NCAA Tournament 2013: Most Interesting Potential Matchups

With so many teams playing in NCAA tournament, there are several potential games that would draw a lot of attention. 

Just like how the Super Bowl had the Harbaugh brothers in it, March Madness is capable of creating some pretty interesting storylines itself.  Here are just a few that would draw quite a bit of attention from the media.

Indiana vs. Marquette

Tom Crean came to Bloomington, turned a broken program with a lot of history around and brought it back to greatness. 

What would be a better way for Crean to take the Hoosiers to the Final Four than by having them play his former program first?

Marquette hasn’t had much trouble without Crean.  The Golden Eagles are the No. 3 seed in the South and finished with a 23-8 record.  They have two players in Vander Blue and Davante Gardner who could match up very well with Victor Oladipo and Cody Zeller, making it an even more intriguing game.

A No. 1 vs. No. 3 isn’t unknown in the Elite Eight, so this matchup is quite possible.  If it does happen, it will be interesting to see how Crean is received by the Golden Eagles coaching staff.

Louisville vs. Duke

Sure, it’s a No. 1 vs. No. 2, but how awesome would it be to see two of the greatest coaches in college basketball history go head-to-head for a chance to make it to the Final Four?

Rick Pitino has done an amazing job for the Cardinals since becoming the head coach for Louisville in 2001.  He’s led the program to a 304-111 record, a win percentage of .733.  This is also just the second Louisville team to be ranked No. 1 in the AP poll during the season.

Mike Krzyzewski has more wins than any other Division I coach in college basketball history with 954.  He’s led Duke to four national championship wins and 11 Final Four appearances.  As far as college basketball coaches go, there’s no one like Coach K.

The matchup between the two would be legendary.  With so much history between the two, it would be the perfect Elite Eight battle.

VCU vs. Saint Louis

Two Atlantic 10 teams in the national championship game would be insane, but the teams have the talent—and the seeding—to make this an actual possibility.

Shaka Smart has done a terrific job with the Rams, leading them to the Final Four in 2011.  They’ve had another terrific season, going 26-8 and earning a No. 5 seed in the tournament.  They lead the nation with 402 steals and love to play in transition. 

The Billikens are a great team that plays solid defense and limits their turnovers.  They’ve gone 24-1 in their last 25 games and are one of the hottest teams in the country, holding a No. 4 seed in the Midwest.

Sure, it’s unlikely that this happens, but so is any matchup that you predict.  If this one does happen, people will finally starting giving the A-10 some respect.

Link to Printable PDF

Link to Live Bracket

Make your picks for the 2013 NCAA tournament here with the Bracket Challenge Game