Jones. With so many great teams hungry for a title, it should be a great month of basketball in March.

Emily Ferrando, Staff Writer:

I think Kentucky will win March Madness. They were not the favorite going into the season until three players decided against going pro. Now, undefeated and running the table, I believe there is a high chance this team will take home a championship. A surprise team will be Iowa State, with an explosive offense, and I bet they could have a chance to beat Kentucky.

Daniela Gomez, Staff Writer:

Due to their impressive results during the regular season, I think the teams that will end up in the Final Four will be Kentucky, Wisconsin, Arizona, and Duke. My surprise team is Louisville, who stand a chance against any team, if they play up to their potential. (That’s a big if). I do not think Purdue will make it very far though, and a strong Cincinnati team could pose a threat to them early in the tournament.

Samantha Gould, Staff Writer:

The NCAA Tournament winners will be the Kentucky Wildcats. They are currently undefeated, with the greatest chance of winning it all. Kentucky is a balanced team with no one player being the superstar, therefore, allowing any one player to step up and be the most impactful player of the game. North Carolina State will be a surprise team in the tournament. During the season they beat number two team Duke, number nine team Louisville, and number fifteen team North Carolina. This gives them a greater chance of making it to the final four.

Nicole Kone, Staff Writer:

With the March Madness tournament approaching the excitement for college basketball fans is at an all time high. Duke University will win the March Madness tournament. Behind their fantastic freshmen, notably Tyus Jones and Jahlil Okafor will dominate. The Wisconsin Badgersí seven-footer, Frank Kaminsky, will prove to be too much to handle for the Kentucky Wildcats in an upset. Also, despite their seeding, Utah will surprise many and prove to be a difficult team to beat.

Jack Rubin, Staff Writer:

I think this Wisconsin Team will take the crown this year. They have one of the best players in the country in Frank Kaminsky and they really have no faults. A surprise team will be Davidson. They come out of a solid Atlantic 10 and they score a ton of points. A few upset contenders are LSU, VCU, Dayton, and St. John’s.

Owen Scrudders, Staff Writer:

My pick for the winner of the 2015 NCAA Tournament has got to be Duke.   Many people will feel as if the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats are the favorite going in, but they played a rather soft schedule in the SEC, which is more known for its football, and have come close to losing many games. A team that I believe is much more battle-tested, the Duke Blue Devils, will ultimately be cutting the nets down and winning the national title. The guard play for Duke is nothing short of sensational, with stars Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook running the show, and down low they have Jahlil Okafor, arguably the best player in college basketball. As for a Cinderella story, the LSU Tigers are my team to watch. They are only a nine seed, but that is due to the fact that they had some rough games and lost to teams that they were better than.   When looking at the talent on this team, including Jarrell Martin, Jordan Mickey, Tim Quarterman, and Keith Hornsby, it is hard to even comprehend how this team ended up as a nine seed. This team has the talent to go far and shock a lot of people.

Jake Wolpert, Section Editor:

You look at what Kentucky has been able to do this entire season and you can’t not have them as the favorites to win it all this year. When Alex Poythress went down early in the season with a torn ACL, it looked like the Wildcats depth and leadership would take a huge hit. However, it only caused players like Freshman Devin Booker to step up and contribute off the bench, and Junior Willie Cauley-Stein to become the heart and soul of this undefeated team. Their frontline is bigger than many NBA teams, so good luck scoring inside, and if you try to beat them by jacking up threes, their perimeter defense will hold you to a nation leading 27% from outside. March Madness is nothing without upsets, though, and BYU  could certainly fill that role in this year’s tournament. While BYU lacks an inside presence, they have a guy in Tyler Haws who can get 30 on any given night and Kyle Collinsworth, who is doing his best Russell Westbrook impression with 6 triple doubles on the season. Throw in a shooter like Chase Fischer getting hot from behind the arc, and this BYU team can beat anybody in the field.

As the tournament progresses, we will see several story lines continue to unfold. Will Kentucky remain undefeated and win it all? Can a fifteen seeded team continue the trend set forth in the past few years? Which player from a mid-major school will make a name for himself in this year’s tournament? and finally will my bracket not be terrible this year?  There is only one way to see these questions answered and more: tune in to TBS, TNT, CBS, and Tru Tv all March and April to see coverage of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.