Printable NCAA Tournament Bracket 2019: Where to Download Complete Bracket
March 17, 2019
The 2019 NCAA men's basketball tournament field of 68 is officially set, which means college basketball fans across the globe can get started on filling out their brackets.
For those looking to test their luck at predicting how every March Madness game will play out, printable brackets are available at NCAA.com.
Duke, Virginia, North Carolina and Gonzaga each earned the No. 1 seeds in the tourney by the NCAA Selection Committee on Selection Sunday, and they all have the makings of teams with a legitimate chance to make it all the way to the Final Four.
All four No. 1 seeds have made it to the Final Four just once (2008), though, and there is undoubtedly room for schools in other parts of the bracket to go on a deep run.
Of all the teams in this year's tournament, Virginia may be feeling the most pressure. The Cavaliers were the No. 1 overall seed last year, but they became the first No. 1 to ever lose to a No. 16 when they fell to UMBC.
UVA managed to bounce back and have another great season under head coach Tony Bennett, but tournament success has eluded the Cavs, as they have not advanced past the Sweet 16 with Bennett at the helm. Their loss to Florida State in the ACC tournament semifinals will only add to their pressure.
As pointed out by Dan Wolken of USA Today, though, Virginia bouncing back to win it all in 2019 would make for a special moment:
Aside from Virginia, big-name schools aplenty are in the field and among the top seeds. Gonzaga, North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State, Texas Tech and Tennessee all stand out as teams with the talent to make it all the way to the Final Four or further.
Among those teams, Gonzaga is worth keeping an eye on given the disappointing way its conference tournament season ended with a loss to Saint Mary's in the WCC Championship Game. It was by far the Zags' worst loss of the season, as their previous two defeats came against Tennessee and UNC in back-to-back games.
The loss to Saint Mary's was incomprehensible given that the Bulldogs beat the Gaels by 48 earlier in the season, so it did create some question marks regarding Gonzaga's ability to make a run.
Aaron Torres of Fox Sports Radio is among those who believe the loss may have just been a blip on the radar team for a super-talented Gonzaga team led by Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke:
Aaron Torres @Aaron_TorresI think Gonzaga is good. You can disagree. I do think its funny that everyone thinks them losing to a bubble team is validation the Zags are terrible. Like, if Virginia loses to Clemson Thursday (a comparable team to Saint Marys) is anyone making the same argument about Virginia?
Gonzaga has had far more success in the NCAA tournament in recent years than ever before, with four straight trips to the Sweet 16 or better, including a spot in the national championship game in 2017. Because of that, the Bulldogs are equipped to contend despite the disappointing loss to Saint Mary's.
For those who are searching for this year's version of Loyola-Chicago while filling out their brackets, there is a fairly large group of mid-major or small-conference teams with a chance to go on a Cinderella run to the Final Four.
Nevada, Buffalo and Wofford dominated their respective conferences and have all been ranked for much of the season. That means they aren't as under the radar as the Ramblers were last season, but there still aren't many picking them to go to the Elite Eight or Final Four.
During a season that has seen many changes at the top in the AP Top 25 Poll, the 2019 NCAA tournament figures to be somewhat wild and unpredictable, so there may be no better year than this one to get creative in selecting your bracket.