Opinion

Flipping the calendar over to the New Year always brings an exciting time in NCAA basketball. While there are some outliers here and there of conference games occurring before January, the first month of the year widely marks the beginning of the conference season, which tends to mean some of the most dramatic and consequential games. As most anyone who has played, coached, or been a fan of college basketball will tell you, conference play is different, and the level of play tends to intensify visibly.

There’s no telling in advance which will be the best games, or which teams may surprise us by rising to the top of their respective conferences. Going by the season so far however, and the schedules ahead, these are some of the potentially monumental games you should mark on your calendar if you want to have your finger on the pulse of the season – and be best prepared to fill out your brackets come March!

Virginia @ Duke – January 19

A few times in the last few seasons it’s been Virginia, rather than Duke (or North Carolina) that has owned the ACC’s regular season. Duke is the top team in the nation however, and a popular national title favorite, which makes this early bout extremely interesting. As nothing less than a strategic betting guide to college basketball states, homecourt advantage is a magical thing in college basketball, and if Duke’s famous Cameron Indoor Stadium has its usual effect the Blue Devils could earn a key victory en route to an ACC title and an NCAA Tournament 1-seed. If Virginia can pull off the upset though, it will be in the ACC driver’s seat, and perhaps in line for a 1-seed of its own….

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So, you’re looking for the perfect NCAA tournament bracket. The perfect bracket is such a rarity that contests offering millions of dollars have sprouted up over the years enticing entries and further building up the excitement surrounding March Madness. Picking the bracket, perfect or maybe almost perfect, is nothing but an inexact science. Here’s how you can put together a solid NCAA tournament bracket for 2017.

UPSETS

Okay. Upsets are going to happen. The problem for you is selecting where and when. Only eight No. 15 seeds have won games in the tourney. Middle Tennessee State did it just last year when the Blue Raiders upset Michigan State. The occurrence is such a rarity that one should avoid the trap of picking a No. 2 seed.

In the past four tournaments a No. 14 seed has won at least one game. Stephen F. Austin did it last year beating West Virginia, 70-56. This year, Iona might have a shot at upsetting Oregon, which lost Chris Boucher to a knee injury. Or, maybe it’s the revival of ‘Dunk City,’ Florida Gulf Coast, which plays Florida State in Round 1.

One of the surest bets in the tournament is on a No. 12 seed winning a game. Since 1985, 46 No. 12 seeds have won a tournament game. That is nearly 36 percent success in the first round. This year’s choices are UNC-Wilmington, Nevada, Princeton, and Middle Tennessee State. Maybe the Blue Raiders can pull an upset for the second straight year….

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