Bring On The Brackets

March 14, 2022

By: Carlos Alvarez

Previewing the 2022 NCAA Tournament Brackets

It’s time. After two years of March Sadness — canceled in 2020 and no fans in 2021 — the return to real madness has finally arrived. I’m ecstatic, and I hope you are, too. The Sportsletter will focus on the NCAA Tournaments, both men and women, throughout the next month. All other sports will take a backseat, but you’ll still be able to keep up with everything else in short-form during the tourney.

 

The weekend that was saw too many games to recap. Teams cut down the nets in conference championships all across the nation, including a few surprise tournament winners from the ACC and Big Ten.

 

Conference Champions

PAC-12: #2 Arizona

ACC: Virginia Tech

SEC: #9 Tennessee

Big Ten: #24 Iowa

Big 12: #6 Kansas

Big East: #8 Villanova

 

*Links to Conference Championship Game Highlights

 

Here’s a first look at the NCAA Tournament field, complete with the top storylines and my picks for the Final Four. Let’s do it!

 

Analyzing the Bracket

 

The 1-Seeds

The field of 68 features Gonzaga, Arizona, Kansas and Baylor as the No. 1 seeds in each region. The first three were also winners of their conference tournaments, and they should be entering the tourney feeling good.

 

The First Four

The four bubble teams who made the field will play each other on Tuesday and Wednesday. Indiana will face Wyoming in the 12-seed matchup of the East Region while Rutgers and Notre Dame square off in the 11-seed battle of the West Region.

 

My Final Four Picks

I don’t feel great about it, but here we go. I like Arizona, Kansas, Duke and Purdue to reach New Orleans by April. I’m a bit of a homer when it comes to the Boilermakers. From there, give me Duke vs. Kansas for the title with the Blue Devils cutting down the nets to end Coach K’s career on top.

 

Join The Sportsletter’s Bracket Pool

 

Full Men’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

 

Women’s Bracket Reveal

No surprise on the 1-line of the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket. South Carolina garnered the No. 1 overall seed with Louisville, N.C. State and Stanford joining them.

 

Full Women’s NCAA Tournament Bracket

 

Additional Storylines

SI: Expert Picks for the 2022 Men’s NCAA Tournament

ESPN: Everything You Need to Know About All 68 Teams in the NCAA Tournament

CBS Sports: Bracketology: Here’s What the Selection Committee Missed

NCAA: The Key Bracket Tips to Know When Making Your Women’s & Men’s Picks

USA Today: ‘Completely Devastated & Heartbroken’: NCAA Tournament’s Biggest Selection Sunday Snubs