March Madness 2013 Bracket: Projections for Brackets After Day 4

The second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament has already yielded surprising results, highlighted by Harvard's stunning upset of No. 3 seed New Mexico, which certainly ruined several brackets.

Gonzaga is the top seed in the West region, but the Bulldogs nearly lost to No. 16 seed Southern University, which further proves that no team is safe in March Madness. That makes projecting what the brackets will look like after Friday's action all the more difficult.

Let's take a stab at it anyway, though. Here are predictions of how each region will look when the round of 64 concludes.

Midwest

Only two games are on tap in this portion of the bracket, which features No. 1 overall seed Louisville. The second-seeded Duke Blue Devils will take on the Albany Great Danes, the America East Conference tournament champions.

It's a pretty safe bet that Mike Krzyzewski's squad won't fall to a No. 15 seed two years in a row after last year's disappointing loss to Lehigh. The Great Danes simply don't have the offensive firepower necessary to keep up with Duke.

Mason Plumlee has a massive advantage on the inside, and, while the Blue Devils' stable of guards will be tested, no one on Albany will be able to stick with star forward Ryan Kelly.

The other contest in the region on Friday is a seven versus 10 matchup between Creighton and Cincinnati.

The Bluejays have a chance to make some noise thanks to a fast-paced style led by versatile sharpshooting forward Doug McDermott. This gap in seeding may be deceptive, however, as the Bearcats will attempt to slow the pace down significantly and stagnate Creighton's high-octane attack.

Whatever Cincinnati does, it shouldn't be enough to topple the Jays. McDermott and Co. shoot better than 50 percent from the floor as a team, including 42 percent from beyond the arc.

Creighton proved earlier in the year that it could hold its own against quality competition by dropping 84 points in a victory over a defensively stout Wisconsin squad. Look for the Jays to move on and face Duke in Round 3.

West

All four clashes in this region should be competitive—even the encounter between the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes and heavy underdog Iona.

Led by prolific scorer Lamont Jones, the Gaels average 80.7 points per game, which is second in the NCAA. However, they have not faced a defense like OSU's, which has emerged as one of the best in the country down the stretch.

The Big Ten tournament winners may allow Iona to hang around but should break it open in the final 20 minutes. Look for premier perimeter defender Aaron Craft to smother the extremely talented Jones, who transferred from Arizona after leading the Wildcats to the Elite Eight as a sophomore.

Wisconsin lost to the Buckeyes in the conference tournament final and will face a No. 12 seed in Ole Miss that is led by mercurial scorer Marshall Henderson.

Traevon Jackson will likely lock up Henderson, who isn't offensively efficient enough to truly scare the Badgers. Bo Ryan's teams have lost just once in 12 NCAA tournament openers (h/t ESPN), and that trend shouldn't change here.

Don't sleep on the LaSalle Explorers, who may prove to the No. 4 Kansas State Wildcats that 13 is indeed an unlucky number. They boast wins over VCU, Butler, Villanova and Iona, which is a testament to the Explorers' knack for playing at any pace.

Iowa State takes on Big East No. 7 seed Notre Dame. This should be a high-scoring affair that sees the Cyclones' superior physicality, rebounding and tempo overwhelm a more methodical Fighting Irish team.

South

Here is where the majority of the madness will materialize. The top two seeds shouldn't have any trouble, as No. 1 Kansas will dispose easily of No. 16 seed Western Kentucky, and Georgetown will make quick work of Florida Gulf Coast.

Beyond that, it's anyone's guess. Something has to give when the nation's highest-scoring team, the Northwestern State Demons, take on one of the elite defenses of the third-seeded Florida Gators.

The Demons will have 10 players logging significant minutes, and their fast-paced style could wear down the Gators. If there is another possible No. 14 seed shocker in addition to Harvard, this could be it.

It will be interesting to see how the perceptibly overrated Pac-12 will fare against a middling Big Ten team when the UCLA Bruins take on Minnesota. Don't expect an upset from the 11th seed Golden Gophers, though, as they enter the tournament having lost 11 of their last 16 games.

A duo of exceptional head coaches in Oklahoma's Lon Kruger and No. 7 San Diego State's Steve Fisher will match wits in Round 2. The Aztecs are driven by junior guard Jamaal Franklin, who leads the team in scoring, rebounds assists and steals.

Romero Osby of the Sooners is an intimidating post presence, though. This one could go either way. Look for it to come down to the wire, with Franklin making a game-winning play to pull it out.

Big-name programs North Carolina and Villanova square off in an eight-versus-nine showdown. The Tar Heels' athletic, small lineup and the Wildcats' tendency to turn it over should lead to ample transition opportunities for UNC and the right to take on the Jayhawks in the Round of 32.

East

There shouldn't be any issues for the top two seeds in this portion of the bracket, either. Indiana's outstanding offense will demolish James Madison, and the Miami Hurricanes aren't going to spoil their dream of a season by losing to Pacific.

North Carolina State is a talented but underachieving team, hence the No. 8 seed. The Wolfpack take on Temple, who have a strong scorer in Khalif Wyatt, but the senior takes nearly seven threes per game and makes only 32.6 percent.

It should be a fast-paced battle with a lit up scoreboard, but expect the preseason pick to win the ACC to advance and face the Hoosiers.

The No. 10 Colorado Buffaloes are an underrated bunch led by Andre Roberson, who is just 6'7" but is a monster on the glass, averaging 11.3 rebounds per game. He was also named the Pac-12 defensive player of the year.

In order to get to Round 3, Colorado must first negotiate Illinois, which obviously hails from the nation's best conference and is a team that has beaten the likes of Gonzaga but faltered in conference play.

This one is hard to predict, as it is based on seeds alone, but it is made even more difficult by the inconsistent play of Illini leading scorer Brandon Paul and the Buffaloes' Spencer Dinwiddie. Roberson should be the X-factor that affords Colorado valuable second-chance opportunities and denies the Illini any easy buckets at the rim.

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