NCAA Tournament thus far: Where I've been right, and where I've been wrong

By Joe Smeltzer

Another NCAA tournament is nearing its end. With the field narrowed from 68 teams to just four, I've decided to reflect on my predictions. While I picked multiple brackets with multiple different outcomes, I always knew who I would go with if I could only fill out one. As always, there was plenty that I got right, and plenty I didn't get right. Let's get into it, starting with the East Region.

East
Where I was right
Villanova, Marshall

Jon Elmore's 27 points led Marshall to its first ever NCAA tournament win (photo creds to officialsportsbetting.com)

Coming into the tournament, I thought that the Wildcats were not only the team to beat in the East but the entire field as well. So far, Jay Wright's team has lived up to that.

While West Virginia and Texas Tech tested Villanova last weekend, the 'Cats have mowed through March without too much of a scare, and I think if AP Player of the Year Jalen Brunson can lead 'Nova to a win over Kansas Saturday night, a second championship in three years is on the way.

While Marshall's run in March lasted just a weekend, the Thundering Herd made me look pretty good when they gave the fourth-seeded Wichita State Shockers a shock (sorry.) I thought that Wichita State's inability to defend would cause an early exit, and thanks to Jon Elmore hitting shots from the concession stand, I was right.

Where I was wrong
Murray State, St. Bonaventure

Stark, an All-American, was 1-12 from the field against West Virginia (photo creds to dailyegyptian.com)

I thought that fifth-seeded West Virginia was due to crash out in the first round, and the Racers had what it took to pull an upset. Since I had the fourth and fifth seeds going down in the East, I also picked Murray State to beat Marshall and go to the Sweet 16. But Jonathan Stark never got going, and the Racers couldn't get past the Mountaineers and their full-court press.

Since the Bonnies had one of the best backcourts in the country, I felt that as long as Jaylen Adams and Matt Mobley got hot, Bonaventure could go places. But Adams and Mobley combined to go just 5-19 from the field against Florida, and Bona was out two rounds before I thought they would be eliminated.

West
Where I was right
North Carolina, Michigan

Mo Wagner is awesome. Can he lead the Maize and Blue to a national title?

While I didn't see UNC crashing out as early as it did, I wasn't surprised when Texas A&M upset the Tar Heels in the second round. Giving up 86 points to the Aggies was fitting for a defense that couldn't defend. I knew that Carolina was too one-dimensional to go anywhere past the Sweet 16, and A&M exposed it for what it was.

I was pretty confident picking Michigan to win the West Region as a three seed. While things were looking pretty bleak in the second round against Houston, the Wolverines pulled that one out and won their next two games to keep up their hot streak that started towards the end of the regular season.

Where I was wrong
Florida State, Gonzaga

I've always liked Leonard Hamilton, but never thought he'd get so close to the Final Four (photo creds to stltoday.com)

Not only didn't I predict the Seminoles to upset Xavier or Gonzaga; I didn't even see them making it past the first round. But Leonard Hamilton's squad proved me and most others wrong and came within five points of getting to the Final Four.

I thought that since Xavier was a pretty weak one seed, that would open the door for either Gonzaga or Ohio State to have an Elite Eight run. I missed on that, too.

South
Where I was right 
Loyola, Nevada

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Did any of your brackets have an 11 vs. 7 Sweet 16 matchup? Well, mine did.

I was high on Loyola from the beginning of the tournament, and while I didn't ever think the Ramblers would get to the Final Four, I had them surviving the first weekend, before losing to Nevada in the Sweet 16. I knew the South was a crapshoot, and while I didn't realize how wild it would be, I still went outside the box with my Sweet 16, and it worked.

Where I was wrong 
Everywhere else

Tony Bennett still deserved Coach of the Year. Do not @ me (Photo creds to heraldandnews.com)

Well, I didn't get either UBMC-Virginia game or the Arizona-Buffalo game right, and I'm willing to bet that I wasn't alone in that regard. I thought that Kentucky's late-season surge would it to the Final Four, but big Bruce Weber slaughtered that dream. Speaking of the other Wildcats, I had them losing in the first round. So aside from the Sweet 16, my picks could have been better.

Midwest

Where I was right 

Clemson, URI 

Danny Hurley's last win at URI was one that I predicted (Photo creds to elitesportsny.com)

Auburn was a pretty crappy four seed, eh? While I didn't expect a 31-point pummeling in the second round, I figured Clemson would make it to the Sweet 16, and I was right.

It might have seemed like a risk to pick the A10  over the Big 12 in the first round, but I knew that Oklahoma had no place in the NCAA Tournament. Although the Sooners put up a fight, mighty URI moved on, just as I knew it would.

Where I was wrong 

Syracuse, Michigan State

After the field was announced, I thought that neither the Orange or Sparty got what they deserved. 

I felt that Syracuse with 13 losses, had no place in the Big Dance, while the Spartans, with four losses, deserved better than a three-seed, and were my pick to go to the Final Four out of the Midwest. While I still defend my thought process, the fact that Syracuse knocked out Michigan State in the second round wasn't something I expected. So while my pre-bracket observations weren't wrong, my bracket was.