NCAA bracket predictions 2015: Picks based on NBA players' hometowns

How does an NBA fan pick an NCAA bracket? Not easily...

I am an NBA fan that's watched less than five full college basketball games this season, so rather than make SUPER SERIOUS predictions like the many folks that know better, I decided to do something different. You thought these would be bracket predictions based on which team had more future or current pros, right?

NOPE. Instead, I did something far more ambitious and stupid. I made picks based on the NBA players born in the home city of the NCAA teams in question.

I used Basketball-Reference's Birth Places index (for most of the work) and Google Maps (for a rough and subjective way to measure if players from a city's suburb should qualify) to figure out each school's pro "team." Some schools -- Georgetown (D.C.), Villanova (Philly), SMU (Dallas) and UCLA (Los Angeles) -- were loaded. Others ... were not. (You'll never believe this, but there are no pros from Cheney, Wash., home of No. 13 seed Eastern Washington).

From there, I imagined each city/team playing an actual game against each other if every player was in their prime. These are the results.

MIDWEST REGION

The top of the bracket is the more difficult of the two. A play-in matchup between Hampton (Allen Iverson, Alonzo Mourning, Joe Smith) and Manhattan-but-actually-The-Bronx (Rod Strickland, Gus Williams, Kemba Walker, Andre Drummond) is happening way too soon. We took Hampton's starpower over Manhattan's depth to move on to the Sweet 16.

Maryland gets every prospect born in the DMV (no Baltimore) that's not from the city proper, giving them a team of Kevin Durant, Ty Lawson, Victor Oladipo, Jeff Green and Danny Ferry. They square off against a West Virginia club led by Jerry West and Deron Williams. Durant has more help, so we'll move Maryland on.

The bottom of the bracket is much easier. Texas sees all its Dallas talent raided by SMU, while Indiana and Kansas aren't really threats. Butler claims Indianapolis, giving it a strong team featuring George McGinnis, Tom and Dick Van Arsdale, Gordon Hayward, Eric Gordon and Jeff Teague. They breeze into the Elite 8.

From there, it's Durant's region to lose. The Thunder star wills Maryland past the Iverson/Mourning Hampton duo, then does enough to beat Butler and advance to the Final Four.

WEST

Georgia State claims Atlanta, so you know this region's theirs to lose. They can roll out a starting unit of Walt Frazier, World B. Free, Dale Ellis, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Dwight Howard, with Josh Smith, Derrick Favors and Mike Mitchell off the bench. Guard depth is a little weak, but Clyde can play forever.

There are a couple other interesting teams in this region. VCU claims Moses Malone from nearby Petersburg and teamed him with Bob Dandridge. Wofford gets Kevin Garnett (born 40 minutes away), Larry Nance (an hour and 10 minutes) and Clifford Ray (34 minutes) to dominate the top half of the bracket. But this is Atlanta's region, obviously.

EAST

Temple's absence from the NCAA Tournament is Villanova's gain. The Big East power is the furthest Big 5 member from the city, but because the other four teams didn't make it, they get to claim ALL of Philadelphia. That gives the Wildcats the following starting lineup:

• PG: Earl Monroe


• SG: Kobe Bryant


• SF: Paul Arizin


• PF: Rasheed Wallace


• C: Wilt Chamberlain

That's ungodly on its own, but Team Philly also gets to throw Kyle Lowry, Guy Rodgers, Matt Goukas, Tom Gola, Tyreke Evans, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Jameer Nelson on its bench. (Dion Waiters would like you to know they can also throw Dion Waiters on its bench).

This isn't the easiest region in the world. LSU, led by Bob Pettit, Clyde Drexler and Greg Monroe, mounts a big challenge in the Round of 32. Louisville provides an interesting test with its one-two punch of Wes Unseld and Rajon Rondo in the Sweet 16. Michigan State in the Elite 8 isn't an easy out thanks to Magic Johnson and Glen Rice.

But Villanova's talent is overwhelming. They advance.

SOUTH

The bracket of death to end all brackets of death. This region features Dallas (SMU), Los Angeles (UCLA), D.C. (Georgetown) and Queens/Long Island (St. John's). All would be Final Four contenders in other regions, but only one can win this one. Let's run down the teams:

ST. JOHN'S (QUEENS/LONG ISLAND):

• PG: Dick McGuire or Kenny Anderson


• SG: Julius Erving
  


• SF: Metta World Peace/Ron Artest
  


• PF: Lamar Odom


• C: Roy Hibbert


• BENCH: Kenny Smith, Tom Gugliotta, Al Bianchi, Brent Barry, Charlie Villanueva, Jeff Ruland, Randy Smith, Tobias Harris, Danny Green

A complete team that can play different styles. They can go big with their current starting lineup and even substitute Ruland for Odom or Artest. They can go small with McGuire and Anderson in the backcourt together with Erving, Artest and Odom. They can use Randy and Kenny Smith as microwaves off the bench. They can play without a point guard with the Smiths, Erving, Odom and Gugliotta.

GEORGETOWN (D.C.)

• PG: Johnny Dawkins


• SG: Dave Bing


• SF: Elgin Baylor


• PF: Adrian Dantley


• C: Antoine Carr


• BENCH: Thurl Bailey, Sherman Douglas, Walt Williams, Blue Edwards, Kermit Washington, Patrick Patterson, Delonte West

They don't have the depth of the other contenders, but Bing/Baylor/Dantley is a killer wing combination that doesn't have overlapping skills. Bing can spot up, Dantley can isolate and Baylor can be a point forward. They're a little short on defense, but that's about it.

SMU (Dallas)

• PG: Mack Calvin


• SG: Ricky Pierce


• SF: Grant Hill


• PF: Chris Bosh


• C: LaMarcus Aldridge


• BENCH: Marcus Smart, Mike Dunleavy Sr., Willie Naulis, Spud Webb, Alton Lister

The depth and backcourt is a little weak, but the frontcourt is impossible to beat.

UCLA (Los Angeles)

• PG: Russell Westbrook


• SG: James Harden


• SF: Paul George
  


• PF: Kevin Love


• C: Brook Lopez/Kevin Willis


• BENCH: Gail Goodrich, Baron Davis, Andre Miller, Klay Thompson, Richard Jefferson, Gilbert Arenas, DeMar DeRozan, Brandon Jennings, Kawhi Leonard, Jrue Holiday, Reggie Theus, Greg Ballard, Tayshaun Prince, Elden Campbell, Sidney Wicks

There are WAY too many guards to play. L.A. is loaded on the perimeter and have five great wing options in George, Leonard, Thompson, Theus and Goodrich. That said, they're weak up front and must use a Lopez/Willis/Campbell/Ballard platoon to keep pace. That lags behind some of the other contenders.

There are other interesting teams in this region. Robert Morris has Pete Maravich, Maurice Stokes, Maurice Lucas and Jack Twyman. San Diego State gets Bill Walton, while Utah claims Tom Chambers. UAB will run down your throat with Eric Bledsoe and Andrew Toney. Davidson gets Stephen Curry and Bobby Jones, while Gonzaga can run out Jazz legend John Stockton). But the four big cities are the superteams.

Who wins?

HOMER ALERT: D.C. Los Angeles has more talent, Queens/Long Island has more versatility and Dallas can score more points, but D.C. has three stars that can play off each other. D.C. can ride those starters all the way, whereas the other teams will leave key talent on their bench.

Final Four

Nobody's beating the Kobe/Wilt/Pearl Big 3.

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