March Madness 2015: Dates, Predictions, TV Schedule and Bracket Analysis

Stop the projections and waiting to see if the bubble will burst, because the 2015 NCAA tournament bracket has been released. There wasn't much drama at the top with Kentucky assured the No. 1 overall seed, but the selection committee left plenty to talk about everywhere else. 

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As far as predictions go, one fascinating aspect of this year's tournament will be looking at the percentages to see how many people pick against Kentucky. The Wildcats may be undefeated, but they aren't unbeatable, having come close to tasting defeat five times this season. 

Now that teams have been placed in regions and it's possible to look ahead at possible matchups, here's all the pertinent information to prepare you for the NCAA tournament. 

Date	Round	Network
March 17-18	First Round (Dayton, Ohio)	TruTV
March 19 & 21	Second and Third Round (Jacksonville, Florida; Louisville, Kentucky; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon)	CBS, TBS, TNT TBS
March 20 & 22	Second and Third Round (Charlotte, North Carolina; Columbus, Ohio; Omaha, Nebraska; Seattle, Washington)	CBS, TBS, TNT TBS
March 26	Sweet 16 (Midwest and West Regions)	CBS, TBS, TNT
March 27	Sweet 16 (South and East Regions)	CBS, TBS, TNT
March 28	Elite Eight (Midwest and West Regions)	TBS
March 29	Elite Eight (South and East Regions)	CBS
April 4	Final Four (Indianapolis, Indiana)	CBS
April 6	National Championship Game (Indianapolis, Indiana)	CBS

Bracket Analysis

Michael Conroy/Associated Press

Instead of going through the usual boring spiel about why Kentucky will win, since everyone is going to say that, the bracket release provides an opportunity to look at spots where the Wildcats will be vulnerable. 

The selection committee didn't exactly give the Wildcats room to breathe in the Midwest Region, with Kansas, Notre Dame and Maryland comprising the No. 2 through 4 seeds in the region. 

Kansas' inclusion on the No. 2 line provides a lot of drama for Kentucky. The Jayhawks finished second in RPI and played the nation's most difficult schedule, yet they still won the Big 12 regular-season title and are certainly battle-tested. 

Also, if you believe in history repeating itself, Kansas has won two titles when it started the NCAA tournament in Nebraska (1988, 2008). 

Of course, there's also the recent history of Kentucky destroying Kansas in a game this season, via Zac Jackson of Fox Sports Ohio:

One way to win in the tournament is having great shooters, which makes Notre Dame an intriguing potential opponent in the Elite Eight, as Laura Keeley of the Charlotte Observer notes:

The Fighting Irish used that shooting touch to great success in the ACC tournament, hitting 21 of 50 three-pointers en route to capturing the conference title. 

As mentioned above, John Calipari's team does have flaws. It had close calls against Mississippi, Texas A&M, Florida and Georgia in the regular season. The SEC tournament did see this team go to another level, winning all three games by at least 15 points. 

However, Matt Norlander of CBS Sports spoke to several anonymous coaches around the country who did their best to provide a template for defeating Kentucky. Here were the two most enlightening responses:

"

It's gotta be somebody who's good enough to get by their guy on the perimeter. To me, when you play Kentucky, it's all about positions at the rim. You can't expect to get one paint touch and score. It's go tot be multiple paint touches. It's drive, kick out, drive, kick out, drive and then maybe you get a look at the rim.

"

And then this answer from a different coach: "We ran an offense where our bigs are on the 'bows. You have to force help to get rid of the ball, and then that first pass is going to a good shot, or the second pass is going to lead to a great one."

They also listed potential opponents who could defeat Kentucky, with Wisconsin and Virginia being the two most common responses. That's not a surprise, as the Badgers have arguably the nation's best player in Frank Kaminsky and have the nation's most efficient offense.

Bo Ryan's team is also strong on defense, ranking 29th in points allowed per 100 possessions, though it's not the greatest asset for this group. The Badgers will have to go through Kentucky in the Final Four if they hope to win a national championship. 

However, a healthy and rejuvenated North Carolina team could await Wisconsin in the Sweet 16 as a No. 4 seed in the West Region. Roy Williams' team had the second-hardest schedule this season and had Duke on the ropes twice before coming to life in the ACC tournament. 

Virginia is basically Wisconsin's inverse, ranking first in defensive efficiency and 26th in offensive efficiency. The problem is figuring out where the Cavaliers are going to turn for offense in a game during the tournament. Justin Anderson is their best shooter but is still recovering from an appendectomy and didn't score a point in two ACC tournament games. 

Just for the record, Kentucky ranks in the top five of offensive and defensive efficiency, so even on a night where it's not shooting well, an opponent has to break through the size on defense. 

One area where the committee seemed to diverge from assumed knowledge was slotting Virginia as a No. 2 seed in the East Region with Villanova on the top line. Even with a loss in the ACC tournament semifinal against North Carolina, the Cavaliers were a presumed No. 1 seed. 

This could suggest the committee isn't convinced about Virginia's long-term tournament outlook with Anderson's health a big question mark right now. Using the snake-slotting style, this seeding suggests Virginia is the No. 7 overall seed, which is a steep drop for a team that started the week in line for the second overall slot. 

The Wildcats will avoid the Cavaliers unless the two meet in the championship game on April 6. Duke is the other No. 1 seed, in the South Region, but has an explosive Gonzaga team at No. 2 and an Iowa State team that just won the Big 12 tournament. 

If you want a deep sleeper, look at North Carolina State on the No. 8 line in the East Region. The Wolfpack don't look sexy at 20-13, but the sixth-toughest strength of schedule with wins over tournament teams in Duke, Boise State, Louisville and North Carolina paints a different picture. 

There's no denying they are a flawed team, capable of losing to a quality LSU team, due to their Jekyll-and-Hyde style, via Seth Davis of CBS Sports:

Villanova will obviously be a huge favorite over NC State or LSU, but if the Wolfpack get past that game with a possible battle against Louisville or Northern Iowa in the Sweet 16, they are set up for a surprise Elite Eight run. 

In case you were wondering how to fill out a bracket, RJ Bell of Pregame.com noted on Twitter that it's not copping out to take No. 1 seeds at least to the Sweet 16:

Even though the Midwest Region looks like the toughest, the selection committee did a good job of spreading things around. All eyes will be on Kentucky for obvious reasons, but don't sleep on a good shooting team such as Notre Dame in the Elite Eight or Wisconsin in the Final Four. 

Remember, the Badgers were knocked off by Kentucky in the Final Four last year when the Wildcats were a No. 8 seed. A rematch would give Ryan, Kaminsky and Co. the opportunity for some poetic justice in Indianapolis. 

Championship Prediction

Steve Helber/Associated Press

As you can tell based on the analysis, it's going to take an opponent playing a perfect game on both ends of the floor to defeat Kentucky. The tournament has provided its share of upsets in the past, such as Connecticut defeating Duke in 1999 and Villanova over Georgetown in 1985. 

Yet Kentucky in 2014-15 is operating at an entirely different level from anyone else in the country. The Wildcats haven't played 34 perfect games this year, which makes their record even more impressive. 

A hallmark of greatness is winning without your best stuff. Kentucky has done that multiple times this year thanks to the coaching of Calipari, unselfish play of the immensely talented players on this roster who would otherwise have every reason to think of their pro prospects and the ability to deal with the pressure of being undefeated night after night with ease. 

It's not easy to just take a group of talented players and win all your games. Kentucky has proved that as recently as 2013, per ESPN Stats & Info:

That team did lose Nerlens Noel to a knee injury late in the year but had Willie Cauley-Stein, Alex Poythress and Archie Goodwin, yet it could muster only a 21-12 record.

So the next time you assume that what Calipari does is simple just because he's got talent, remember that a lot more goes into winning a championship. The 2014-15 Wildcats will just make it look easier than it is due to that combination of talent and coaching.

Note: Team efficiency rankings via Kenpom.com. Strength of schedule and RPI rankings via ESPN.com.