NCAA Basketball: Mock 2020 NCAA Tournament Round of 64 predictions
Top-half of West Region
(1) Gonzaga vs. (16) Boston University
David Mullen
Boston University is coming off its highest win total (21) since the 2013-14 season (24) but that is more of a product of the lack of competition in their Patriot League than quality of opponent. The Terriers do not stand a chance against the Gonzaga Bulldogs’ number one ranked offense in the country. The Bulldogs have averaged 87.4 points per game accompanied by limiting opponents to just 67.8 points per game. Gonzaga’s Corey Kispert will be especially important in this game as the Bulldog’s best three-point shooter.
As a team, Gonzaga is hitting 38.5% of their three-point attempts while Kispert is making an astounding 43.8%. Couple the success at the three-point line by Gonzaga with Boston University’s pedestrian three-point defense (32.7% of opponent three’s made) and it is a recipe for disaster.
Gonzaga 89, Boston University 56
Jack Bennett
In all reality, close to no one has the Patriot League champions knocking off arguably the best rebounding and highest-scoring team in the nation. Gonzaga has one of the best big men in the country in do-it-all Killian Tillie and the Zags are a national championship contender. For the Terriers to keep it relatively close, they must get an outstanding game from Max Mahoney who leads the team in scoring and rebounding. I don’t see another UMBC miracle happening in this matchup though, Gonzaga will roll on to the round of 32.
Gonzaga 85, Boston U 61
Jason Belt
In a season where Gonzaga has dominated nearly every opponent they have faced, I don’t expect anything to change in this matchup. The Zags have too much experience and talent to become the second 1 seed to fall to a 16. Look for Killian Tillie and company to pull away in the second half en route to a convincing first-round victory.
Gonzaga 83, Boston University 59
No issues for Gonzaga with a 3-0 sweep
(8) Marquette vs. (9) Florida
Mullen
Perennial scorer Markus Howard will be the key to Marquette’s success in their first game and beyond. Howard has led the Big East in scoring the last two years including an NCAA leading 27.8 points per game during the 2019-20 season. Howard has shown consistency in his four years at Marquette with consistent scoring and great three-point shooting. Howard has shot above 40% from the arc in each season at Marquette. Howard will be facing a Florida Gators defense that only allows 66 points per game.
The Gators, while trying to contain Howard, will need a lot of help on the offensive end. Keyontae Johnson (14 ppg), Kerry Blackshear Jr (12.8 ppg) and Noah Locke (43% of three-point attempts made) will all have to step up. Johnson and Blackshear Jr. will need to be forces on the offensive end and open up the perimeter for Locke. However, Howard has enough firepower to put Marquette on his back and advance to the next round.
Marquette 75, Florida 70
Bennett
One of the more interesting matchups in the first round comes when NCAA leading scorer Markus Howard squares off against an underachieving Florida Gators team. The Gators had a disappointing season in many eyes finishing fifth in the SEC with arguably the most talent in the conference. Markus Howard has never won a tournament game and he will be motivated more than ever in his last shot to bring Marquette a tournament victory. Kerry Blackshear Jr. will be looking to win his first tourney game as well but in the end, Marquette has enough to support Howard in Sacar Anim and Koby Mcewen. The first tourney victory will come for Markus Howard in this victory for the Golden Eagles.
Marquette 66, Florida 62
Belt
Any team with Markus Howard on it has a chance to win. The senior guard can light it up from anywhere on the court and has done so for his four years on Marquette. Florida had a solid second half of their season after a rough first half, where they went from title contenders to off the radar in a span of a few weeks. Kerry Blackshear transferred to the Gators for a reason, and won’t let his college career end without a fight. Expect this game to be highly contested and go down to the wire, with the Howard, the All-American, leading his team to victory.
Marquette 78, Florida 73
Eagles stay golden with a 3-0 sweep
(4) Oregon vs. (13) Vermont
Austin Walther
Both Oregon and Vermont finished first in their conference. The Catamounts steam-rolled through the America East once again going 14-2. They are led by senior star Anthony Lamb. He’s not done it all for Vermont for four seasons. He hadn’t quite been able to get a win for Vermont in the NCAA Tournament, but there’s no better time to do it than his senior season. Vermont has a knock-down shooter in Stef Smith with some great depth off the bench. But they don’t have an actual true point guard.
That’s where Oregon excels in. The Ducks won the Pac-12 which was expected. It wasn’t easy, but they are led by All-American Payton Pritchard. He’s basically been the lead point guard for all four seasons. This year has been the thinnest in terms of supporting cast, but they’ve managed to win games with Pritchard hitting big shots and setting teammates up. Vermont is a good-looking upset pick. Both teams are led by seniors who are hungry, but in the end, Pritchard hits another big shot.
Oregon 68, Vermont 66
Cody Gerena
The Oregon Ducks went on a roll to end their season winning the conference of champions conference championship through a strong 7-game stretch where they went 6-1 including wins over Arizona and Colorado. In addition star senior guard Payton Prichard won the PAC-12 Player of the Year by leading the entire conference in points and assists. On the other side of the country, the Vermont Catamounts has yet another dominant season going 14-2 in conference play to win their fourth straight regular-season championship while their forward Anthony Lamb obtained back-to-back America East Player of the Year awards. Although Vermont always seems this to be a nice upset pick in bracket pools, this game shouldn’t really be that close. Expect the Catamounts to put up a respectable effort, but just one not good enough to pull off the upset.
Oregon 77, Vermont 69
Tristan Freeman
Oregon’s better than a four seed with all the talent they possess but outside of star point guard Payton Pritchard, consistency has been an issue. But they’ll have more than Vermont, who outside of Stef Smith and Anthony Lamb, struggles for offensive production. The Catamounts would be a popular mid-major upset pick but the frontcourt of the Ducks are a bad mismatch for them.
Oregon 75, Vermont 63
Ducks get the 3-0 sweep
(5) Ohio State vs. (12) Liberty
Walther
Last year, Liberty was everyone’s favorite upset pick. And the Flames beat Mississippi State as the same seed they are now. They’ve returned basically everyone and won more games, but the bandwagon isn’t there this year. Liberty won the Atlantic Sun this year but didn’t have that tough team to overcome like Lipscomb last season. The Atlantic Sun wasn’t as tough as they were a year ago. But Ohio State, on the other hand, is always the favorite team people want to pick against in the first round.
In December, a lot of people thought the Buckeyes were one of the favorites to get to the final four. They tailed off quite a bit, but are back in as a five seed. Kaleb Wesson is still pretty dominant, but he certainly didn’t take the Big Ten by storm like everyone thought he was. They’re really good when Kyle Young is healthy, but even better when Duane Washington can knock down a timely three. Liberty is led by seniors Scottie James and Caleb Homesley. James is a terrific rebounder and Homesley averages over 15 points per game. The difference in this one though will come down to point guard play of CJ Walker for Ohio State and the Buckeyes squeak by.
Ohio State 65, Liberty 60
Gerena
The Atlantic Sun champions, the Liberty Flames have continued to dominate the conference since moving from the Big South two seasons ago. Led by the fifth-year senior Atlantic Sun Player of the Year Caleb Homesley who averaged over 15 points and 5 rebounds a game, the Flames will look to provide another 5-12 upset following Homesley’s 30 point game last tournament against Mississippi State. The Ohio State Buckeyes, however, are no Mississippi State. Coming from one of the toughest Big 10’s in recent memory, the Buckeyes enter into the tournament with a record that doesn’t match their strength.
While this may seem like another potential upset, one could not forget that this is the same Ohio State who decimated Villanova, Penn State, and a North Carolina with Cole Anthony earlier this season. Ohio State has been surrounded by top-tier tournament teams all season so it’s hard to imagine them being outplayed by a team like Liberty, who while dominant in their own season, haven’t faced a team of this caliber. Expect a slow-pace game that’ll be controlled by the Buckeyes. A Kaleb Wesson double-double is completely feasible here.
Ohio State 73, Liberty 57
Freeman
Liberty’s elite defense this season was enough to beat all the average/below average teams on the schedule but their best win on the season was to North Florida. Ohio State is far better than that, shown by is late-season run to get back towards Sweet 16 level. This will be a low-scoring game for sure but the Buckeyes will find a way to win.