My March Madness 2008 Predictions

You can take these predictions to the bank. Or not. After all, I made a similar post for college football and the results were...*ahem*...less than stellar?

Still, onward we March: It's the way-too-early college basketball prediction post!

The #1 seeds will be...

I'm going on a bit of a limb here. Memphis is going to grab the overall #1, as their only tough game is against Tennessee. They should coast. Duke has surged and is atop the ACC, already with a win over North Carolina (albeit without Ty Lawson) notched in the belt.

Here, however, it gets interesting. Who do you pick? Georgetown, a team that escaped from Villanova recently because of a bad foul call? North Carolina, a team taken to OT by Clemson and winning by 1 at Virginia? Kansas, who just lost to Texas? There's plenty more choices, as UCLA, Tennessee, and Stanford deserve to be in #1 talk for now, and teams such as Purdue are hanging around.

I'm picking the Pac-10 champion, whether it be the Bruins or the Cardinal, and then the fourth goes to Kansas. After all, the Jayhawks only two losses are to current ranked teams.

Your BCS conference champions:

The Big East is going crazy, and with a strong nucleus of teams from the 1 through 10 spots, anybody has a chance. I'm picking upset here. But who to pick is the ridiculous part of this equation. However, Louisville has been slowly on the upswing ever since their loss to Dayton early in the season, and I think they do enough to contain Roy Hibbert (which they've already done once in a 59-51 win). Considering only 1 loss has been by double digits (by 10 vs. Seton Hall), it's possible.

The ACC really only has two teams worth mentioning, as if you didn't know. Clemson and Maryland both have chances to upset, but otherwise you have the heated rivals. It all hinges on Carolina's play after Lawson comes back. I think UNC takes the second of their season series, but drops the final to the Blue Devils.

Life in the SEC is no picnic, either. Tennessee is the clear favorite, which of course I have no problems with. But they've lost to Kentucky, won by 2 at LSU, and escaped vs. Mississippi State earlier this year. Florida is young and inconsistent, Mississippi State and Ole Miss are slipping a bit, and Vanderbilt doesn't seem to have the firepower to take down the Vols high-octane shooting style. Chris Lofton explodes and gives my reason to celebrate.

Out West, in the Pac-10, you have another cluttered up race. Washington State has fallen from glory quickly, though is still a threat and ranked for a reason. USC has been up-and-down...after all, they did lose to Mercer early. Oregon has been good, but not great. It all comes down to Stanford vs. UCLA, and Kevin Love is the difference here. He'll manage a double-double as the Bruins take the conference crown by 3.

How about up North? Purdue is the surprise leader in a Big 10 collision that includes Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Indiana (though those recruiting violations are a problem), and then Ohio State on the outside. Can the Boilermakers stay on top? With an impressive week that included victories over the Spartans and Badgers, they've shown they can and will take it to the big-shots of Big 10 basketball. Stay with the leader here: Purdue takes it.

Finally, we head to the heartlands, where the state of Kansas has been hoppin' thanks to big years from both State and U. The Big 12 has enjoyed good years from Texas, Texas A&M, and even Baylor (who? :wink. Texas has been the big boy recently, improving to 4-2 against the AP top 25 with a victory over 3rd-ranked Kansas yesterday. But who can go against the Jayhawks come tournament time? They'll be playing for a #1 seed, and Kansas will get it by romping their way to a big win over Texas in the final.

Your Bracket Busters!

Butler certainly qualifies as a mid-major, but as they're a top-10 team vying for a high seed in March, I won't count them.

Anybody from a stacked-for-a-mid-major-conference Atlantic 10 can make some noise. Xavier, Massachusetts, Saint Joe's, and Rhode Island all possess the talent necessary for a Sweet 16 berth. Two teams from this conference making it that far wouldn't be overly shocking. As it is, Rhode Island will garner an at-large berth and you ought to watch their first-round match-up.

Don't forget one of last year's hierarchy upsetters: Viginia Commonwealth. They're dominating in conference play and should be around for another shot at the big boys. Be sure to catch their second-round game.

Watch out for the West Coast Conference champ, which will be either Gonzaga, a name we're all familiar with, or Saint Mary's, a name you've heard but not in basketball. SM owns the tiebreaker with a win over the Zags, and will be in prime position for the easier path later. They also have a win against a top-25 school, whereas Gonzaga is 0-4 against that category. Whoever wins the automatic bid will receive decent seeding, and possibly a favorable game. I think Saint Mary's has a shot to be playing more than two halves.

Lastly, you should watch for Davidson coming out of the Southern Conference. They're 15-0 in the conference, and although they're 0-3 vs. ranked teams, they lost by 4 to North Carolina and 6 to Duke. How's THAT for a "good loss?"

And finally...teams who have their bubbles burst!

Miami, after their hot start, has really been frigid of late. And it'll relegate them to a nice #1 seed...in the NIT.

I think that, although they've done okay, West Virginia hasn't made any headlines of late, and that's because they haven't played well enough. Losing by 1 to Georgetown and Pittsburgh shows they've got toughness, but haven't been able to close it down the stretch. And that ugly loss to Cincinnati kind of hurt, too.

Right now, Massachusetts, Saint Joe's, Oregon, Cincinnati, Cal, Kentucky, and Gonzaga all are staring at tense times come selection Sunday. I'll say UK and Saint Joe's are left out first. The rest I can't call just yet

And there you have it! I hope you've enjoyed reading! I've been talking about this stuff on the radio show podcasts with my friend, and Monday we actually had a friend on for a College Basketball Spectacular! Are YOU excited yet?!?!