2012 NCAA tournament bracket predictions: Post expert weighs in

Sports writer Mark Giannotto fills out his March Madness bracket.

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South region

The sheer amount of talent Baylor has on its roster intrigued me in this region, but the Bears just aren’t consistent enough to beat a team the caliber of Kentucky. The winner of the Wichita State-VCU matchup in the first round could be poised for a long run, but Kentucky is my pick here. The Wildcats’ biggest test may come in the first weekend with a potential matchup against Connecticut, a team that has the size, talent and championship experience to hang with Kentucky.

Midwest region

North Carolina has the most talented starting lineup in the field this year, and it’s hard to see them getting challenged before the region final if forward John Henson’s wrist returns to health. Michigan might be able to hit a bunch of three-pointers in the round of 16, but North Carolina will simply dominate inside against the Wolverines. On the bottom half of the bracket, there doesn’t seem to be anybody that will be able to contain Washington native Thomas Robinson and Kansas -- until the Jayhawks lose to the Tar Heels in the regional final.

East region

Many wonder how Syracuse’s patented 2-3 zone would handle sharp-shooting Vanderbilt in the round of 16, but something tells me Bo Ryan and Wisconsin are going to eliminate that possibility in the second round. On the other side of the bracket, Florida State is a trendy Final Four pick after winning the ACC tournament and I’ve got the Seminoles in the region final by beating No. 2 seed Ohio State. But Florida State doesn’t have the sort of consistent outside shooters to get past Syracuse, who will move onto the Final Four.

West region

I almost picked Long Beach State here, if only because teams that have jerseys that simply say “The Beach” on the front are always cool in my book. That said, this region could see the most upsets with both the 49ers and one-loss Murray State in the mix. In the end, though, it will be Michigan State and Missouri in the region final, with the Tigers’ dynamic four-guard lineup overcoming Coach Tom Izzo’s track record as someone you never bet against in March.

Final four

Missouri presents match-up problems for any team it faces, but the Tigers will be overwhelmed inside by Kentucky’s Anthony Davis and the Wildcats will move onto the championship game. In the other semifinal, North Carolina and Syracuse will face off in what should be an instant classic. Does Syracuse have a star to match North Carolina’s NBA-like front court? Do the Tar Heels have enough perimeter shooters to beat the Syracuse 2-3 zone? I’m going with North Carolina, but barely.

Finals

Back in December Kentucky beat North Carolina by one point at Rupp Arena, a game that is still the best of this college basketball season. Expect another tightly contested battle this time, but the Tar Heels won’t have to combat a partisan crowd this time. Just like when Coach John Calipari led Memphis to the finals back in 2008, my guess is his freshmen-filled roster will wilt in crunch time under the brightest lights and North Carolina’s experience will prevail.

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