The Madness Of March

Kevin Zdonek picks Michigan State to come out on top.

Syracuse fans are ready for Duke before the start of play at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb.1, 2014. Syracuse won, 91-89, in overtime. (Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

MCT

Syracuse fans are ready for Duke before the start of play at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse, N.Y., on Saturday, Feb.1, 2014. Syracuse won, 91-89, in overtime. (Chuck Liddy/Raleigh News & Observer/MCT)

The NCAA has organized a phenomenal time for sports fans. March Madness has been a tradition since 1939.  It’s a time when 62 of the best college teams get thrown into a bracket for fanatics to fill out who they think will finish as the last team standing.

After a fantastic year from Louisville in the 2013, it is time for a new 2014 NCAA tournament champion. The tournament is still a few weeks away, so it is hard to predict a champion. Two teams that deserve consideration are Arizona and Syracuse. Arizona looks great, but their team is a little inexperienced. When choosing teams that have experience in the tournament. These are teams that70-685 have players who have already gone far in the  in the past, and have coaches who have won it all in the past.

After a fantastic year from Louisville in the 2013, it is time for a new 2014 NCAA tournament champion.

— Kevin Zdonek

Arizona has broken school history records. With 20 wins in a row and counting, they play great defense. Arizona’s two talented freshmen, Aaron Gordon and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, have made their mark on the Wildcats’ success. Aaron Gordon has asserted his leadership on the team. He racks up the most rebounds and the most blocks. Also, Gordon averages the second most points on the team. Next to the two freshmen, the other two key components are juniors Nick Johnson and T.J McConnell. These guys are the experience of the team. In my point of view, Arizona has a good probability of making the final four.

The other undefeated team (at the time this was written) is the Syracuse Orangemen. The Orangemen are led by a great and experienced coach in Jim Boeheim and his captain, senior C.J Fair. Other than these two components, the rest of the team is made up of sophomores. Syracuse has proven that it’s a great organization. I see Syracuse making it to the Final Four.

Moving away from the undefeated teams, another team who I think will make the Final Four is the Florida Gators. The Gators are experienced in the tournament. They don’t rely on freshmen to do all the work. They have a senior captain who is their leading scorer. Their coach Billy Donovan has earned a lot of respect over the years with a couple championships under his belt. His team is looking at another successful year.
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Lastly, the team that I believe looks the best coming out for the tournament is Michigan State. Michigan State is very experienced and is very skilled. From their coaching to the talent of their players, they look great across the board. They play great defense, getting tons of steals and blocks. As a unit, they are a scoring machine with five players averaging above one three pointer per game.   They are a championship caliber team who will make a bang come bracket time.