The Three-Man Weave, Week 4: NCAA Tournament Edition

Jeremy Bauman: I’ve got St. Louis vs. Gonzaga on one side and Indiana vs. Georgetown on the other.

I’ve already explained my logic for St. Louis and Gonzaga. Indiana has all the tools (but a tough road that ultimately runs through Miami) to get there, but I think they’re built for this and Crean is hellbent on getting this program over the hump and to the Final Four.

Georgetown has arguably the best player in college basketball; Jim Boeheim said last week at the Big East Tournament that he’s never seen a better all-around 3-man in the Big East than Otto Porter. He went on to say that he’d take him with the first pick in the NBA Draft without looking at anyone else. I also think Georgetown can frustrate opponents with their style of play and they’re solid enough offensively to beat most  teams.

In the finals I’ve got Gonzaga against Indiana in Atlanta, with Cody Zeller and Indiana bringing home their first championship since 1987.

Max Ogden: This is one of the most wide-open brackets in the history of college basketball. There is no favorite to win the title, as no team has emerged at any stage of this season as an unstoppable power. So how will it all go down?

Coming out of the Midwest Region will be the Louisville Cardinals. It won’t be easy for Rick Pitino’s crew, as they’ll barely survive against Saint Louis, but they will make it to the Final Four. They’ll go head-to-head with New Mexico while there.

Coming out of the East will be the Indiana Hoosiers, as they take down the Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight. They’ll go to battle with the Michigan Wolverines.

In the end, it will be Indiana against Louisville. It will end when the Hoosiers finally strap on their defensive boots and Victor Oladipo comes up with the big plays when they count most.

Ben Baroff: My Final Four will see the Big East tournament champions, the Louisville Cardinals, matchup with the Big Ten tournament champions, the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Ohio State has been up-and-down all year, but is playing their best basketball at the right time – always a key ingredient to tournament success. Aaron Craft is the senior point guard you want at the helm and Deshaun Thomas may be the best pure scorer in the tournament.

On the other side the Indiana Hoosiers will figure out a way to get through a matchup nightmares against Syracuse and Miami. They will be free of the slow pace and physicality of the Big Ten and unleash their true potential.

They’ll play VCU in a rematch of last years round of 32 game, which Indiana won 63-61 in a thriller.

Give me Indiana over Louisville in the finals.

Indiana basketball is officially back.