<center>https://s15.postimg.org/terdqwv17/Madness_9.jpg</center>

When you are a college basketball fan, March is one of your favorite times of the year. The last two years have been even more enjoyable for me as my wife and I moved near Lexington, Kentucky. This is Cats country and college basketball is close to a religion. 

I did not grow up in Kentucky, but I have been a Kentucky fan since I was a boy. My dad would often have business meetings in Louisville or Lexington, and we would sneak over to the gym to watch the games when he was free. 

That being said, I do not have Kentucky winning it all this year. They are a fast team, a decent defensive team, and can shoot the three. But, the few times I have watched them at Rupp Arena they relied too heavily on the three-ball. That could come to hurt them in a game where they are not shooting well. I have Kentucky losing to their in-state rival Louisville in the Final Four. That is enough talk, here are my picks in each region. 

### <center>East Region</center> ###
<center>https://s3.postimg.org/nqdudx92b/Madness_3.jpg</center>

Villanova is my Final Four selection from the East. They have a tough road there, but they have proven in the past to be a resilient team. 

My lone upset in the East was UNCW beating Virginia in the first round. I watched the game as writing this article. That pick was close, but Virginia survived for another day. 

### <center>West Region</center> ###
<center>https://s17.postimg.org/ahil5w2fz/Madness_4.jpg</center>

The West is an interesting region for upsets and sleeper teams going deep in the bracket. But, I still have Arizona in the Final Four. Northwestern is a popular pick to beat Gonzaga, but I don't see that happening. Gonzaga is so well balanced as a team, and Mark Few is a smart coach with experience in the tournament. 

My upsets picks are Bucknell and VCU. I actually have Bucknell in the Sweet Sixteen. They'll squeak by West Virginia, and surprise a Notre Dame team that barely finished off Princeton. 

### <center>Midwest Region</center> ###
<center>https://s18.postimg.org/r5hbim8nt/Madness_5.jpg</center>

As I stated earlier, Louisville is my pick over Kentucky in the Final Four so this is not a surprise for the Midwest region. In fact, I don't see many upsets in the midwest. I have Rhode Island beating Creighton in the first round, and Iowa State over Kansas in the Sweet Sixteen. 

The Iowa State pick may come as a surprise. I suppose the bottom line is that I don't see Kansas doing well in the tournament - they seem to struggle in the Sweet Sixteen or later. Iowa State already beat Kansas once and played them tight to a 4 point loss before that. 

### <center>South Region</center> ###
<center>https://s1.postimg.org/bzul26jtr/Madness_7.jpg</center>

As a Kentucky fan, it is almost a given that they will be a Final Four pick for me. This is not our best Kentucky team ever, but I think we do have a legitimate shot at a title. 

My upsets in this region are not numerous. I see Middle Tennessee beating Minnesota in the first round, which is a popular pick amongst ESPN analysts. I have Butler beating UNC in the Sweet Sixteen. That is not a popular pick. Many people have UNC in the championship or at the very least in the Final Four. Butler has already beaten Gonzaga, and has consistently shown to be a tough opponent for any team - I like their chances against a streaky UNC team. 

<center>https://s3.postimg.org/6wd8m2ujn/Madness_8.jpg</center>

In the end, I see Louisville and Villanova in the finals and Villanova repeating as national champions. Villanova has been impressive all year, and already has the taste of a title. I am choosing to not overthink this too much. Villanova is the best team in the country and has arguably the best player in the country with Josh Hart. The experience of Jay Wright will come into play as Villanova faces the gritty East region and comes out on top again as National Champions. 

What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts and replies in the comments. March Madness is here!

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
<center>Thank you for visiting. [![alt text](https://s27.postimg.org/jfruv85rn/Follow.gif)](https://steemit.com/@lydon.sipe) me for more great content. </center>
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Image Sources: [1-](http://thefeministwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Bracket.jpg)[2-](https://heavyeditorial.files.wordpress.com/2017/03/gettyimages-652246618-1.jpg?quality=65&strip=all&w=780&strip=all)[3-](http://images.performgroup.com/di/library/sporting_news/41/b0/arizona-wildcats-getty-ftr-031217_1dsfwasugyt0b11cjg35srsjoh.jpg?t=-979161910&w=960&quality=70)[4-](https://cardinalsportszone.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/quentin-snider1.jpg?w=604&h=340)[5-](https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/malik-monk.jpg?w=1000&h=600&crop=1)[6](http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/content/wpvi/images/cms/1276643_1280x720.jpg)