ESPN capped 13 hours of extensive, multiplatform coverage of Selection Sunday with Bracketology Presented by STAPLES tonight (7 p.m. ET). During the two-hour show hosted by Rece Davis, analysts Jay Bilas, Hubert Davis, Doug Gottlieb, Digger Phelps and Dick Vitale made their upset picks and championship predictions, and noted a variety of key matchups for the 68 teams selected to this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament. In addition, for the first time, Gottlieb gave his second-round pairings picks.
On overall selections:
Bilas: “It seems like a victory for ‘the eye test’.”
Davis: “I said before, I thought all the bubble teams were average. The only two teams that it’s unfortunate they won’t play in the NCAA tournament are Drexel and Washington.”
Gottlieb: “My beefs are… One – I don’t understand why they selected their teams before Sunday. I don’t understand why Xavier is automatically in the field. Who exactly did they beat – they beat Dayton twice, really after the brawl. That is really all that they did. I liked Xavier and what they did earlier in the season, but they are a completely different team.”
“I think we hold the mid-majors to a ridiculously high standard. You are talking about leaving out Oral Roberts, 27 wins, Middle Tennessee State, 25 wins and Drexel, who wins 25-of-27 down the stretch. I think those teams belonged in.”
Vitale: “I think the committee did really a very fair job..and has put together a field that the Goliaths will really prevail.”
Semifinal and Championship Predictions
| Analyst | Semifinal Picks | Championship | Winner |
| Jay Bilas | Kentucky/Michigan State, Syracuse/UNC | Kentucky v Syracuse | Kentucky |
| Hubert Davis | Kentucky/Michigan State, Syracuse/UNC | Michigan State v. UNC | UNC |
| Digger Phelps | Kentucky/Michigan State, Florida State/Kansas | Michigan State v Florida State | Michigan State |
| Dick Vitale | Kentucky/Missouri, Florida State/UNC | Kentucky v UNC | Kentucky |
Reactions:
Bilas:
“The South appears to me to be the toughest region among the top four seeds. The East is second and then maybe the toughest overall.”
On Vanderbilt: “They’re going in [to the tournament] with a free mind as an older team.”
On Missouri: “If I were [Missouri], I wouldn’t want to play Marquette. Marquette’s the team that would scare me the most.”
Davis:
On Syracuse: “They’re going to have to do a couple things..finish defensive possessions with a rebound…and it cannot just be Dion Waiters on the offensive end.”
Gottlieb:
“Don’t sleep on Norfolk State. Remember, we talked about how good Drexel is? Norfolk State beat Drexel, at Drexel.”
“Kansas State is massively under seeded at the eight seed. This is a great story for Larry Eustachy personally to come back from his demons, going back to the Iowa State days, and taking Southern Miss to the tournament.”
Phelps:
“Missouri is the best team out there. They can attack every way, every angle, every part of that basketball court.”
Vitale:
“I see a big stumbling block [for Kentucky]: I see Connecticut.”
“If you’re a ‘Cuse fan, I think you’re in trouble.”
Gottlieb’s Picks for Second-Round Matchups
- Kentucky vs. Iowa State
- Wichita State vs. New Mexico State
- UNLV vs. Baylor
- Xavier vs. Duke
- Michigan State vs. St. Louis
- New Mexico vs. Davidson
- Murray State vs. Marquette
- Florida vs. Missouri
- Syracuse vs. Kansas State
- Vanderbilt vs. Montana
- Cincinnati vs. Florida State
- Gonzaga vs. Ohio State
- North Carolina vs. Creighton
- Cal/USF vs. Ohio
- NC State vs. Belmont
- Saint Mary’s vs. Kansas
First-round upsets:
Bilas: “West and East I don’t see a ton of upsets. I like New Mexico State over Long Beach State, Louisville over Davidson, Gonzaga over West Virginia and Vandy gets by Harvard.”
Davis: “Virginia over Florida.”
Phelps: “Long Beach State over New Mexico, West Virginia over Gonzaga.”
Under-seeded teams according to ESPN’s BPI:
Memphis, Saint Louis, Belmont, Texas and California
Over-seeded teams according to ESPN’s BPI:
Notre Dame, Xavier, Colorado State, Florida State, Michigan and San Diego State
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Media Contact: Keri Potts, keri.a.potts@espn.ccom or 860-766-4483