NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball
by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos
March 7, 2007
There are just four days left until the selection committee makes all its picks. Here are the most important questions facing Crystal Basketballers Dan Hauptman, Michael Protos and the soon-to-be-convening NCAA committee.
- In the wake of Butler’s loss to Wright State in the Horizon League championship, how far will the Bulldogs fall in seeding?
- If Wisconsin beats Ohio State for the Big Ten title, does the conference get two No. 1 seeds, at the expense of North Carolina or Kansas?
- Does Clemson’s early victory at Old Dominion give the Tigers an advantage over the Monarchs for a possible final bid?
- Which team is this year’s Utah State — a bubble team that no one in the media is discussing but the selection committee has in its sights?
Let’s take a look at the field as Hauptman and Protos see it right now.
| 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 UNLV |
Texas Virginia Tech Nevada Arizona |
 Creighton* Marquette Arizona Duke |
Kentucky BYU Duke Oregon |
 Kentucky Virginia Notre Dame Boston College |
Villanova Creighton* Butler Indiana |
 Butler Villanova Air Force Louisville |
Boston College Virginia Michigan State Vanderbilt |
 Vanderbilt Texas Tech USC Gonzaga* |
Louisville Georgia Tech Stanford Xavier |
 Indiana Georgia Tech Michigan State Syracuse |
Notre Dame Air Force USC Winthrop* |
 Xavier Winthrop* Stanford VCU |
VCU* Texas Tech Syracuse Purdue |
 Illinois Wright State* West Virginia Missouri State |
Gonzaga* Missouri State West Virginia Davidson* |
 Davidson* Old Dominion Akron Holy Cross |
Illinois Holy Cross Akron Vermont |
 Penn* Long Beach State Oral Roberts Vermont |
Oral Roberts* Wright State* Penn* Texas A&M – Corpus Christi |
 Weber State Eastern Kentucky* Niagara* North Texas* |
Long Beach State Niagara* Belmont* Eastern Kentucky* |
 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Central Connecticut State Delaware State Belmont* Mississippi Valley State |
North Texas* Delaware State Central Connecticut State Weber State Mississippi Valley State |
 Last 4 In:Illinois West Virginia Missouri State Old Dominion |
Last 4 In: Missouri State Purdue West Virginia Illinois |
| Last 4 Out: Clemson Alabama Florida State Purdue |
Last 4 Out: Clemson Alabama Drexel Florida State |
| Shooting Stars: Maryland Kansas Tennessee Georgetown |
Shooting Stars: Winthrop Davidson VCU Creighton |
| Sinking Ships: Kentucky Alabama Illinois Oklahoma State |
Sinking Ships: Hofstra Appalachian State Bradley Butler |
| Conference Breakdown: Big East: 8 ACC: 7 Pac-10: 6 Big Ten: 5 Big 12: 4 SEC: 4 Missouri Valley: 3 Mountain West: 3 CAA: 2 Horizon: 2 21 one-bid conferences |
Conference Breakdown: Big East: 8 ACC: 7 Big Ten: 6 Pac-10: 6 Big 12: 4 SEC: 4 Missouri Valley: 3 Mountain West: 3 Horizon: 2 22 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.
