Busting Brackets
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NCAA Basketball: Previewing the 2017 PK80 Victory Bracket

By Lukas Harkins

CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 15: The North Carolina Tar Heels bench reacts after a three-poiont basket against the Bucknell Bison during their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 15, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NC - NOVEMBER 15: The North Carolina Tar Heels bench reacts after a three-poiont basket against the Bucknell Bison during their game at the Dean Smith Center on November 15, 2017 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Matchups in the First Round

North Carolina vs. Portland

For North Carolina, this should be an easy victory. The Tar Heels have a massive advantage in terms of talent and should be able to roll through their opening game while also providing some rest for their top talents. In an event that features three games in four days, this is a nice start as it will hopefully give the Tar Heels one last chance to fine-tune their game before reaching the second round. For Portland, this will give them more experience in playing the top teams. As they are in the WCC, this will be good practice for when they face Gonzaga and St. Mary’s. Advantage: North Carolina.

Arkansas vs. Oklahoma

Both of these teams look to be on the rise in their individual conferences, but Arkansas has been more impressive to this point in the year. Oklahoma’s star freshman Young will be fun to watch, but the Sooners young team is yet to be tested as much as Arkansas. This will be a good non-conference matchup for two teams hoping to compete for NCAA Tournament bids, but I think Arkansas’ all-around scoring will help them snag the victory and receive a rematch opportunity of last year’s second-round game against the Tar Heels. Advantage: Arkansas.

UConn vs. Oregon

UConn and Oregon are in down seasons this year, but they also have plenty of talent to make things interesting. While UConn has more returning talent from a year ago, the incoming freshmen and transfers of Oregon trump those returners. This could be a high-scoring affair, but Oregon just has too many weapons on offense and are better coached under Dana Altman. Advantage: Oregon.

Michigan State vs. DePaul

Michigan State could easily be the best team in this bracket. They have three monsters in the frontcourt that will be nearly impossible for DePaul to stop. The Spartans have already shown they are capable of hanging with the best in the country in their close loss to Duke. Michigan State is definitely worthy of their preseason top-5 placement in the country. DePaul, on the other hand, is barely top-10 in the Big East, which is a 10-team league. Advantage: Michigan State.

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