Andy Katz went 11-4 with his picks last week, including 3-1 with his conference tournament champion's picks, to bring his overall record to 82-47. This week, Katz is back with the rest of his championship week picks.
You can read Katz's picks below and listen to him make them on this week's episode of the March Madness 365 podcast. This edition also features interviews with former Michigan State guard Cassius Winston and Iowa's Luka Garza.
Big 12 Championship Game | 6 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 | ESPN
Baylor, Kansas, Texas and West Virginia are the top-four seeds in the Big 12 tournament. In a loaded field, Katz is going with the Bears to take home the Big 12 title, but he also has his eye on Oklahoma State as a potential sleeper with their star Cade Cunningham.
Katz's pick: Baylor
Result: Incorrect. Texas.
Big Ten Championship Game | 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 14 | CBS
Speaking of loaded tournament fields, the Big Ten tournament will be the perfect appetizer for the NCAA tournament. The top four seeds in Indianapolis will be Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Purdue. Katz thinks with Ayo Dosunmu fully healthy, the Illini will take home the title but also has his eye on Purdue as a potential sleeper.
Katz's pick: Illinois
Result: Correct!
College basketball rankings: See who made the biggest jumps in Andy Katz's final Power 36 of the regular season
ACC Championship Game | 8:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 | ESPN
Katz thinks the ACC tourney is a toss-up between Virginia and Florida State. He's leaning toward the Cavaliers though because of FSU's recent loss to Notre Dame — a game that would've clinched the regular-season title for the 'Noles.
Katz's pick: Virginia
Result: Incorrect. Georgia Tech (though Virginia couldn't play due to a COVID positive test and subsequent quarantining and contact tracing)
SEC Championship Game | 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, March 14 | ESPN
Katz likes the Razorbacks to take home the SEC crown this year because they are trending in the right direction at the right time. Outside of that, Katz thinks people are sleeping on Ole Miss. He believes that the Rebels could cause some problems for teams in the SEC tourney.
Katz's pick: Arkansas
Result: Incorrect. Alabama.
Pac-12 Championship Game | 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 | ESPN
Katz sees the Trojans as the easy pick here in the Pac-12. He thinks Southern Cal has the most talent and can perform well on a neutral court.
Katz's pick: Southern Cal
Result: Incorrect. Oregon State.
2021 AQ's: We're tracking every automatic qualifier for the 2021 tournament
Big East Championship Game | 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, March 13 | FOX
Although they are the 3-seed, Katz likes UConn to take home the Big East title this weekend. With Villanova losing their leader on the floor, Collin Gillespie and Creighton dealing with internal issues, Katz is leaning towards the Huskies' backcourt — led by James Bouknight — to get the job done.
Katz's pick: UConn
Result: Incorrect. Georgetown.
