2009 Expert Bracket Picks
Written March 16, 2009 by Jack Jones
With the 2009 NCAA tournament brackets having been released on Sunday night, it’s time for many of us to start filling out them out in the hopes of winning our office pools. If you are in a pool with very few people, you might want to stick to mostly higher seeds and sprinkle in a few upsets here and there. However, I’m in a few pools that have a lot of different entries, and if you are going to win these types of contests you are going to have to get lucky, and pick more upsets that the general public is going to shy away from. Obviously you are going to see some surprises below, but if I went with the flow then multiple people would have the same bracket as me, giving me a lesser chance of winning. So, with that in mind here is my slightly outrageous expert picks on how the 2009 NCAA tournament is going to shake out.
Midwest – I have Louisville going all the way to the national title game and winning it, so start out by penciling them in to go deep. I have them taking out Ohio State in the 2nd round, then Wake Forest in the Sweet 16, followed by West Virginia in the Elite Eight. I also think Arizona wins in the 12 over 5 matchup, and Kansas wins in the first round. I also see USC pulling the first round upset, but losing a close game in the second round to Michigan State. I’m taking the Mountaineers over the Spartans for an upset in the Sweet 16.
West – I’m going to go out on a limb here, not so much with my pick of Memphis to make the Final Four out of this region, but because I have them beating Purdue in the Elite 8. I think UConn is vulnerable and I’ll take a chance on them getting knocked out by BYU in the second round. I have Washington winning their first round matchup before falling to the Boilermakers. In the bottom half I like Utah State over a struggling Marquette, then Missouri advancing to the Sweet 16 before losing a close game to Memphis. I think the Tigers take out Cal in the second round.
East – I’ve been a big fan of Pitt all year so I’m taking them into the Final Four. I see Tennessee winning their first round game and think Wisconsin makes the Sweet 16 with a win over Xavier in the second round. I see UCLA beating Villanova in the second round, then taking out Duke in the Sweet 16. It’s hard not to like how the Bruins have played in recent years when the tournament rolls around. I think the Blue Devils get to the Sweet 16 by knocking off Texas.
South – I’m going with North Carolina to come out of this bracket and then lose to Louisville in the title game. I see the Tar Heels over Butler in the second round, then beating Gonzaga in the Sweet 16. If you are in a really large bracket and are looking to go out on a limb I like Gonzaga quite a bit, but just can’t see UNC falling that early with the experience and talent they have. In the lower half of the bracket I’m going with Arizona State over Syracuse in the second round, and Oklahoma over Clemson. I see another six seed beating a two seed with the Sun Devils over the Sooners before Arizona State goes down to North Carolina.
Remember I’m taking some chances here, and if you are in a smaller pool you may want to be more conservative. I’m going to be putting quite a bit of time into the NCAA basketball picks I make in order to give my clients the best chance of beating the college basketball lines the rest of the season, so if you want to win with your basketball betting hop on board today.
If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:
- 2009 NCAA Basketball Tournament Bracket
- Sweet 16 Bracket Contests
- 2009 Final Four Expert Picks
- Easy Way to Fill Out NCAA Tournament Bracket
- 2009 March Madness Midwest Region Predictions
6 Responses to “2009 Expert Bracket Picks”
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I think the carolina tarheels can win the whole thing with a good and well Ty Lawson.
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I think that Syracuse will win the south but lose to Pittsburgh in the final four. I think that Illinois will beat North Carolina in the Sweet 16. I also say that UW will win the west division.
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Hi, I found your page via a quick Google search. How did your picks do last year? I’m doing some last-minute research to help me with my picks. Please reply to my e-mail address if you can. Thanks.
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Hey, like the person above me I found this page via a Google search and am also wondering how you did last year. In addition I have some other questions about what kind of decisions u would make when you are in a 15 person pool. Please respond to my email address. Thanks.
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This guy should NEVER EVER give any type of advice again. These were the worst picks by far, that I have ever used. Remove himself as an “expert” and do every other sucker a favor
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Lol. Well, he did get a few of the less meaningful games right and, of course, North Carolina. But yeah…don’t see myself revisiting his page next year.
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