Former Gonzaga All-American Dan Dickau and Gonzaga Nation reporter Cole Forsman make their picks of which teams will go to the Final Four in the 2024 NCAA Tournament
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00:00 Gonzaga Nation, I'm your host Dan Dickow alongside our journalist Cole Forsman.
00:06 Bunch of previews, bunch of insight, bunch of thoughts in regards to this year's NCAA
00:11 tournament.
00:12 This one's going to be short and sweet.
00:13 We're giving you our final four picks now.
00:16 It's Tuesday morning, games haven't kicked off yet.
00:19 Brackets that are submitted electronically to all the different websites, they're not
00:24 locked in.
00:25 So don't hold us accountable that these are our final picks.
00:28 As of Tuesday morning, these are our picks.
00:31 But we have the right to change our picks as we go.
00:35 But as of Tuesday morning, this is where we're at.
00:38 Cole, do you want to go first or do you want me to give you my four picks?
00:43 Well, I think, can we start?
00:45 Okay, if we want to mention the first four and games haven't tipped off, they will later
00:51 today as we record this.
00:53 Do you see any of these first four teams making a push to the final four?
00:58 No.
00:59 I do see Colorado State and Boise State as potential second weekend teams.
01:08 But I don't see either any of those teams getting all the way to the final four.
01:13 Yeah, so maybe some Mountain West love in the second weekend.
01:18 If I want to make some final four picks, yeah, I'm going to start in the East region, probably
01:23 the I would say the toughest region on this bracket.
01:27 UConn got no favors as the top overall seed.
01:30 If Iowa State is the two, Illinois is a three, that's a great offensive team.
01:33 Auburn another high scoring team, San Diego State, potentially in what the Sweet 16 would
01:39 be a nightmare.
01:40 Out of that region, though, I think UConn gets through it.
01:44 I don't want to pick a number one seed in the final four almost after what happened
01:47 last year.
01:50 But this team is just too dominant.
01:52 They're on another collision course to a national title.
01:56 I think they're even better than last year.
01:58 So I'm going to go UConn in the East.
02:02 In the West.
02:03 Oh, this this might be I don't want to say the worst, but it's the most well balanced
02:09 section or the most balanced region of the bracket.
02:14 I like New Mexico.
02:16 I don't know if it's just this this this Mountain West hype, but as an 11 seed, they had to
02:21 get in by winning the Mountain West.
02:24 I think they're as talented as more single digit seed.
02:28 I kind of like their path.
02:29 Baylor, a great three point shooting team.
02:32 We see that fizzle out in the tournament.
02:35 Arizona, we've seen come up short in the tournament.
02:39 I kind of like their path to the final four, especially if North Carolina has to face like
02:44 Michigan State in the second round.
02:47 I think I think the path for New Mexico is the best in that region.
02:50 I'm simply going off that really.
02:52 So I'm going to go New Mexico out of the West.
02:56 In the South.
02:58 Another good region, really.
03:02 Man.
03:04 Houston just plays at a tempo and they're and they're stifling defense.
03:09 I think just travel so well.
03:10 We did see Iowa State really handed to them in the Big 12 tournament title game.
03:16 But of this region, I just like their path the most.
03:20 I think they might be on a one to closing course with Marquette in the elite eight.
03:25 But other than that, I think they can handle a lot of these teams.
03:29 Nebraska in the second round, though, I think would be very challenging for them.
03:34 And then in the Midwest, I mean.
03:38 I I'm going to stick by I'm going to say Creighton again.
03:41 I just like Trey Alexander as a guard.
03:44 One of the surefire NBA talent, I believe.
03:48 Another Shireman is great down low.
03:52 And their coach, Victor, just well balanced offensive scheme.
03:56 They're good defensively.
03:57 So and their three seed, I kind of like their path, at least to get to the elite eight.
04:03 So I'm going to take so my final fours would be UConn, New Mexico, Houston, Creighton.
04:11 Interesting, that New Mexico pick.
04:13 They're playing unbelievable basketball right now.
04:15 They've got experience.
04:17 They got great guard play.
04:19 But that is an outlier pick as an 11 seed.
04:22 So my picks right here, UConn, to me, they're the most dominant team they have been throughout
04:26 the course of the year.
04:27 I've got them.
04:29 I've got Alabama.
04:30 I just like the way Alabama plays on the offensive end.
04:33 I think they're good enough defensively that they can they can get by through an occasional
04:40 lapse on the offensive end of the floor.
04:42 But they rarely have those lapses.
04:45 And then I've got Houston.
04:47 I think defensively, you know, they are so good that they they're they're due to get
04:54 to another final four.
04:55 Kelvin Sampson's a great coach.
04:57 And then I've got Tennessee.
04:59 So I've got UConn, Alabama, Houston and Tennessee.
05:04 So another year where there's not a West Coast team in the final four.
05:09 So it's been 90 since 1997, where the West Coast has had a team win the NCAA tournament,
05:16 that being Arizona.
05:17 But interesting stuff, Cole.
05:21 Great stuff.
05:22 Look forward to reading the rest of your preview articles, as well as hearing your thoughts
05:27 on watching the Zags in person in Salt Lake City later this week.
05:32 Anything else to finish up?
05:34 No, Dan, I think I mean, really, it's we say this every year.
05:38 It's the most unpredictable tournament.
05:40 I don't I think this year is you kind of see all the people try to whether it's betters
05:46 or just analysts try to put together the trends for how to pick the winner or the final four.
05:51 And I think all that gets thrown out the window this year.
05:54 I know one seeds don't typically go this far.
05:57 But these one seeds are really good.
05:59 Like it's man, I hate changing my picks, but I also hate being wrong.
06:05 So we might have to revisit this very soon, probably within the 24 hours after Thursday,
06:12 maybe even Tuesday.
06:13 I don't know.
06:14 Well, hey, you know what?
06:16 As long as you haven't hit submit on your online bracket where you have a chance to
06:21 win a million dollars, I think you're still fine.
06:23 So for Gonzaga Nation, Cole Forsman and Dan Dickhouse signing off.
06:27 Again, don't forget to check out all of his great articles on the website, as well as
06:32 all of our information and our content on social media as well.