[-STAT-]

My last line of hope was Michigan St.

Pretty neat to go chalk for only the 2nd time in Tournament history, first since 2008.

In order for who I'd like to see win it and why, not necessarily who I'm rooting for.

1. Auburn- Considering they've only been there twice now, both have been under Bruce Pearl's watch, and this team is by far the best team he has ever had on the plains. With a POTY year candidate and Broome, and a great mix of veteran/youth guys around him to make life a little easier, and more consistent guard play than the first final 4 team, that is a great recipe to win a championship.

2. Florida- Walter Clayton Jr. has been one of the most exciting players to watch all season, and one of my favorites dating back to his time at Iona w/ Pitino, interestingly enough when he entered the portal, he chose Florida over St. Johns, imagined if he'd went with Pitino? St. Johns would desperately had the shooter they needed, but it definitely worked out for him going to Florida.

3. Houston- No denying they're a great team, consistently been one of the best in the country, even shutting up doubters by making the move to the Big 12 and absolutely dominating that conference, and finally have a potent offense to go with their tough, aggressive defense that they're known for, but I have never been a fan of Kelvin Sampson, idk if it was him coaching at Indiana, but just have never liked him as a coach, his hand got caught in the cookie jar just like Pearl did, but no denying they're both great coaches and proven winners.

4. Duke- As much as it pains me to say it, I'll go ahead and say it anyways, Duke has to be the prohibitive favorite to win it all. They've got a generational player in Flagg, and it's unreal how much he has improved since the Kentucky game in November. But they are just a matchup nightmare defensively for most teams with their size/length. I honestly thought that the one team who could give them problems especially with their pace and perimeter shooting was Alabama, of course they didn't hit the 25 3's like they did against BYU, but you could tell the size and defensive scheme was giving them fits, and they lost by 20. Like I said, they are more than likely the favorite, but I don't want to see them win