RICHMOND, Va. -- Will UVA go all the way, one year after being ousted in the first round?
12 years after shocking the country and defeating Duke, can VCU once again upset the Blue Devils, should they meet in round two?
And how far will Virginia Tech, Liberty, and Old Dominion go?
These are all questions local basketball fans are pondering, as they scramble to fill out their brackets before round one of the NCAA Tournament begins on Thursday.
We decided to bring in a special guest to fill out a bracket - for entertainment purposes only, of course.
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney, a proud graduate of James Madison University (football season is just five months away!), recently joined Lane, Bill, and Candace to make his selections.
Stoney picked Duke to win the title, having them defeat Virginia in the championship game in Minneapolis. The Blue Devils beat the Cavaliers twice during the regular season.
“It’s very difficult to beat a team three times in one year,” Stoney said. “But when you are the team with the best player in all of college basketball, you’re going to go with Duke.”
The mayor also has UNC winning their region, putting three ACC schools in the Final Four. In somewhat of a surprise, the fourth team he has advancing is Texas Tech.
Stoney picked VCU, the only Richmond-area school in the tournament, to win their first round game against Central Florida. But he couldn’t foresee a scenario where the Rams knock off Duke in the next round.
“My heart, obviously, is with VCU,” Stoney said. “I believe in the Rams, I’ve cheered them on all year long… but also, my head goes with the best player in college basketball today, and that is Zion Williamson.”
And he has Virginia Tech meeting the exact same fate in the Sweet 16.
“I have cheered on the Hokies before in football, but this is basketball, so I’m going to go with Duke,” Stoney said.
Regarding the other Virginia schools in the tournament, Stoney has Liberty losing their first game, but he has 14th-seeded Old Dominion upsetting Purdue in the first round, before falling to Villanova in the second.
To see Mayor Stoney’s complete bracket, click the video link above.
Find a complete list of the NCAA Tournament games that are airing on CBS 6 here: https://wtvr.com/on-air/program-schedule/
