March Madness Predictions: Final Four & Championship

0:00On March 19th, March Madness kicks off Thursday afternoon with the NCAA tournaments first and second rounds this weekend. It's the highlight of the college basketball season, leading to the sweet 16 and elite 8 next weekend, then the final four, and national title. Game. This year's field is stacked with elite talent, especially freshmen stars like BYU's AJ DeBanza, Duke's Cameron Booser, and Arkansas's Darius Akuf, Jr. Roll tied wire staffers share their final four predictions, and Duke Blue Devils is the unanimous pick to advance. Florida Gators and Arizona Wildcats each got two nods, while Alabama Crimson Tide earned one vote for a potential second-ever final four trip. For the national championship, the prediction split between Arizona Wildcats, Duke Blue Devils, and Alabama Crimson Tide, all number one seeds. Duke's last title came in 2015, Arizona won in 1997, and Alabama has never claimed won in basketball.

1:00Experts also eye double-digit seeds for deep runs, spotlighting South Florida Bulls under former Alabama assistant, Brian Hodgson, UCF Knights, and High Point Panthers. For Alabama, two predict a sweet 16 matchup, possibly against number one seed, Michigan, with one forecasting a title game appearance. Libera Phylon, Jr. leads MVP picks for the Tide, alongside veteran Letrelle Wrightsoh. As brackets fill in games tip-off, these bold calls set the stage for plenty of surprises and hard brick ahead.