Diego Pavia might not be playing football at Vanderbilt anymore, but that hardly means the former Commodores star quarterback suddenly forgot what program he made his name at.
In fact, Pavia showed his supreme loyalty to that SEC school in Nashville on Wednesday morning when revealing his picks for the NCAA Tournament. Now, basketball might not be his sport of choice, but Vanderbilt was his program of choice to close his unbelievable college career and, well, take a wild guess who Pavia’s got cutting down the nets on April 6.
Yes, that would be Vanderbilt, which finished 4th in the SEC during the regular season, then made a spirited run to the final in the SEC Tournament, including a blowout of top-seeded Florida in the semifinals. So, it’s not like Vandy is some 10th seed that’s destined to be washed away in the first or maybe second round.
The Commodores are a solid No. 5 seed in the South Region, and Florida happens to be the 1 seed in the South, so the Gators are in Vandy’s path, something Pavia is well aware of in his bracket, as fans will see below. Yes, Pavia has the Commodores doing to UF in the NCAA Tournament what they did in the SEC Tournament, all on their way to the Final Four.
Among his tidal wave of upset picks, including Vanderbilt’s stunning run to the Final Four, Pavia picks another SEC school to be 1 of the last 4 standing.
And, as a bonus for SEC fans, he’s got 2 conference rivals facing off for the national championship on April 6, SEC programs that might be familiar with one another from this season.
With that, here is Pavia’s full NCAA Tournament bracket, Vandy allegiance, upsets and all:
While Pavia gave his input on March Madness for the next few weeks, here is what the Kalshi market currently sees regarding the top teams in the mix to win it all on April 6:
Cory Nightingale, a former sportswriter and sports editor at the Miami Herald and Palm Beach Post, is a South Florida-based freelance writer who covers Alabama for SaturdayDownSouth.com.
