2023 March Madness bracket: Picking all 63 games in the NCAA Tournament with 63 sentences explaining why (2024)

There are so many ways to break down the NCAA Tournament bracket.

You can look at all of the resumes. You examine the NET rankings. You can weigh the great wins with the bad losses to see if one means more than the other. You can try to figure out whether playing well recently means teams are peaking at the right time or if it doesn't really matter because the NCAA Tournament is a chaotic series of one-game seasons, and nothing else prior to it matters as long as you're in the field.

You can parse through the advanced stats from KenPom.com or BartTorvik.com to try to analyze which team matches up well with their opponents and which teams have key weaknesses that will be on full display. You can check out rankings, check out the picks from our experts here at CBS Sportsand try to narrow things down using historical trends for upsets and for champions.

The only thing you can't do, it seems, is actually put pen to paper (or click the team to the next round) and actually fill out your bracket. You now have so many numbers and random thoughts swirling in your head that you can talk yourself into and out of any team.

Don't worry, you're not alone. Sometimes, it's best just to make the picks and be done with it. So that's what I'm doing here: 63 picks in 63 sentences, one each for every game remaining in the NCAA Tournament. I did this back in 2019 and got the champion right, so there's at least some precedent for this helping.

Let's go.

First Round

South

• No. 1 Alabama over No. 16 -- The top overall seed has no problems here.
• No. 8 Maryland over No. 9 West Virginia -- When in doubt, go with the best experienced guard: Jahmir Young.
• No. 5 San Diego State over No. 12 College of Charleston -- Matt Bradley is one of the best offensive players you probably don't know about.
• No. 4 Virginia over No. 13 Furman -- The Cavaliers' defense denies a popular upset pick.
• No. 6 Creighton over No. 11 NC State -- The Bluejays don't have much depth, but that starting five is really, really good.
• No. 3 Baylor over No. 14 UCSB -- Guards win in March, and Baylor has a bunch of 'em.
• No. 10 Utah State over No. 7 Missouri -- Ryan Odom, who led UMBC over Virginia in 2018 -- is back for another first-round win.
• No. 2 Arizona over No. 15 Princeton -- The Tigers are good, but Arizona's big man one-two punch of Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Bello will be too much.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 16 Northern Kentucky -- Keep an eye on Marcus Sasser's health as the Cougars get their NCAA Tournament underway.
• No. 9 Auburn over No. 8 Iowa -- Auburn has never lost in the first round under Bruce Pearl.
• No. 13 Kent State over No. 4 Indiana -- I just don't quite trust the Hoosiers' guards enough, and I do trust Sincere Carry.
• No. 5 Miami over No. 12 Drake -- I'd feel a lot better if I knew the status of Norchad Omier's ankle, but for now, Miami's talented guards can overcome that uncertainty.
• No. 6 Iowa State over No. 11 Pittsburgh -- Iowa State won't miss all the open 3-pointers Mississippi State did against Pittsburgh in the First Four game.
• No. 3 Xavier over No. 14 Kennesaw State -- Get to know the name Souley Boum.
• No. 7 over No. 10 Penn State -- Get to know the name Wade Taylor IV.
• No. 2 Texas over No. 15 Colgate -- The Raiders could give the Longhorns trouble with their Division I-best 3-point shooting, but Texas has too much depth and athleticism.

West

• No. 1 Kansas over No. 16 Howard -- The Jayhawks' quest for a second straight title gets off to a good start.
• No. 8 Arkansas over No. 9 Illinois -- Both of these teams are maddeningly inconsistent, but Eric Musselman has a habit of getting the very best out of his teams come tournament time.
• No. 5 Saint Mary's over No. 12 VCU -- Sorry to shut down another Cinderella favorite, but Saint Mary's is really, really good, even if the Gaels didn't look it in the WCC title game against Gonzaga.
• No. 4 UConn over No. 13 Iona -- The Huskies will go as Jordan Hawkins go, and expect a good start here for the talented wing.
• No. 11 Arizona State over No. 6 TCU -- This is the 13th Tournament to feature a First Four, and in 11 of the previous 12, a First Four team made it to the second round at least; Arizona State will join that group.
• No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 14 Grand Canyon -- The best offense in the country (yes, I said it) cruises.
• No. 10 Boise State over No. 7 Northwestern -- The Broncos' length on the wing will give the Wildcats trouble, but keep an eye on the point guard battle between Marcus Shaver Jr. and Boo Buie.
• No. 2 UCLA over No. 15 UNC Asheville -- Mick Cronin's bunch is long on experience and won't slip up early.

East

• No. 1 Purdue over No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson -- FDU is the shortest team in the country, and Zach Edey is one of the tallest -- and one of the best -- players in the country.
• No. 9 FAU over No. 8 Memphis -- The Owls are disciplined and experienced, they defend well, and they make shots.
• No. 5 Duke over No. 12 Oral Roberts -- The Blue Devils' freshmen often get the headlines, but it's Jeremy Roach who will come up big to stop Max Abmas and co.
• No. 4 Tennessee over No. 13 Louisiana -- Santiago Vescovi is one of the most creative scorers in the game, and there's just enough around him.
• No. 11 Providence over No. 6 Kentucky -- It's a big game for Bryce Hopkins against his former team, but it's the experience of Providence that will ultimately push Providence over John Calipari's up-and-down bunch
  
• No. 3 Kansas State over No. 14 Montana State -- The Wildcats struggled a bit at the end, but not so much that they lose to a Montana State program making its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
• No. 7 Michigan State over No. 10 USC -- Tyson Walker has had the clutch gene throughout his career, and it'll be no different this time.
• No. 2 Marquette over No. 15 Vermont -- The Golden Eagles swept the Big East regular-season and tournament titles, which seems good to me.

Second round

South

• No. 1 Alabama over No. 8 Maryland -- The Crimson Tide have so much length, athleticism and a really good, experienced and under-appreciated point guard in Jahvon Quinerly.
• No. 5 San Diego State over No. 4 Virginia -- This will be a slow, grind-it-out contest, but the Aztecs have more shot creators down the stretch, when points will be at a premium.
• No. 3 Baylor over No. 6 Creighton -- The Bears defense really struggles, but their offense is outstanding, and Adam Flagler won't be quite ready to go home.
• No. 2 Arizona over No. 10 Utah State -- Tubelis and Ballo will bury the perimeter-oriented Aggies.

Midwest

• No. 1 Houston over No. 9 Auburn -- Houston's steady veterans will keep them on track against an Auburn team that goes through plenty of ups and downs.
• No. 5 Miami over No. 13 Kent State -- If Omier isn't healthy for the first round, perhaps another two days will help?
• No. 3 Xavier over No. 6 Iowa State -- Like I said before: Souley Boum.
• No. 2 Texas over No. 7 Texas A&M -- The Longhorns simply have more scoring options, more lineup options and, by the final buzzer, more points.

West

• No. 1 Kansas over No. 8 Arkansas -- I'm always going to give the edge to experience over youth, and in Jalen Wilson and Dajuan Harris Jr., the Jayhawks have plenty.
• No. 4 UConn over No. 5 Saint Mary's -- In Adama Sanogo and Donovan Clingan, the Gaels will face (literally) a tall task, and they just barely won't have enough.
• No. 3 Gonzaga over No. 11 Nevada -- The Wolf Pack defense isn't close to enough to slow down Drew Timme and co.
• No. 2 UCLA over No. 10 Boise State -- People haven't properly appreciated Jaime Jaquez's spectacular season, but they may start after this one.

East

• No. 1 Purdue over No. 9 Florida Atlantic -- It won't be easy, but the Boilermakers will keep rolling behind Edey and fellow veteran Mason Gillis.
• No. 4 Tennessee over No. 5 Duke -- It's perhaps my boldest pick so far as everyone seems to love Duke's late-season charge and hate Tennessee's late-season slump, but the Volunteers have the length, depth and defensive prowess to topple the Blue Devils.
• No. 11 Providence over No. 3 Kansas State -- In a battle of two of the nation's best forwards -- Hopkins and Keyontae Johnson -- the Friars prove to be tougher and, crucially, more careful with the ball.
• No. 2 Marquette over No. 7 Michigan State -- Get to know the name Tyler Kolek.

Sweet 16

South

• No. 1 Alabama over No. 5 San Diego State -- The Crimson Tide are simply too good offensively and too disciplined defensively for the Aztecs.
• No. 3 Baylor over No. 2 Arizona -- The Bears' backcourt advantage is enough to bridge the gap over the Wildcats' interior superiority.

Midwest

• No. 5 Miami over No. 1 Houston -- Omier's ankle will be closer to 100%, and the first No. 1 seed falls as Miami's shotmaking reigns.
• No. 2 Texas over No. 3 Xavier -- The Musketeers' lack of depth finally catches up with them, and that's certainly no problem for Texas, arguably the nation's deepest team.

West

• No. 1 Kansas over No. 4 UConn -- In a game with a ton of really good, high-level and experienced players, Wilson will be the best player on the court, as he is in almost any game.
• No. 2 UCLA over No. 3 Gonzaga -- The Bruins avenge one of the greatest games in NCAA Tournament history from back in 2020.

East

• No. 4 Tennessee over No. 1 Purdue -- The Volunteers have enough size and athleticism to make things hard on Edey, but it's the perimeter defense that will give them the biggest advantage over the Boilermakers and their young guards.
• No. 2 Marquette over No. 11 Providence -- The Golden Eagles have the length and athleticism to hang with the hard-driving Friars, and Kolek will continue his run as the best guard on the floor.

Elite Eight

South

• No. 1 Alabama over No. 3 Baylor -- The Bears' relative overachievement finally ends here, as the Crimson Tide defend the 3-point line as well as anyone and take advantage of defensive breakdowns.

Midwest

• No. 2 Texas over No. 5 Miami -- The depth, the experience, the versatility, the great guard play -- all key parts of a team that's already overcome a lot and will continue to do so.

West

• No. 2 UCLA over No. 1 Kansas -- The Bruins defense is arguably the nation's best even without Jaylen Clark, and the Jayhawks won't have enough scoring options after Wilson and Gradey Dick.

East

• No. 2 Marquette over No. 4 Tennessee -- A dozen years after taking VCU to the Final Four, Shaka Smart is back, thanks to a well-rounded team on both ends.

Final Four

• No. 1 Alabama over No. 2 Marquette -- The Crimson Tide are excellent at defending the paint and the 3-point line, which will help minimize Kolek's drives and his teammates' catch-and-shoot abilities.
• No. 2 Texas over No. 2 UCLA -- Marcus Carr is the leading scorer and Timmy Allen is the best individual scorer, but it's Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year Sir'Jabari Rice who will push the Longhorns into their first national championship game.

National championship game

• No. 2 Texas over No. 1 Alabama -- The Longhorns have many options to put on Quinerly and Brandon Miller, the length to defend around the rim and, ultimately, the type of team that will win the program's first NCAA Tournament title.

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