March Madness is finally here. Now that the time is upon us, many people are constantly filling out their brackets left and right hoping to win the $1 billion offer from Warren Buffet for a perfect prediction.  Now, although the chances of someone scoring a perfect bracket are highly unlikely, that still doesn’t stop us sports fans from trying.
With that enormous prize on the line, I’m sure people are picking teams from conferences like the Big 12, Big Ten and the SEC’s of the world, but I’m going to tell you why I believe the ACC is the one conference that everyone is sleeping on. 
Let’s start with the No. 1 seeded Virginia Cavaliers.  The Cavaliers will enter the tournament fresh from their ACC Championship and are coming off one of their best seasons in school’s history.  They have a pretty easy walk to the Sweet 16.  Their first round matchup is against the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers, a pretty mediocre team, and the Cavaliers are a strong defensive team.
In their second game, they will likely face the Memphis Tigers.  The Tigers have good guard play, especially from point guard Joe Jackson, but just one player cannot get it done against UVA.  
Up next, the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils. With arguably the best coach in the history of college basketball in Coach Krzyzewski, Duke will also have a semi-easy walk to the Sweet 16.  Its first round match-up will be against Mercer. Its second round matchup will not be as easy against either Massachusetts or Tennessee. This game will not be as much of a breeze for Duke due to both team’s inside presence, but nonetheless, with the potential No. 1 pick in Jabari Parker and former Mississippi State Bulldog Rodney Hood, that duo and the team’s strong sharp shooting ability will be more than enough for the Blue Devils to advance.
Finally, Syracuse is my last team from the ACC that I have advancing to the Sweet 16.  We all know about the Orange’s recent struggles, but I’m certain it will get things turned around. The Orangemen will come out playing with a chip on their shoulder after the way their season ended. They will also be playing close to their home in Buffalo, N.Y., which will pretty much give them a home-court advantage, and, after all, let’s not forget they are led by the legendary Jim Boeheim.
Their first round-game will be against Western Kentucky. But it’s their second round match where things will get tricky. The Orangemen will face the Dayton Flyers. The Orangemen’s famous 2-3 zone will end up being too much for the Flyers. Their length in the zone will push Dayton out behind the three-point arc, which is an area where Dayton has struggled all season long, only shooting 37 percent from three. 
Even though I have the ACC set up to dominate the first few rounds through the Sweet 16, I do not see any of those teams winning the National Championship.  I, in fact, have the Michigan State Spartans representing the Big Ten to take home the title. They have the experience, the coaching and they also finally have everyone on their roster back healthy and are ready to make a run for the title.