Yesterday on Steve Believes, I made predictions for the second half of the First Round matchups. And as to how I did with those predictions, well I once again went 11-5, with incorrect predictions for the following: Cincinnati, Iowa State, Utah State, Ole Miss and VCU.
And now that they’re settled, it’s time to make my predictions for Day 1 of the Second Round of 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:
- #6 Maryland Terrapins Vs. #3 LSU Tigers-I like Maryland in this one. Especially if they are trailing at halftime. LSU nearly coughed up a 16-point lead against Yale, whereas Maryland erased a six-point to eventually beat Belmont.
- #7 Wofford Terriers Vs. #2 Kentucky Wildcats-Wofford has been one of the better stories in college basketball this season. However, this is as far as they’ll go, because it’s hard to go against Kentucky in this round.
- #10 Florida Gators Vs. #2 Michigan Wolverines-Florida exerted a lot of energy against Nevada and that will catch up to them in this game. I like Michigan.
- #12 Murray State Racers Vs. #4 Florida State Seminoles-At least one sleeper team advances to the Sweet 16 in this tournament. Last year, it was Loyola Chicago. This year, it will be Murray State.
- #9 Baylor Bears Vs. #1 Gonzaga Bulldogs-Gonzaga has advanced to at least the Sweet 16 the past four seasons. This year, it will be number five.
- #10 Minnesota Gophers Vs. #2 Michigan State Spartans-Unlike Gonzaga, Michigan State doesn’t have an active streak of consecutive Sweet 16 appearances, as they haven’t advanced to that round since 2015. However, the drought will end.
- #6 Villanova Wildcats Vs. #3 Purdue Boilermakers-I like Villanova because it’s hard to go against them right now.
- #5 Auburn Tigers Vs. #4 Kansas Jayhawks-Kansas doesn’t have enough to make a deep run this season, thus my reason why I’m picking Auburn in this game.
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 Second Round matchups. So until then, so long everybody!