Men's NCAA Tournament 2023: 10 bold predictions for March Madness

This is the season of madness, as they say, and what better way to prep for tip off Thursday than to look into the future and share a few bold predictions.

More than anything, we hope these predictions get you thinking about some of the craziest things that have happened in past NCAA Tournaments and could happen in this one. Would anyone have predicted Virginia would be the first No. 1 seed to fall, and to a team whose mascot is an adorable, lovable dog? Definitely not.

We are not saying these predictions will for sure happen and not all of them can happen — at least, not in the same tournament — but we’re bound to get one or two correct.

With that in mind, here are 10 bold predictions for the 2023 NCAA Tournament.

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1. Gonzaga makes it to the Final Four

Down year? Hardly. Behind Drew Timme and with essentially no pressure on them, the Bulldogs of Spokane will head to their third Final Four in six years, led by their three-time All-American.

2. Texas loses in the second round to Texas A&M, rethinks move to SEC

Was the TV money really worth it? In all seriousness, the tough part for the Longhorns will actually come after their last game, when athletic director Chris Del Conte has to make a call on what to do with interim coach Rodney Terry.

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3. Arizona State makes a run to the Sweet 16

There’s always one play-in team that makes the committee look downright foolish for barely letting them in the tournament, and this year it’s going to be the Sun Devils. Yes, they’ll barely survive their play-in game, but after that it’ll be smooth sailing to the second weekend.

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4. Tired of how the transfer portal has “messed up” college sports, Bob Huggins retires

First he’ll lose to Maryland in the first round, then he’ll decide he’s sick of all these soft players and the parents who coddle them. Huggins has been outspoken about his dislike of the transfer portal, one-time transfer waivers and NIL deals. By saying good riddance to all of this, he and his matching sweatsuits can live in peace.

5. We get a first-time national champion

This narrows the list of options considerably, but we’ve got our eye on four teams in particular: Houston, Alabama, Purdue and Gonzaga. The Tide have never been to a Final Four either, losing 87-71 to UConn in the 2004 regional championship.

6. Zach Edey returns to Purdue for senior season

Furious at the Boilermakers’ second-round upset, the most dominant player in college basketball decides he’s coming back for his senior year, NBA money be damned. The 7-foot-4, 305-pound center would benefit from another year of development at the college level, and who can blame him for wanting to get Purdue to the Final Four?

7. Rick Pitino quietly accepts a new job ... before he’s done with his current job

Would anyone really be surprised by this? We still think Georgetown is in the mix for the current Iona coach, but a jump to St. John’s probably makes the most sense.

8. The ACC goes 0-fer

Maybe North Carolina actually didn’t miss out on much. With as down as the ACC was this season, Virginia, Duke, Miami, NC State and Pitt all being knocked out the first round doesn’t seem like a stretch, especially considering the three higher rated teams are on either 4 or 5 seed lines, which are ripe for upsets when 12 and 13 seeds are in town.

9. The NCAA falls in love with Las Vegas

After years of refusing to set up shop in Sin City, the NCAA is poised to hold its first event there this month with T-Mobile Arena hosting the West Regional. The NCAA already awarded Vegas the 2028 Final Four, but we’re guessing they’re going to fall hard for the convenience of the city and make it a regular in the Final Four rotation.

10. San Diego State loses in the first round, then bolts for Pac-12

You didn’t think we’d get this far without a realignment mention, did you? Shortly after getting upset in the 12-5 game against College of Charleston, SDSU announces it’s joining the conference of champions in hopes of increasing its football prowess. The Pac-12, meanwhile, is thrilled to be back in the southern California TV market.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: March Madness 2023: Bold predictions for men's NCAA Tournament