NCAA Tournament Crystal Ball
by Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos
March 16, 2008
Selection Sunday is finally here, and March Madness is already at full tilt. Surprises in conference tournaments have whittled down the number of at-large bids available to bubble teams as Xavier, South Alabama, Gonzaga and St. Mary’s, for example, could not secure their conferences’ automatic bids.
That’s fine with Dan Hauptman and Michael Protos, who are glad that the conference tournaments ended the debate for several teams that just don’t smell like they deserve NCAA Tournament bids. Entering the final day, Hauptman and Protos finally see a similar field. The only difference in the teams they put in their fields is that Hauptman has Ohio State and Virginia Tech while Protos chooses Villanova and VCU. Those teams might be in trouble if Illinois and Georgia win their respective conference titles and automatic bids, making the bubble even thinner because Wisconsin and Arkansas are locks.
Hauptman believes Kansas will replace Texas as a No. 1 seed if the Jayhawks win. And Protos believes the same of Texas. Wihtout further ado, here are their final picks.
| Hauptman’s Hoops Horoscope | Protos’ Prognostications |
|---|---|
 North Carolina Memphis* UCLA* Texas |
North Carolina Memphis* UCLA* Kansas |
 Tennessee Kansas Wisconsin Duke |
Texas Tennessee Duke Wisconsin |
 Georgetown Vanderbilt Stanford Louisville |
Georgetown Stanford Louisville Pittsburgh* |
 Michigan State Connecticut Washington State Indiana |
Xavier Marquette Vanderbilt Notre Dame |
 Pittsburgh* Xavier Clemson Purdue |
Drake* Clemson Connecticut Michigan State |
 Notre Dame Drake* Arkansas UNLV* |
Butler* Washington State USC Arkansas |
 USC Butler* Marquette Gonzaga |
Indiana Oklahoma West Virginia Purdue |
 Kansas State Kent State* BYU Oklahoma |
Gonzaga BYU Miami Kent State* |
 West Virginia Mississippi State Texas A&M Miami |
Mississippi State Arizona UNLV* Texas A&M |
 Temple* Ohio State Arizona Kentucky |
Davidson* Kentucky Baylor Temple* |
 Western Kentucky* Illinois State St. Mary’s Virginia Tech |
Kansas State St. Mary’s Saint Joseph’s South Alabama |
 San Diego* Baylor Saint Joseph’s Davidson* |
Villanova VCU Illinois State George Mason* |
 South Alabama George Mason* Oral Roberts* Boise State* |
San Diego* Western Kentucky* Cornell* Boise State* |
 Cornell* Winthrop* Cal State Fullerton* Austin Peay* |
Oral Roberts* Siena* Winthrop* Cal State Fullerton* |
 Siena* Portland State* Northwestern State UMBC* |
UMBC* Austin Peay* Belmont* American* |
 Belmont* American* Mississippi Valley State* Mount St. Mary’s* Coppin State* |
Portland State* Northwestern State Mississippi Valley State* Mount St. Mary’s* Coppin State* |
 Last 4 In:Virginia Tech Baylor Saint Joseph’s South Alabama |
Last 4 In: Saint Joseph’s Villanova VCU Illinois State |
| First 4 Out: Villanova Massachusetts Florida Southern Illinois |
First 4 Out: Massachusetts Syracuse Arizona State Mississippi |
| Shooting Stars: UCLA Pittsburgh Arkansas Western Kentucky |
Shooting Stars: Pittsburgh North Carolina UCLA Wisconsin |
| Sinking Ships: Duke Kansas State Arizona Baylor |
Sinking Ships: Baylor Kansas State Indiana Purdue |
| Conference Breakdown: Big East: 7 Big 12: 6 ACC: 5 Big Ten: 5 Pac-10: 5 SEC: 5 Atlantic 10: 3 West Coast: 3 Missouri Valley: 2 Mountain West: 2 Sun Belt: 2 20 one-bid conferences |
Conference Breakdown: Big East: 8 Big 12: 6 Pac-10: 5 SEC: 5 ACC: 4 Big Ten: 4 Atlantic 10: 3 West Coast: 3 CAA: 2 Missouri Valley: 2 Mountain West: 2 Sun Belt: 2 19 one-bid conferences |
* denotes an automatic bid.
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. Today is the big day when all will be revealed.
