Madness not so easy to figure this year
Last year was easy.
UConn was the best team, the clear favorite, at least to me, and I had them easily winning the NCAA men’s basketball championship
This year, I’ve been looking at the brackets, the records, all the different rankings and wracked my brain to come up with the 2025 Final Four and overall winner.
It wasn’t easy, but I have done so.
First off, though, let’s do a roundup of the favorite area colleges.
Pitt?
Crashed and burned after a solid start to where they were the team everyone looked to as a way to turn around their fortunes. Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry has a meltdown about fans supporting his team? Welcome Pitt, hey Irish beat a winning team! Twice! (Thanks to a bit of help from a horrendous call in the ACC tournament albeit). North Carolina looking to get back on track? Rematch win over the fading Panthers! We’ll go on and undeservingly make the NCAA tournament now! North Carolina State, coming off a Final Four appearance but having a down season. Hey, here come the Panthers for our final home game on senior day! Look, we played hard to beat this uninterested team with a winning record!
Beating the Panthers during the second half of the season was no big deal, but many teams got a boost from it anyhow.
West Virginia?
Sure, they deserved to be in the Big Dance, no doubt. But it cracks me up when I hear a coach like Darian DeVries, who already bailed on the Mountaineers for Indiana after only one season, spout out that he was absolutely shocked when WVU wasn’t included in the field. Former coach Gale Catlett used the same words once. No, Coach DeVries, you weren’t absolutely shocked, unless you never heard the phrase “bubble team” before. Surprised? Yeah, I’ll buy that. Absolutely shocked? Absolutely not. Just being dramatic.
Any chance of a Bob Huggins return to Morgantown? Anyone? I’d actually like to see it but it’ll never happen at this point.
Penn State?
At least they went out with their heads up, hammering a ranked Wisconsin team on the Badgers’ court on its senior day. Kudos to the Nittany Lions for that.
Robert Morris?
Hey there’s your lone team among the area colleges to make the field. Who would’ve predicted that. Excellent job by Andrew Toole. Tough draw with Alabama but here’s hoping they’re respectable in that first-round game.
OK, Final Four, I’m leaning towards all the top dogs.
In the South Region I see Auburn and Michigan State battling with Bruce Pearl’s Tigers coming out on top.
In the East Region, again the top two seeds, Duke and Alabama will meet with the Blue Devils moving on.
In the Midwest Region, there’s no one to challenge Houston, and look for Kentucky to knock off second-seeded Tennessee for the third time this season. The Vols just never make the Final Four.
In the West Region, I’m on the fence about Florida. To me, when the Gators are on their game, they’re the best team in the country, but I’ve seen them falter a few times unexpectedly, giving up 106 points to Kentucky, falling at home to Missouri, losing at Georgia. Maybe I just watched them at the wrong times but I feel the team many are picking to win it all isn’t going to make the Final Four. UConn will give Florida trouble in the second round after beating the Sooners and Rick Pitino will steer St. John’s past them in the regional final.
From there it’s Auburn over St. John’s, Houston over Duke, and the Tigers over the Cougars in the final.
Want some other opinions?
Here’s the Final Four picks by some area high school coaches with their champion in all CAPS:
Joe Salvino, formerly Belle Vernon boys: Michigan State, Florida, DUKE, Houston.
Gary Tarbuk, Geibel Catholic boys: Auburn, ST. JOHN’S, Duke, Houston.
Ben Brudnock, West Greene girls: FLORIDA, Duke, Auburn, Tennessee.
Mike Juliano, Waynesburg Central boys: DUKE, Houston, Florida, Michigan State.
Frank Muccino, Southmoreland boys: DUKE Tennessee, St. John’s, North Carolina.
Rob Kezmarsky, Uniontown boys: MICHIGAN STATE, Florida, Duke, Clemson.
Sara Larkin, Geibel Catholic girls: FLORIDA, Duke, Auburn, Gonzaga.
Bob Kennedy, Bentworth boys: Florida, Michigan State, Duke, FLORIDA.
Brandon Lawless, Jefferson-Morgan boys: Iowa State, Florida, DUKE, Gonzaga
Rob Ramsey, formerly Brownsville boys: Auburn, St. John’s DUKE, Houston
Stewart Davis, Laurel Highlands girls: FLORIDA.