Previously on Steve Believes, I made predictions for the second half of the Second Round matchups. And as to how I did with those predictions, well I went 7-1, with the lone incorrect prediction being Ohio State.
And now that they’re settled, it’s time to make my predictions for Day 1 of the Sweet 16 Round for the 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The matchups are listed via the bullet points below and are each accompanied by a brief yet detailed description:
- #4 Florida State Seminoles Vs. #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs-Same matchup and same round as last year. However, there will be a different winner this time, as Gonzaga avenges last season’s loss against Florida State.
- #3 Purdue Boilermakers Vs. #2 Tennessee Volunteers-Tennessee won a close one against a 15-seed in Colgate, and nearly had an epic choke job against Iowa. As for Purdue, they emphatically dethroned Villanova to get back to this round for the second year in a row. And given how they are a well-oiled machine thus far in this tournament compared to how Tennessee has looked, I’m picking them to advance.
- #3 Texas Tech Red Raiders Vs. #2 Michigan Wolverines-Michigan is another team that has looked like a well-oiled machine thus far in this tournament. Plus, they have the experience of a deep tournament under their belt. And for those two reasons, I like them in this game.
- #12 Oregon Ducks Vs. #1 Virginia Cavaliers-Oregon’s ability to put teams away late in games, along with them getting hot at the right time makes them tempting to pick in this game. However, the magic will run out against Virginia in this one.
Well, that’s it for today’s edition of Steve Believes: The 2019 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Tune in tomorrow, as I will make my predictions for Day 2 of the Sweet 16 matchups. So until then, so long everybody!