NCAA Tournament Picks: What Teams Will Advance To The Sweet 16?

By Norm Elrod

(CBS Minnesota/CBS Local) — The NCAA Tournament is about to begin for real. With Fairleigh-Dickinson, Belmont and North Dakota State all playing their way in, only one spot needs to be filled to set the field of 64. And then March Madness ensues in earnest on Thursday at 12:15 pm ET.

There are so many questions to answer over the next few weeks. Can Villanova defend its title? Could Duke be destined for another Final Four? Will Michigan State advance past the second round? To answer these and so many other questions, we’ll just have to watch.

For now, we’ve lined up sports anchors from the across the country — Ryan Baker at CBS Chicago, Bill Jones at CBS Dallas, Mike Max at CBS Minnesota, and Don Bell at CBS Philadelphia — to answer one pressing question. What four teams will advance from each region to the Sweet 16 next week?

Here are their picks:

West Region – Ryan Baker, CBS Chicago

• Gonzaga
• Florida State
• Texas Tech
• Michigan

East Region – Mike Max, CBS Minnesota

• Duke
• Mississippi State
• Maryland
• Michigan State

South Region – Don Bell, CBS Philadelphia

• Virginia
• Villanova
• Kansas State
• Tennessee

Midwest Region – Bill Jones, CBS Dallas

• North Carolina
• Auburn
• Houston
• Kentucky