NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball
by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos
March 5, 2007
There are 52 weeks in a year. There are 52 playing cards in a deck. If every week represents a card, then the upcoming week is the Ace of Spades for Crystal Basketballers Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos. The next seven days represent hoops heaven for the fortune-telling duo, as the many visions swirling in their heads will come vividly into focus by Sunday evening.
The three weeks of the NCAA Tournament are the Aces of Clubs, Diamonds and Hearts, but for the two Hoopville visionaries, March 5 through 11 has been circled on their calendars for a long, long time. To get to this magical point, Hauptman and Protos had to endure the Three of Clubs week in hot, steamy July and the Seven of Diamonds period during pigskin season in October. But the next seven days make the grueling wait worth it.
The predictions will be coming fast and furious this conference championship week, as Hauptman and Protos feel it is their responsibility to let the world get a glimpse of their powerful intuitions. At the beginning of this glorious week, here is what the Hoopville genies see when peeking at an advanced copy of the Big Dance invitation list.
As championship week moves forward, Hauptman and Protos will be looking for clarity on these points.
- Florida, Kansas, North Carolina and Wisconsin are competing for two of the four No. 1 seeds.
- As of 2 p.m. Thursday, Clemson or Florida State will officially be out of the NCAA Tournament discussion.
- The CAA might be good for two bids — but which two teams?
- Hauptman likes Old Dominion to grab the final spot. Protos picks Purdue.
Let’s take a look at the rest of the field, as seen by Hauptman and Protos.
| Hauptman’s Hoops Horoscope | Protos’ Prognostications |
|---|---|
 Ohio State Florida UCLA Wisconsin |
Ohio State UCLA Wisconsin Kansas |
 Kansas North Carolina Memphis Texas A&M |
Florida North Carolina Texas A&M Georgetown |
 Georgetown Washington State Texas Pittsburgh |
Memphis Washington State Maryland Marquette |
 Nevada Southern Illinois Maryland Tennessee |
Pittsburgh Tennessee Southern Illinois UNLV |
 BYU Oregon Virginia Tech Butler |
Texas Virginia Tech Nevada Arizona |
 UNLV Creighton* Marquette Arizona |
Kentucky Butler BYU Duke |
 Duke Kentucky Virginia Notre Dame |
Oregon Villanova Creighton* Boston College |
 Boston College Villanova Air Force Louisville |
Indiana Virginia Michigan State Vanderbilt |
 Vanderbilt Texas Tech USC Gonzaga |
Louisville Georgia Tech Notre Dame Stanford |
 Indiana Georgia Tech Michigan State Syracuse |
Xavier Air Force USC Texas Tech |
 Winthrop* Stanford VCU Illinois |
Winthrop* Syracuse VCU Missouri State |
 West Virginia Xavier Missouri State Clemson |
West Virginia Purdue Gonzaga Davidson* |
 Davidson* Old Dominion Akron Holy Cross |
Illinois Clemson Holy Cross Akron |
 Long Beach State Western Kentucky Penn* Oral Roberts |
Vermont Oral Roberts Penn* Western Kentucky |
 Vermont Eastern Kentucky* Niagara Weber State |
Texas A&M – Corpus Christi Long Beach State Niagara Belmont* |
 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Central Connecticut State Belmont* Delaware State Mississippi Valley State |
Eastern Kentucky* Delaware State Central Connecticut State Weber State Mississippi Valley State |
 Last 4 In:West Virginia Missouri State Clemson Old Dominion |
Last 4 In: West Virginia Purdue Illinois Clemson |
| Last 4 Out: Oklahoma State Alabama Florida State Drexel |
Last 4 Out: Alabama Oklahoma State Drexel Florida State |
| Shooting Stars: Maryland Kansas Tennessee Georgetown |
Shooting Stars: Creighton Georgia Tech Marquette Maryland |
| Sinking Ships: Kentucky Alabama Oklahoma State Illinois |
Sinking Ships: Alabama Oklahoma State Air Force Georgia |
| Conference Breakdown: ACC: 8 Big East: 8 Pac-10: 6 Big Ten: 5 Big 12: 4 SEC: 4 Missouri Valley: 3 Mountain West: 3 CAA: 2 22 one-bid conferences |
Conference Breakdown: ACC: 8 Big East: 8 Big Ten: 6 Pac-10: 6 Big 12: 4 SEC: 4 Missouri Valley: 3 Mountain West: 3 23 one-bid conferences |
* denotes won conference’s automatic bid.
Check back throughout this week, as Hauptman’s and Protos’ visions for the Big Dance become clearer as the days until Selection Sunday count down.
Whose field looks more accurate to you? Or are both Hauptman and Protos off target? E-mail us your comments on the Crystal Basketball or give us your own NCAA Tournament prognostications. The calendar reads March. Madness ensues.
