Predicting The NCAA Tournament Champion After First Round
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dan Hurley of the Connecticut Huskies is ejected from the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the championship game of the 2K Empire Classic at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
We're down to 32 teams in the NCAA Tournament after the first round concluded on Friday night.
Some of the top teams showed why they're poised to go deep at the tournament, including UConn. UConn, who went 31-3 during the regular season, crushed Stetson in the first round on Friday and is set to play Northwestern in the second round on Sunday.
The Huskies won it all last year and based on how they've looked so far, they're the favorite to win it all. They've been blowing teams out all year and are the best team in the country when they're fully healthy.
They walked to a Big East regular-season title and tournament title before the NCAA Tournament started.
They have five players averaging in double figures this season and a head coach in Dan Hurley who knows how to out-scheme any opponent.
Tristen Newton leads all Huskies with 15 points and 6.9 rebounds per game while Cam Spencer is directly behind him with 14.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
If the Huskies can get past the Northwestern Wildcats, a date with the Aztecs of San Diego State or the Bulldogs of Yale in the Sweet 16 would be next.
They have a great draw to the Elite Eight, where they could take on the Iowa State Cyclones. After that, they could get the North Carolina Tar Heels or the Arizona Wildcats in the Final Four.
We'll see if this prediction comes to fruition over the next couple of weeks.
