The NCAA Tournament is underway, and the event certainly lived up to its March Madness nickname yesterday, with numerous upsets and last-second heroics. Before we get too far into the tournament, we wanted to check in with four of our employees and see who they predict will win it all. No surprise: Kentucky is heavy favorite at our firm, but not everyone here feels the Wildcats are destined for early April glory.
Ben Gordon: “Though I always love an upset, I have Kentucky winning it all this year. The talent on that team is too good to pass up.”
Will Lovell: “If I had to put my mortgage on it, I would bet on Kentucky. However, since I’m only trying to win my bracket, I have picked Wisconsin to upset Kentucky and then go on to beat Duke in the finals. Before you say I’m crazy, note that I say all this with the caveat that I’ve only watched a total of five minutes of basketball this winter.”
Rose Martin: “Kentucky will be the NCAA Champion this year. There will be some good teams that Kentucky will have to play once they reach the Elite Eight; however, I do not believe those teams will be able to upset Kentucky (even Wisconsin). As a very loyal Kentucky fan (and yes we do bleed blue), this team has been one of the most enjoyable teams to watch in the last few years.”
Ryan Rivera: “With Iowa State stumbling in the opening round, the path to the Final Four should be clear for Iowa. In what should be an entertaining opening round matchup, look for the Hawkeyes to sneak past Davidson tonight and pull the upset against Gonzaga on Sunday, setting the stage for an intriguing Iowa-UCLA matchup in the Sweet 16 (UCLA coach Steve Alford had a lackluster eight-year run as the head coach of the Hawkeyes).
On the other side of the bracket, I’ll side with just about all my Hartman Simons colleagues and pick Kentucky to make it to the National Championship. Ultimately, Iowa’s length and chemistry will be too much for the Kentucky, and the Hawkeyes will cut down the nets in Indianapolis. Go Hawks!”
