If you’ve ever been to San Antonio, you know there’s more to the city than the Alamo.
There’s River Walk. There’s the missions around the area. There’s even Sea World San Antonio.
But there’s also basketball as the Alamodome will host the Final Four for the fifth time. Four teams will visit the South Texas city all with dreams of winning the NCAA tournament amid March Madness.
So is there an unexpected team that will crash the dance? Is there one upset pick for the Final Four? Our experts pick their Cinderella:
Tony Garcia, Michigan beat reporter
Kansas’ experience and path makes the Jayhawks an intriguing watch, though their wild inconsistency all season makes it hard to see them recovering for back-to-back weekends. One team to watch, though, is Wisconsin. The Badgers have the star guard in John Tonje, it has the size in Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter, and it is battle-tested to match up against top-seed Duke in the East Region.
Carlos Monarrez, columnist
Gonzaga was seeded way too low at No. 8 in the Midwest region. The Bulldogs (25-8) are making their 26th straight tournament appearance and are hot, having won 11 of 13. Like several teams, Gonzaga was punished for not being in the SEC, and will show up the selection committee with an opening rout of 9 seed Georgia, followed by an upset of perennial top seed and March Madness underachiever Houston. The Zags will contain Purdue guard Braden Smith in the Sweet 16 and then edge 2-seed Tennessee in the Elite Eight.
Jeff Seidel, columnist
The Michigan State Spartans can never be considered an upset pick, especially as a No. 2 seed. And I’ll take Florida to take care of business to get to San Antonio. So will Duke, which is going to win it all. That leaves one pick in the Midwest. Let’s go with Tennessee. Yes, the real upset is Rick Barnes vs. history, and he will get back to the Final Four for the first time since Texas in 2002-03.
ANALYSIS: 3 reasons Michigan can make March Madness run to the Final Four
Chris Solari, Michigan State beat reporter
Kansas’ experience and path makes the Jayhawks an intriguing watch, though their wild inconsistency all season makes it hard to see them recovering for back-to-back weekends. One team to watch, though, is Wisconsin. The Badgers have the star guard in John Tonje, it has the size in Steven Crowl and Nolan Winter, and it is battle-tested to match up against top-seed Duke in the East region.
ANALYSIS: 3 reasons Michigan State can make March Madness run to the Final Four
Shawn Windsor, columnist
These days, it’s not an upset for even a mid-major to get to the Final Four, and I’m not sure if St. John’s counts considering it is a No. 2 seed. But Rick Pitino knows how to win, has a decent path, and the Red Storm haven’t won a tournament game since 2000 and haven’t been to a Final Four since 1985, when Chris Mullin was the player of the year. So, does that count?
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: March Madness Cinderella picks for Final Four in your bracket
