Our staff predicts who will cut down the nets

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NBA draft prospects to watch in the March Madness tournament

USAT’s Mackenzie Salmon gives you four players to keep your eye on in March Madness that will most likely be heading to the NBA next year.

Sports Pulse

All four of us on The Desert Sun sports staff are big fans of March Madness and a simple review of which colleges we all attended will help you understand why.

Sports editor Matt Solinsky went to Indiana, sports columnist Shad Powers went to Michigan State, sports reporter Andrew John went to Syracuse and sports reporter Larry Bohannan went to Cal State Fullerton.

That’s three college hoops-obsessed campuses … and Cal State Fullerton. Although Larry’s Titans are a baseball school, they are technically more of a basketball school than a football school because they don’t have a football team.

With that in mind, our sports staff has made some predictions for this year’s NCAA Tournament. Here are our Final Fours, champions and sleepers.

Matt Solinsky

First-round, double-digit upset: No. 12 Colorado State over No. 5 Memphis

Surprising team to make a deeper-than-expected run: North Carolina

Final Four: Auburn, Duke, Houston, Florida

Champion: Duke def. Auburn — Duke has the superstar in Cooper Flagg, and the supporting cast around him. What makes the Blue Devils the likely champion is their top-five offensive and defensive rankings. Most complete team in the tourney.

Shad Powers

First-round, double-digit upset: No. 12 McNeese over No. 5 Clemson

Surprising team to make a deeper-than-expected run: Oregon into the Final Four

Final Four: Auburn, St. John’s, Oregon and Houston

Champion: Houston def. St. John’s — The Cougars have been on the doorstep in recent years, but the least-talked-about No. 1 seed finally cuts down the nets. Defense, offense, toughness, coaching, they’ve got it all.

Larry Bohannan

First-round, double-digit upset: No. 12 Colorado State beats No. 5 Memphis

Surprise team to make a deeper-than-expected run: No. 4 Texas A&M to make the Final 4

Final Four: Duke,…

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Publish date : 2025-03-19 16:28:00

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