March is one of the most entertaining months in American sports. People who can’t name three collegiate basketball players become invested fans, whether it’s because it’s another opportunity to bet on sports or because they just want to be involved in experiencing the erratic fun of college basketball.

If you’re a fan of college basketball or not, it’s always fun to fill out March Madness brackets and make predictions or bets in hopes of gaining bragging rights from making the correct picks.

Women’s madness

I was expecting to come into this week making the “bold” prediction that JuJu Watkins and the University of Southern California (USC) Trojans would become national champions in April. 

But sadly Watkins suffered a torn ACL in her right knee during their matchup against Mississippi State University. 

Although the injury took place with 4:43 left in the first quarter, USC was still able to take care of business, defeating Mississippi State 96-59.

USC is still a solid team, but with the possibility of the Trojans facing the University of Connecticut (UConn) in the Elite Eight, it’s unlikely that they make it to the Final Four, let alone win the national championship. 

The Trojans putting up nearly 100 points in Watkins’ absence looked good on paper. But it came against Mississippi State, which has one of the worst defenses out of the teams to make it to the second round. 

March Madness is known for surprises and Cinderella stories, but I don’t see it happening this year.

For the win?

For the championship game, I predict that we will get a 2022 rematch with the University of South Carolina and UConn facing off, but with UConn getting the win this time around.

I'm betting against the odds, as South Carolina is the favorite, with UConn being a close second. So, picking either to win it all isn’t a daring decision in the slightest.

With one of UConn's biggest threats of making the Final Four weakened by the injury to USC's Watkins, I believe the Huskies’ path to the championship game is easier than what people believed when the bracket was initially revealed.

The Huskies did drop a few big games during the regular season that makes them look shaky as a championship winning team. 

But having a player like Paige Bueckers, who’s having a historic season and is looking to win a national title before entering the upcoming WNBA draft, is the edge UConn will need in these later rounds. 

UConn was able to win in a decisive fashion in its last matchup with South Carolina earlier this year, but great teams watch film and adapt, so I wouldn’t crown UConn the champion based on that game alone.

Still, it's UConn for the win.

Men’s madness

This year’s tournament so far has lacked any surprises and Cinderella stories. I expect that trend to continue and I predict that Duke University will face the University of Florida in the men’s national championship game and win it all. 

Even though I think Duke is going to win the title, the Blue Devils could very easily lose it as well, based on what we’ve seen this season. 

Duke has been dominating in the tournament thus far, as they’ve won by a combined margin of 73 points. But this team could very well lay an egg when it’s time to face a team like the University of Alabama or the University of Tennessee in the closing rounds. 

In addition, making sure that freshman Cooper Flagg isn’t taking any unnecessary hits is important in keeping Duke’s championship hopes alive. 

Between the lingering ankle injury he’s been dealing with and the shot to the face he took during Duke's second round match against Baylor University, Flagg has been getting banged up more than Duke would like. 

Basketball is too much of a fast-paced sport to fully prevent injury while simultaneously giving 100% effort, but Flagg’s health could be what determines if the Blue Devils become champions this year.

For the win?

I spent a lot of time mulling whether to pick between the University of Houston and Duke when it comes to who will make it to the national championship game, but my mind won’t let me bet against Duke. 

Seeing Houston almost give the Gonzaga University game away makes me doubt them a bit, even though the Bulldogs were the second best scoring team in the nation this year. 

The ending of the Houston game loomed in my mind, along with Duke being a safe pick with one of the most hyped freshmen in recent years, as I ultimately chose the Blue Devils to go to the national championship game and beat whoever they meet there.

Duke for the win.