NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball – March 10, 2005
by Michael Protos
Not much has changed since Monday in terms of the major-conference teams in the field. But tournaments from the less-heralded conferences have produced a few surprise entrants, such as Oakland from the Mid-Continent and Montana from the Big Sky.
The teams that have clinched a spot in the Big Dance are in all caps. Everyone else is projected as a conference champion or an at-large bid recipient. There is no change among the top seeds, but the bottom bubble teams have shifted spots. Notre Dame and Georgetown are nearly out of the tournament thanks to bad performances in the Big East Tournament. The Irish are begging the selection committee to drop them after a loss to Rutgers, while the Hoyas survived Seton Hall but still need help.
On the outside of the bubble, Indiana, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech start their run toward an NCAA spot in the next 48 hours. Indiana will replace Georgetown as the last team in if the Hoosiers beat Minnesota. Vanderbilt needs to win at least two SEC Tournament games to bypass George Washington or Notre Dame. Needless to say, the bubble teams watching TV instead of playing in their conference tournaments will be pushing the pins in certain teams’ voodoo dolls all week.
Among the bracket predictions, wins by Gonzaga and Creighton shifted the seeding of several teams and influenced the results. Gonzaga is hot and draws a favorable seed in the Albuquerque region to facilitate a run to the Final Four.
Read on to see the rest of the bracket predictions. Send me your comments and complaints and look for more Crystal Ball readings later this week.
No. 1 Seeds:
Illinois
North Carolina
Wake Forest
Connecticut
No. 2 Seeds:
Kentucky
Louisville
Kansas
Duke
Squeaking By
New Mexico
Notre Dame
George Washington
Georgetown
Just Missing
Indiana
Vanderbilt
Texas A&M
Virginia Tech
First Round Upsets
No. 12 Louisiana – Lafayette vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh
No. 11 Maryland vs. No. 6 Cincinnati
No. 11 West Virginia vs. No. 6 Wisconsin
No. 10 Minnesota vs. No. 7 Nevada
No. 10 UTEP vs. No. 7 Syracuse
No. 9 St. Mary’s vs. No. 8 UCLA
No. 9 Mississippi State vs. No. 8 Texas
No. 9 Creighton vs. No. 8 Georgia Tech
The Brackets
Chicago Region:
First and second rounds in Indianapolis
No. 1 Illinois vs. DELAWARE STATE (MEAC)
No. 8 Texas Tech vs. No. 9 DePaul
First and second rounds in Nashville
No. 5 Pittsburgh vs. No. 12 LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE (Sun Belt)
No. 4 Utah vs. No. 13 PENNSYLVANIA (Ivy)
First and second rounds in Oklahoma City
No. 6 Charlotte vs. No. 11 George Washington
No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 14 WINTHROP (Big South)
First and second rounds in Nashville
No. 7 Syracuse vs. No. 10 UTEP
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 15 EASTERN KENTUCKY (OVC)
Albuquerque Region:
First and second rounds in Worcester, Mass.
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 16 Fairleigh Dickinson (NEC)
No. 8 Georgia Tech vs. No. 9 Creighton
First and second rounds in Boise
No. 5 Florida vs. No. 12 Miami, Ohio (MAC)
No. 4 Gonzaga (WCC) vs. No. 13 WISCONSIN-MILWAUKEE (Horizon)
First and second rounds in Boise
No. 6 Pacific (Big West) vs. No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 3 Arizona vs. No. 14 TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA (Southern)
First and second rounds in Indianapolis
No. 7 Nevada (WAC) vs. No. 10 Minnesota
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 CENTRAL FLORIDA (Atlantic Sun)
Austin Region:
First and second rounds in Charlotte
No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 16 Portland State (Big Sky)
No. 8 UCLA vs. No. 9 St. Mary’s
First and second rounds in Tucson
No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 12 Georgetown
No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 13 OLD DOMINION (CAA)
First and second rounds in Boise
No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 11 West Virginia
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 14 Holy Cross (Patriot)
First and second rounds in Cleveland
No. 7 LSU vs. No. 10 Iowa State
No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 15 NIAGARA (MAAC)
Syracuse Region:
First and second rounds in Charlotte
No. 1 North Carolina vs. winner of play-in game between OAKLAND (Mid-Continent) and Alabama A&M (SWAC)
No. 8 Texas vs. No. 9 Mississippi State
First and second rounds in Cleveland
No. 5 Villanova vs. No. 12 New Mexico
No. 4 Michigan State vs. No. 13 Vermont (America East)
First and second rounds in Worcester, Mass.
No. 6 Cincinnati vs. No. 11 Maryland
No. 3 Boston College vs. No. 14 St. Joseph’s (Atlantic 10)
First and second rounds in Oklahoma City
No. 7 Southern Illinois vs. No. 10 Stanford
No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 15 Northwestern State (Southland)
Sweet 16
Chicago
No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 4 Utah
No. 2 Duke vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State
Albuquerque
No. 1 Connecticut vs. No. 4 Gonzaga
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Pacific
Austin
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 5 Villanova
No. 2 Kansas vs. No. 11 Maryland
Syracuse
No. 1 Wake Forest vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
No. 3 Washington vs. No. 7 LSU
Elite Eight
Chicago: No. 1 Illinois vs. No. 3 Oklahoma State
Albuquerque: No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 4 Gonzaga
Austin: No. 3 Washington vs. No. 4 Oklahoma
Syracuse: No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 2 Kansas
Final Four
No. 3 Oklahoma State vs. No. 4 Gonzaga
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 3 Washington
Championship
No. 1 North Carolina beats No. 3 Oklahoma State
