What will the final four look like? Some brave and loyal guesses.
JONATHAN ADLER
Louisville.
Michigan.
Notre Dame.
Indiana.
– Jonathan H. Adler is Johan Verheij Memorial Professor of Law and director of the Center for Business Law & Regulation at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.
WILL CAIN
New Mexico: The school that annually provides the Longhorns with an automatic non-conference football win deserves a happy moment. Plus, I have Wisconsin taking out Gonzaga and Iowa State taking out Ohio State . . . creating a clear path for the Lobos. Plus, plus . . . they’re called the Lobos, which is awesome.
Louisville: Went with the wisdom of the crowd on this one.
Kansas: Come on, it’s Kansas. VCU? Otto Porter? Come on.
Indiana: The Hoosiers cut down nets in March (after a loss!) when they won a share of the Big 10 title. You would think these kinds of low expectations would bode poorly for cutting down nets in April. But I’m feeling contrarian. Indiana is having fun. Fun is good.
Predictions: Louisville over New Mexico. Indiana over Kansas. Indiana over Louisville: Fun beats defense.
– Will Cain is co-host of Real News from the Blaze, a Blaze.com columnist, and a CNN contributor.
ANDREW CLINE
Louisville, Florida, Miami, Ohio State. Final: Louisville, Florida. Champ: Florida. (I went to Florida for a year before transferring to UNC, so there you go.)
– Andrew Cline is editorial-page editor of the New Hampshire Union Leader.
Timothy Dalrymple
Indiana, Louisville, Florida, Ohio State.
– Timothy Dalrymple writes for Patheos.com.
KEVIN HASSETT
St. Louis, Gonzaga, Kansas, Miami.
Final: Gonzaga, Miami.
Winner: Miami.
– Kevin A. Hassett is John G. Searle Senior Fellow and director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute.
Doug Holtz-Eakin
Final Four: Florida, Michigan State, Indiana, Gonzaga.
Final Two: Michigan State, Gonzaga.
Winner: Michigan State.
– Doug Holtz-Eakin is president of the American Action Forum.
JASON EPSTEIN
Ohio State (2).
Florida (3).
Syracuse (4).
Louisville (1).
– Jason Epstein writes for NRO’s Right Field blog.
HADLEY HEATH
My final four are Louisville, OSU, North Carolina, and Indiana.
I’m a diehard TarHeels fan. Go to Hell, Dook!
– Hadley Heath is a senior policy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum.
JOHN J. MILLER
I’m a total homer: Michigan will wake up from its late-season slump and win its first championship since 1989. Go Blue!
– John J. Miller is national correspondent for National Review, director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College, and the author of The Big Scrum: How Teddy Roosevelt Saved Football.
GEOFFREY NORMAN
I like Indiana and whoever is playing Notre Dame (that’s really a football preference, still . . . ). So: East: Indiana. South: Michigan. West: Ohio State. Mid-West: Michigan State. Big Ten is to basketball what the SEC is to football.
– Geoffrey Norman writes about sports for a number of publications.
GREG POLLOWITZ
My late father — who was buried in an Ohio State tie and cap — would haunt me forever if I didn’t pick the Buckeyes, so I’m going scarlet and gray in the West. My next two picks are driven by my dad as well. In the Midwest, I like Duke: “Duke” was my dad’s nickname. In the South, I like Michigan because my dad would have hoped for Michigan vs. Ohio State in the championship. Finally, in the East, I’ll go with Miami. As I’m a Hurricane-by-marriage, I’ve watched them all year and think their proverbial Cinderella season has a little more life left in it.
But my dad was also known to utter every year, “I think these kids would be better off in class rather than taking the month off for this.” Some words of wisdom to consider as the country goes bonkers over a bunch of basketball games.
– Greg Pollowitz writes for NRO’s Right Field blog.