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NCAA March Madness bracket predictions: Hoyas heat up, plus a peek at the Midwest Regional

By Dave Preston

What a difference one week can make in March.

Last Tuesday, Georgetown Coach Patrick Ewing had yet to win a Big East Tournament game in his four-year tenure. But that was before his Hoyas won four games in four days to cut down the nets at Madison Square Garden.

The week had a little of everything, from a fantastic finish against Villanova, to a late game shutdown of Seton Hall, to an absolute dismemberment of Creighton. The end result is that the Hoyas are dancing for the first time since 2015. And as has been the case when he was a player, defense was the difference last week for the coach: The Hoyas held their opponents to 54 points per game on 37% shooting (and 26 % from three-point range) while winning the battle of the boards by eight rebounds per game.

“Dante (Harris) did an outstanding job of hawking the ball. Jamorko Pickett did a great job against one of the elite players in our conference — in Mamu (Seton Hall big Sandro Mamukelashvili). Everyone did something positive the week to help us be here today.”

If you weren’t familiar with the name Dante Harris at the beginning of the month, you’re not alone. The D.C. freshman didn’t start at the beginning of the season, but has since matured into a primary contributor, averaging 30.2 minutes per game (the third highest on the team). On his way to averaging 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in the Big East Tournament, Harris hit the game-winning free throws with 4.7 seconds left in the upset of regular season champ Villanova.

“He’s had some growing pains that he had to go through,” Ewing said. “He’s a very good defender, we need him to defend the ball to the best of his ability — and I think that helps us to win.”

Harris is one of six freshman on this year’s roster tasting the NCAA Tournament, while the two four-year seniors on this squad get to experience a taste of March Madness, something the previous two senior classes missed out on.

Jahvon Blair settled into his role coming off of the bench (averaging 15 points during the Big East Tournament) while Jamorko Pickett led the team in scoring during the semifinal win over Seton Hall.

“They’ve had their ups and they’ve had their downs and right now I think they’ve come back on the better side,” Ewing said. “There’s still a lot of growing that they have to do. They still have to stay locked to be able get the job done. We’ve just started this journey.”

As previously mentioned in this space, Georgetown’s First Round matchup with Colorado is winnable. But even if the Hoyas go home empty, they’re back in the conversation; because success breeds confidence, which in theory, breeds more success. And for the first time in a long time, there’s an offseason of optimism in Northwest D.C.

The Midwest Regional begins with Big Ten Tournament winner Illinois, features an intriguing 8/9 game between recent Final Four Cinderella Loyola (Chicago) and ACC Tournament champ Georgia Tech, and involves a “semi-local” showdown between No. 3 seed West Virginia and Morehead State (Morehead, Kentucky, is only an hour from the West Virginia state line). And No. 10 Rutgers is back in the Big Dance for the first time since 1991, or three conferences ago for the Scarlet Knights.

Bold:

Speaking of Rutgers, Coach Steve Pikiell’s team is a No. 10 seed and faces a Clemson squad that is coming off getting upset in the ACC Tournament. Junior guard Ron Harper Jr. is the type of player who can put a team on his back. Defense travels to the NCAA Tournament, and Rutgers led the Big Ten in blocked shots while ranking second in steals. Could they also throw a scare into a No. 2 seed Houston that wasn’t as tested while winning the AAC?

Fold:

No. 3 seed West Virginia has dropped three of four, and its three wins since Feb. 20 have come against Big 12 bottom-feeders Kansas State and TCU (twice). And instead of the usual defensive dynamo coached by Bob Huggins, this year’s Mountaineers have scored their way to victory (second in the Big 12 in scoring and three-point shooting) while their First Round foe Morehead State ranks 26th nationally in scoring defense. The potential Second Round foe is either San Diego State (14 straight wins) or Syracuse (the always tough 2-3 zone and the hot-shooting Buddy Boeheim).

Gold:

Illinois has a dynamic guard in Ayo Dosunmu (21 points, six rebounds and five assists per game) and a dominant center in Kofi Cockburn (17 points and 10 rebounds). They led the Big Ten in shooting as well as rebounding margin, and enter the tournament having won seven in a row. They’ll get at least four more and return the Illini to the final weekend of the season for the first time since 2005.

2022 ACC Tournament Bracket: How to watch, dates, preview, location

By Matt Weyrich
ACC Tournament Bracket and preview originally appeared on NBC Sports WashingtonThe ACC has been one of the most dominant conferences in the history of NCAA men's basketball. With three of the last six March Madness champions calling the conference home, the 2022 ACC Tournament will feature some of the NCAA’s premier men’s basketball programs going head-to-head before the big event the following week.However, this is a bit of an unusual year for the ACC — there are only four teams you could actually claim to be tournament 'locks' at this point in the season. There are three more on or around the bubble and everyone else is in an auto-bid or bust mentality. Duke is projected to earn the best seed for the NCAA Tournament. In head coach Mike Krzyzewski's final season, the Blue Devils could be anywhere from a No. 2 seed to a No. 4 seed. Where they fall in the ACC Tournament will likely dictate where Duke is slotted. Early season losses put them in a hole, but the unpredictability of the rest of the conference evened the score to help them claim the No. 1 seed.That could create a more competitive field than in years past. North Carolina, Miami, Florida State and Virginia all have shown they can best the Blue Devils. Three of those losses even came on their own floor. And on top of that, Wake Forest, the Cavaliers, the Seminoles, Syracuse and more are playing for their seasons.How will the 2022 ACC Tournament shake out? Here’s everything you need to know.ACC TOURNAMENT 2021 INFORMATION:  When is the 2022 ACC Tournament?The ACC Tournament will be held from March 8-12. The ACC Championship Game is on Saturday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET.Where is the 2022 ACC Tournament? The ACC Tournament will be held at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn, NY. This is just the second time the event has been held in Brooklyn.How to watch the 2022 ACC Tournament The First Round of the ACC Tournament will be broadcast on ACC Network. The Second Round will be broadcast across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. The Quarterfinals and Semifinals will be on ESPN and ESPN2. The ACC Championship will be broadcast on ESPN.All ESPN programming is available for streaming at Watch ESPN with a valid cable subscription.Who is the defending 2021 ACC Champion? Georgia Tech shocked the ACC - thanks to an assist with Virginia missing their semifinal contest due to a positive coronavirus test - to win the 2021 ACC Championship over Florida State. Head coach Josh Pastner became a household sensation with his face shield.2022 ACC TOURNAMENT BRACKET:ACC Tournament First Round (3/8, Times ET) - No. 13 Boston College d. No. 12 Pittsburgh 66-46- No. 10 Clemson d. No. 15 NC State 70-64- No. 11 Louisville d. No. 14 Georgia Tech 84-74ACC Tournament Second Round (3/9, Times ET)- No. 9 Syracuse d. No. 8 Florida State 96-57- No. 13 Boston College d. No. 5 Wake Forest 82-77 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 10 Clemson 76-75 (OT)- No. 6 Virginia d. No. 11 Louisville 51-50ACC Tournament Quarterfinals (3/10, Times ET)- No. 1 Duke d. No. 9 Syracuse 88-79- No. 4 Miami d. No. 13 Boston College 71-69 (OT)- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 2 Notre Dame 87-80- No. 3 North Carolina d. No. 6 Virginia 63-43ACC Tournament Semifinals (3/11, Times ET) - No. 1 Duke d. No. 4 Miami 80-76- No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 3 North Carolina 72-59ACC Tournament Championship (3/12, Time ET) - No. 7 Virginia Tech d. No. 1 Duke 82-672022 ACC TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Far and away, Duke is the best team in the ACC this season. The Blue Devils are coached by the best coach in the league, have a top-three NBA Draft pick on their roster and may have a multitude of playmakers - which is rare in the rest of the conference.Yet, the consistency is not there for the team with the No. 1 seed. Quiet nights by ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero paired with off-shooting performances by Wendell Moore Jr. are huge reasons for their four conference losses.Then again, no one in the ACC has shown any level of consistency either. Notre Dame has silently put together a solid year behind Blake Wesley and Dane Goodwin. A favorable schedule - where they never played any of the top eight teams more than once - led them here and the Fighting Irish took advantage. The lack of playmaking guards that run an offense, though, and a deep bench are concerning. It's not conducive to winning three games in three days.North Carolina - after their stunning upset in Cameron Indoor over the weekend - and Miami both showed they have what it takes to topple Duke and have a favorable bracket to see the Blue Devils later in the tournament.Injuries are no longer a hindrance for the Hurricanes, following the lead of Kameron McGusty's 17.5 ppg and 36.8% shooting mark from deep.Let's not forget ACC Player of the Year and the conference's second-leading scorer Alondes Williams at Wake Forest. His Demon Deacons are the deepest team in the conference. Can they finally put it all together for one weekend? If so, they may be the darkhorse team to try and make the semifinals.Everyone else, though, is in desperate mode besides those five teams. Virginia Tech and Virginia need a significant win or two to be considered for an at-large bid. The teams behind them just have eyes only on a championship to extend their seasons.Pick: No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
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