As he does every year, Dick Vitale released his 2011 NCAA Tournament bracket on Monday morning, giving us another “expert” opinion to work with. Vitale went with Ohio State as his winner, going with the trendy March Madness pick. Kansas and Ohio State have been overwhelming favorites in the early returns, with oddsmakers and experts alike choosing the Buckeyes.
Gonzaga is the surprise darkhorse in Vitale’s Elite Eight, joining Ohio State, Syracuse, Duke, UConn, Louisville, Notre Dame and Pittsburgh. Vitale chose Ohio State, Duke, Louisville and Pittsburgh as his Final Four teams, with Ohio State and Pittsburgh advancing to the National Championship.
Kansas is conspicuously absent from the Elite Eight as Vitale went with a Big East heavy lineup. With a jaw-dropping 11 teams in the tournament, the Big East has plenty of teams to choose from, with the odds saying at least one will survive to the Final Four.
Head on over to SB Nation, grab a printable bracket and get to work filling out your own. The games get underway on Tuesday with the first ever “First Four” matchups in Dayton, Ohio.
For more on the bracket predictions, check out the rest of our NCAA Tournament predictions StoryStream. To break down the bracket with Gonzaga and Washington fans, be sure to stop by SB Nation’s The Slipper Still Fits and UW Dawg Pound.