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The NCAA Tournament has arrived, which means it’s time for everyone to flex their bracket muscle.
Whether you fill out one sheet or 100 each year, the bracket is one of the calling cards of spring - and a way that many of us related to March Madness well before we were able to place a legal wager.
In this article the NBC Sports EDGE staff reveals their 2022 NCAA March Madness Brackets and Predictions. Vaughn Dalzell, Corey Parson, Thomas Casale and host Sara Perlman share their picks, predictions and brackets. You can hear from all three analysts in NBC Sports EDGE’s preview show, “Brackets and Bets” on YouTube for a more in-depth breakdown of the bracket.
Here’s a look at which teams they like to go the distance, which favorites may be looking at an early exit and which underdogs could stick around longer than expected:
Corey Parson
Corey is shaking things up on Tobacco Road, with UNC making a run that includes taking out the defending champs while Duke gets bounced in the first weekend in Coach K’s swan song. He’s also riding the upstart Mocs to the Sweet 16, but when it gets time to cut down the nets he’s predicting a repeat of the 1997 title game. Someone alert Miles Simon.
Corey’s Final Four: (3) Texas Tech vs (2) Kentucky and (1) Arizona vs (2) Auburn
Corey’s Championship: (2) Kentucky vs (1) Arizona
Corey’s Champion: (1) Arizona
Vaughn Dalzell
“I will not be talked out of fading Texas. They stink.” Vaughn went back and forth with his East Region selections but ultimately bounced the Longhorns in the first round, a move that paved the way for Kentucky to reach the Elite 8. The other half of the bracket includes plenty of surprises, including Tennessee making the Final Four for the first time in school history. He’s expecting a semifinal rematch after last year’s epic Gonzaga-UCLA tilt, and this time he expects Mark Few & Co. to cut down the nets for the first time.
Vaughn’s Final Four: (1) Gonzaga vs (4) UCLA and (3) Tennessee vs (5) Iowa
Vaughn’s Championship: (1) Gonzaga vs (5) Iowa
Vaughn’s NCAA Champion: (1) Gonzaga
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Thomas Casale
During the “Brackets & Bets” telecast, Thomas expressed his affinity for filling out paper brackets in a digital world, and sure enough he stuck to his word for this exercise. His hand-written predictions include a mammoth upset with UConn knocking out the No. 1 overall seed, Gonzaga, en route to a Final Four appearance. He thinks that UNC will take out the defending champs in the second round and has a pair of double-digit seeds (Loyola and Chattanooga) making the Sweet 16. But he joins Corey in a belief that this will be an all-Wildcat final, with Arizona coming out on top.
Thomas’ Final Four: (5) UConn vs. (2) Kentucky and (1) Arizona vs. (1) Kansas
Thomas’ Championship: (2) Kentucky vs. (1) Arizona
Thomas’ NCAA Champion: (1) Arizona
Sara Perlman
Sara is a proud Florida alum, but she found a soft spot for rival Miami with her bracket while advancing the 10-seed Hurricanes all the way to the Elite 8 in a wild Midwest Region. She also believes Tom Izzo gets the best of Mike Krzyzewski one last time, and she joins Vaughn in envisioning a Final Four run for the red-hot Iowa Hawkeyes. When it comes to the season’s final game, she’s got a battle of No. 1 seeds. While Corey and Thomas are backing Arizona, she’s siding with the No. 1 overall seed and believes Gonzaga nets its first national title next month.
Sara’s Final Four: (1) Gonzaga vs. (3) Purdue and (1) Arizona vs. (5) Iowa
Sara’s Championship: (1) Gonzaga vs. (1) Arizona
Sara’s NCAA Champion: (1) Gonzaga
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