Who will advance to the Final Four? More than 30 experts give us their NCAA predictions.
Who will advance to the Final Four? More than 30 experts gave us their NCAA predictions.
Can the Kentucky Wildcats make an improbable run to the Final Four? Will Kansas pull off a repeat as the champions of college basketball? Perhaps one of the Jayhawks’ fellow top seeds — Houston, Purdue or No. 1 overall seed Alabama — will lift the trophy on April 3.
The 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket will be whittled from 68 teams to one national champ over the next two and a half weeks.
Before this edition of March Madness tipped off, the Herald-Leader asked dozens of reporters who cover college basketball — both in Kentucky and nationally — for their predictions on who will make the Final Four, who will play for the national title, and who will ultimately win it all.
Here are those results:
John Clay, Herald-Leader: Alabama, Duke, Houston, UCLA
Title game: Alabama over UCLA
Mark Story, Herald-Leader: Arizona, Marquette, Texas, Gonzaga
Title game: Texas over Arizona
Ben Roberts, Herald-Leader: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Alabama
Cameron Drummond, Herald-Leader: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Alabama over Kansas
Darrell Bird, Cats’ Pause: Alabama, Memphis, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Alabama over Gonzaga
Ryan Black, Courier Journal: Alabama, Purdue, Houston, UConn
Title game: Purdue over Houston
Rick Bozich, WDRB: Arizona, Marquette, Houston, UCLA
Title game: Arizona over Houston
Mitch Brown, Fox-56: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Kansas over Alabama
Alan Cutler. ESPN Lexington: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Alabama
Jeff Drummond, Cats Illustrated: Alabama, Memphis, Texas, Gonzaga
Title game: Gonzaga over Alabama
Aaron Gershon, Cats’ Pause: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Alabama over Kansas
Lee K. Howard, WKYT-27: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, UCLA
Title game: Houston over Alabama
Matt Jones, Kentucky Sports Radio: Alabama, Duke, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Gonzaga
Mark Mathis, Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Alabama
Cole Parke, Kentucky Kernel: Alabama, Marquette, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Alabama over Kansas
Jeff Piecoro, WTVQ-36: Alabama, Marquette, Houston*, Kansas
Title game: Houston* over Alabama
(*-If Marcus Sasser can’t play for Houston, then Texas in the Final Four, Bama for the title.)
Hunter Shelton, SI Now: Alabama, Marquette, Texas, UConn
Title game: Marquette over Texas
Tyler Thompson, Kentucky Sports Radio: Arizona, Purdue, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Arizona over Texas
Kyle Tucker, The Athletic: Alabama, Duke, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Alabama over Texas
Larry Vaught, Vaught’s Views: Arizona, Marquette, Texas, Gonzaga
Title game: Texas over Arizona
Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic: Alabama, Marquette, Indiana, Kansas
Title game: Kansas over Marquette
David Borges, New Haven Register: Alabama, Purdue, Miami, Kansas
Title game: Kansas over Alabama
Jeff Borzello, ESPN: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, UConn
Title game: Alabama over Houston
Travis Branham, 247Sports: Alabama, Duke, Houston, Kansas
Title game: Houston over Duke
Rob Cassidy, Rivals.com: Arizona, Tennessee, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Arizona
Luke DeCock, Raleigh News & Observer: Arizona, Kansas State, Houston, UCLA
Title game: Houston over Arizona
Mike DeCourcy, Sporting News: Alabama, Duke, Texas, UConn
Title game: Alabama over UConn
Bob Holt, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Alabama, Duke, Texas, UCLA
Title game: Alabama over Texas
Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star: Alabama, Marquette, Texas, UConn
Title game: Texas over Marquette
Jim Meehan, The Spokesman-Review: Arizona, Tennessee, Texas, Kansas
Title game: Texas over Arizona
Matt Norlander, CBS Sports: Creighton, Purdue, Houston, Gonzaga
Title game: Houston over Purdue
Krysten Peek, Yahoo Sports: Alabama, Duke, Indiana, UConn
Title game: Alabama over UConn
Matt Stahl, Columbia Daily Tribune: Alabama, Marquette, Houston, Kansas
Title game: Houston over Alabama
Adam Zagoria, ZagsBlog: Alabama, Duke, Texas, UCLA
Title game: Alabama over Texas
Five NCAA Tournament storylines that will have an effect on Kentucky basketball
Kentucky’s CJ Fredrick playing through the pain. Again. ‘He’s got the love of basketball.’
Kentucky’s first-round opponent could be a very bad matchup for the Wildcats. Here’s why.
March Madness will reunite Bryce Hopkins and Kentucky. ‘That’s our brother for life.’
John Calipari will have at least one vacancy to fill on his Kentucky staff this offseason
