How’s your bracket holding up?

If it’s anything like mine, it resembles my old messy college dorm room with dirty clothes, old fast food wrappers and various other unidentifiable items of debris strewn as far as the eye can see.

But don’t be too discouraged. You’re not alone.

According to ESPN, only 1 of the 22.1 million entries into its NCAA Tournament Challenge survived the 1st round unblemished. And that perfect bracket didn’t make it through Saturday.

The good news is that the round of 16 provides us with a natural opportunity to reset, regroup and revise our picks.

So grab your Sharpie, get out a fresh sheet and let’s give this another try!

Midwest

No. 1 Purdue (-4.5) vs. No. 5 Gonzaga

No. 2 Tennessee (-2.5) vs. No. 3 Creighton

For all the chaos that has gone on in other regions, this bracket has played out basically according to chalk. That’s something of an upset in itself because of Purdue’s recent history of early round flops. The only casualty among the top 4 seeds on the road to the Sweet 16 was No. 4 Kansas.

The good news for the top-seeded Boilermakers is that there are no more double-digit seeds left to trip them up. The better news is that they’ve already beaten Gonzaga once this season. The Zags had no answer for Zach Edey in that 10-point loss in the Maui Invitational. The national Player of the Year went for 25 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks that night. He’ll be just as unstoppable this time.

Tennessee, meanwhile, will have its hands full against the most accomplished tournament team remaining in the region. Creighton made it to the Elite Eight last season and returns its top 3 scorers. The Bluejays are long, experienced and talented. But the Volunteers defend better than almost anyone in the country. And they also have Dalton Knecht.

The Midwest Region championship final between Purdue and Tennessee will come down to which team with a history of self-destructing can keep it together longer under the pressure of an Elite 8. Only 1 of those teams has Zach Edey.

Region champion: Purdue.

East

No. 1 UConn (-9.5) vs. 5 San Diego State

No. 2 Iowa State (-2.5) vs. No. 3 Illinois

The defending national champion Huskies are still the class of the tournament. But to have a shot at defending their title, they’ll have to win a rematch of last year’s title game. Dan Hurley’s team breezed through the opening 2 rounds, getting a little help from 13th-seeded Yale, which took out Auburn in one of this year’s most stunning upsets.

While the Aztecs will have plenty of incentive to earn a measure of revenge on UConn, the Huskies’ most challenging test won’t come until the Elite Eight.

Iowa State is a rugged defensive team that wears its opponents down with a patient, but efficient offense. But Illinois has looked impressive in making its first Sweet 16 trip since 2015. The Illini’s size, offensive rebounding prowess and the scoring of guard Terrence Shannon Jr., who has delivered 56 points in 2 NCAA Tournament wins, will be enough to put them over the top against the Cyclones.

Those qualities will also make life uncomfortable for UConn in the region final. But even that won’t be enough to slow down the UConn Express to Glendale. Illinois will give the Huskies a fight.

Region champion: UConn

South

No. 1 Houston (-3.5) vs. No. 4 Duke,

No. 2 Marquette (-6.5) vs. No. 11 NC State

The sequel is never as good as the original. But this time, another miracle NC State run to the Final Four would be even more improbable. In 1983, Jimmy V’s Cardiac Pack only had to win 3 games at the ACC Tournament to earn its NCAA bid. Kevin Keatts’ current squad had to win 5 in as many days to claim its spot in the field.

Adding to the intrigue of this region is the fact that the Wolfpack could end up meeting Houston – the team that the 1983 championship squad beat for the national championship – in the Region final.

Sadly, it won’t happen. But not because of a State defeat.

In-state rival Duke will get the first crack at the top-seeded Cougars and ride the hot shooting guard trio of Jared McCain, Tyrese Proctor and Jeremy Roach to an upset. On the other side of the bracket, Marquette will have no answer for super-sized DJ Burns, and defensive stopper Casey Morsell will hold down the Eagles’ Tyler Kolek enough to set up an all-ACC final.

Yes, I know it’s a longshot. But who can resist a lovable underdog story? Even one that’s been told before.

Region champion: NC State.

West

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Alabama,

No. 2 Arizona vs. No. 6 Clemson

Members of the NCAA selection committee can tell us all they like that they go strictly by the numbers in seeding teams in the bracket. But nobody’s buying it in this instance. It’s no coincidence that UNC and Arizona were placed in the same region.

No added buildup would be necessary for an Elite Eight showdown between the Tar Heels and Wildcats and their dueling conference Players of the Year RJ Davis and Caleb Love.

They were teammates in the same backcourt on the UNC team that played in the 2022 national championship game. But they had a highly-publicized falling out last year, a conflict that was blamed for the chemistry issues that led to the Tar Heels missing out on the NCAA Tournament.

They’ve been on a collision course since Selection Sunday. And neither Alabama, with its suspect defense, nor Clemson, which will be happy just to have gotten this far, will be able to do anything to stop it.

Love might get the better of Davis in the individual battle. But Davis has the better supporting cast – led by star big man Armado Bacot.

Region champion: UNC.

Final Four

UConn vs. UNC

NC State vs. Purdue

UConn beat UNC by 11 at Madison Square Garden in early December. But that’s ancient history. The Tar Heels are a much better team, especially on defense. And coach Hubert Davis has developed a reliable bench to go along with a talented, versatile starting 5. RJ Davis and Bacot will play well, but Harrison Ingram and Cormac Ryan will be difference-makers as UNC gets its revenge and returns to the title game for the 2nd time in 3 years.

Speaking of difference-makers, Edey will be too much for the NC State trio of Burns, Mohamed Diarra and Ben Middlebrooks to handle. He’ll get them in foul trouble and dominate in the paint to set up a national championship showdown with UNC.

National championship game: Purdue vs. UNC

Unlike the Wolfpack, the Tar Heels will have the interior defenders to neutralize Edey in Bacot, Jae’Lyn Withers and Jared Washington, paving the way for their superior backcourt an opportunity to take control and cut down the nets.

National champion: North Carolina.