NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball
by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos
March 9, 2007
There are less than 72 hours remaining until the selection committee finalizes all its picks, but for the bubble teams, it will feel longer than a Georgia Tech/Wake Forest double overtime ACC Tournament classic. As we enter the weekend of Selection Sunday, here are some of the most pressing questions that Crystal Basketballers Dan Hauptman, Michael Protos and the committee must figure out.
- Is a win against Clemson enough for Florida State, or do the Seminoles need to continue the March madness that has infected the ACC Tournament by upsetting North Carolina?
- Are Ohio State and Wisconsin both in line for No. 1 seeds now that UCLA has bowed out of the Pac-10 Conference Tournament in the quarterfinals?
- Is Air Force’s meltdown — capped by a quarterfinal loss to Wyoming in Las Vegas — as dooming as the much-publicized collapses by Maryland during the past two seasons?
- Will today’s quarterfinal between Kansas State and Texas Tech serve a similar function as the Clemson/Florida State game?
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 Wisconsin UCLA Kansas |
 Kansas North Carolina Memphis Texas A&M |
Florida North Carolina Georgetown Texas A&M |
 Georgetown Washington State Texas Pittsburgh |
Memphis Pittsburgh Washington State Southern Illinois |
 Nevada Southern Illinois BYU Oregon |
Texas UNLV Marquette Virginia Tech |
 Maryland Virginia Tech Tennessee UNLV |
Tennessee Nevada Maryland BYU |
 Creighton* Marquette Kentucky Virginia |
Kentucky Oregon Creighton* Boston College |
 Notre Dame Boston College Louisville Arizona |
Indiana Duke Arizona Butler |
 Duke Vanderbilt Butler Villanova |
Michigan State Louisville Notre Dame Vanderbilt |
 USC Texas Tech Gonzaga* Indiana |
Villanova Virginia USC Georgia Tech |
 Air Force Michigan State Xavier Georgia Tech |
Stanford Xavier Texas Tech Syracuse |
 Syracuse Winthrop* Stanford VCU* |
Winthrop* West Virginia VCU* Missouri State |
 West Virginia Illinois Wright State* Missouri State |
Gonzaga* Air Force Purdue 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* |
Niagara* Long Beach State Belmont* Eastern Kentucky* |
 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Central Connecticut State* Delaware State Belmont* |
North Texas* Delaware State Central Connecticut State* Weber State* Mississippi Valley State |
 Bubble Bursting:Florida State Purdue Arkansas Clemson |
Bubble Bursting: Drexel Alabama Florida State Arkansas |
| 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 weekend, as Hauptman’s and Protos’ visions for the Big Dance become clearer as the hours 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.
