Doug Gottlieb Joins Clay To Talk March Madness, Share His First-Round Lock

We are only days away from the start of March Madness, and things are already starting to pick up on the predictions front. Of course, that means Clay Travis is going to ask for at least a few tournament predictions from his guests on OutKick the Coverage.

The latest comes from fellow Fox Sports Radio host Doug Gottlieb, who joined Clay on Monday.

It didn't take long for some hard-hitting predictions either. Right out of the gate, Clay asked Gottlieb who he'd rather have: Baylor and Gonzaga or the field. Gottlieb didn't hesitate. In fact, it seemed like an easy answer.

"I've said Gonzaga over the field all year, so I would say yes" Gottlieb quickly replied. "I mean, I'd put Illinois in there, but Gonzaga is the best team. And they got a little bit of everything. They got a little phlegm in terms of their bench, but yeah, I'd say giddy up. I think the best team's the best team for a reason."

It sounds like he doesn't even need Baylor to fall back on. Gottlieb sounds confident taking Gonzaga over everybody, and considering their 26-0 record, who can really blame him?

The two then start talking about where an undefeated Gonzaga team -- after winning the national title -- would rank on all-time tournament accomplishments. Gottlieb believes it would be right there with the 1977 Indiana team, the last one to go undefeated.

Of course, we need to let the games play out first before passing a final judgment, and that's likely the route Gottlieb and Clay are taking at this time. But now is the time to speculate about which teams will surge to a Final Four.

"Illinois is a one-seed, but they're playing great basketball," Gottlieb said. "They're legit, by the way. So if you put Illinois in there to sneak up and win the national championship, it's not a huge upset, but still.

"I think everybody's into Oklahoma State. It's not just that they have Cade Cunningham. They also got Isaac Likekele back, who's now started for three years now for them. He's like a point-power forward. And when you have Cade Cunningham, who is likely the No. 1 overall pick, and he's a great closer, you give yourself a chance at a run."

He also added a team from the Pac-12.

"I like Oregon," Gottlieb continued. "I know they lost to Oregon State in the Pac-12 Tournament. They just couldn't make a shot, but you look at their record over the last month and a half, I think they've lost like two games."

Gottlieb also named USC from the Pac-12 and St. Bonaventure as teams he liked.

He picked four or five different teams to make a potential run, so the answer certainly didn't disappoint. I know I'm taking mental notes for when I make my bracket picks in the coming days.

Oh, and when Clay asked for the Doug Gottlieb lock, the answer may surprise you.

"Wichita State in the play-in game," Gottlieb said. "Drake lost their point guard and their best player. Like, it's a wrap, dude. Just take Wichita State."

And there you have it. You can check out Gottlieb's appearance on OutKick the Coverage by clicking here. There are a lot more nuggets in there, so it's definitely worth checking out. Or you can follow the link in Clay's tweet for access to the entire Monday show.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.