By: BHS Sports Staff
March 20, 2025
It’s that time of year again when college basketball fans drown in sadness when their championship team gets bounced early. With 64 teams involved and the eventual champion needing six wins, anything can happen.
So, who has the chance to pull it off this year and cut down the nets? Better yet, who will win the BHS Sports Staff challenge?
*South Region: The #1 seed Auburn Tigers finished with a record of 28-5. The #2 seed belongs to the Spartans of Michigan State who finished with a 27-6 record. Iowa State holds the #3 seed with a record of 24-9. Lastly, the Aggies of Texas A&M are the #4 seed with a 22-10 record. One potential upset to look out for is #12 UC San Diego over Big Ten Champion #5 Michigan.
{Editor’s Note: Not happening!}
*West Region: This region features the SEC champions, the Florida Gators, who finished with a record of 30-4. Next is the Rick Pitino led St. John’s Red Storm as the #2 seed with a record of 30-4 as well. The Texas Tech Red Raiders hold the #3 seed with a record of 25-8. Lastly, the #4 seed belongs to the Maryland Terrapins, as they also finished with a record of 25-8, too. Finally, look for Missouri Valley Conference Champion and #11 seed Drake Bulldogs to upset #6 Missouri.
*East Region: The #1 seed belongs to the Duke Blue Devils, winners of the ACC and a record of 31-3. They are the #1 overall seed in this year’s tournament. The #2 seed belongs to the Alabama Crimson Tide, who are the #1 offensive team in the country and finished with a record of 25-8. The #3 seed is claimed by the Wisconsin Badgers with a record of 26-9. Lastly, the #4 seed in this region is held by the Arizona Wildcats with a record of 22-12. Some potential upsets to look for are #10 Vanderbilt over #7 Saint Mary’s, #12 Liberty over #5 Oregon, and #13 Akron over #4 Arizona.
{Editor’s Note: Go Zips!}
*Midwest Region: Back-to-back BIG 12 Champions, the Houston Cougars, are the #1 seed with a record of 30-4. The SEC runner-up Tennessee Volunteers hold the #2 seed with a 27-7 record. The #3 seed belongs to the Kentucky Wildcats, who are another competitor in the SEC with a record of 22-11. The #4 seed is held by the Purdue Boilermakers (annual March Madness choke artists, right Mrs. Romano?) with a record of 22-11. Finally, with a record of 27-6 and winner of the Southland Conference, McNeese State is a sleeper in the tournament with a good chance of beating #5 Clemson.
Now, the moment all of you have been waiting for. The Return of the Eye Sports Staff and special guest picker Mr. Verba will make their Sweet 16 picks in the first leg of this classroom challenge.
*Aiden: If his picks are anything like his arriving to school on time, he will quickly find himself in the cellar of this challenge. Also, a staff member referred to him as “useless” when watching Aiden play in a basketball game this past season. Simply, he lit up the stats for all of the wrong reasons.
- South: Auburn, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Marquette
- West: Florida, Memphis, Texas Tech, St. John’s
- East: Duke, Arizona, Wisconsin, Alabama
- Midwest: Houston, McNeese State, Kentucky, Tennessee
*Collin: Nobody from the marching band can or will win this challenge. The only thing he knows about basketball is how to spell the actual word. Additionally, he is about as athletic as Mr. Abramovic.
- South: Auburn, UC San Diego, Ole Miss, Michigan State
- West: Florida, Maryland, Drake, St. John’s
- East: Duke, Arizona, BYU, Alabama
- Midwest: Houston, Clemson, Illinois, Tennessee
*Jacob: Known as “Wild Fire,” this student can barely make a basketball shot on a mini hoop. He is “blazing” for last place with Aiden and Collin. Speaking of blazing, he loves baseball, but his “fastball” registers at a solid 33 mph. Simply, he can’t be trusted with picks of this magnitude.
- South: Auburn, UC San Diego, Iowa State, Michigan State
- West: Florida, Memphis, Missouri, St. John’s
- East: Duke, Liberty, Wisconsin, Alabama
- Midwest: Houston, McNeese State, Illinois, Tennessee
*Mr. Holko: A perennial overthinker who will hold up well in this year’s challenge simply because his competition is bad, very bad. He can’t find Ohio State anywhere on the bracket, though.
- South: Auburn, Michigan, Iowa State, Michigan State
- West: Florida, Maryland, Texas Tech, St. John’s
- East: Duke, Akron, BYU, Alabama
- Midwest: Houston, Purdue, Kentucky, Tennessee
*Mr. Verba: Self-acclaimed basketball god who will root for any team who has a chance of winning. He will need to back up his picks to secure this championship and his title of “Lord Basketball”.
- South: Auburn, Michigan, North Carolina, Michigan State
- West: Florida, Memphis, Texas Tech, St. John’s
- East: Duke, Oregon, Wisconsin, Alabama
- Midwest: Houston, Clemson, Kentucky, Tennessee
To keep up with the madness of every game, visit March Madness. The first game begins today at 12:15 with #9 Creighton taking on #8 Louisville.
Good luck with your brackets and let the busting begin!
{For up-to-date events and schedules, visit Brooklyn Hurricanes Athletics.}
THE RETURN OF THE EYE 