March Madness Predictions Thread

[bearsfan_51]

This is obviously early, but it will give me something to update as the season rolls along. The Bears are done, and I don't care about the NBA, so I'll try to follow college basketball more this year. I'll do bracketing later when the season nears its end, but at this point it's just the top 65.

Last Edited- 1/30/09
Conference Champions

1) Binghampton (American East)
2) Duke (ACC)
3) East Tennessee State (Atlantic Sun)
4) Temple (Atlantic 10)
5) Louisville (Big East)
6) Portland State (Big Sky)
7) Radford (Big South)
8) Purdue (Big Ten)
9) Missouri (Big 12)
10) CSU Northridge (Big West)
11) VCU (Colonial)
12) Memphis (Conference USA)
13) Cleveland State (Horizon)
14) Cornell (Ivy League)
15) Siena (Metro Atlantic)
16) Akron (MAC)
17) Morgan State (MEAC)
18) Northern Iowa (MVC)
19) Utah (MWC)
20) Robert Morris (Northeast)
21) Morehead State (OVC)
22) USC (Pac 10)
23) American (Patriot)
24) Mississippi State (SEC)
25) Chattanooga (Southern)
26) Stephen F. Austin (Southland)
27) Alabama State (Southwestern)
28) North Dakota State (Summit)
29) Western Kentucky (Sun Belt)
30) Gonzaga (WCC)
31) Utah State (WAC)

Independents

ACC (7)
32) North Carolina
33) Florida State
34) Clemson
35) Wake Forest
36) Maryland
37) Boston College

Atlantic 10 (3)
38) Xavier
39) Dayton

Big East (7)
40) Pittsburgh
41) Connecticut
42) Syracuse
43) Villanova
44) West Virginia
45) Marquette

Big Ten (7)
46) Michigan State
47) Illinois
48) Ohio State
49) Minnesota
50) Wisconsin
51) Michigan

Big 12 (6)
52) Oklahoma
53) Kansas
54) Oklahoma State
55) Texas
56) Texas A&M

Horizon (2)
57) Butler

Mountain West (3)
58) BYU
59) San Diego State

Pac-10 (5)
60) Washington
61) Arizona State
62) UCLA
63) California

SEC (3)
64) LSU
65) Tennessee

Last 3
Boston College
Maryland
San Diego State

Next 5
Creighton
Penn State
Arizona
St. Mary's (Cal)
Auburn

1 Seeds
1) North Carolina
2) Pittsburgh
3) Duke
4) Louisville

2 seeds
5) Connecticut
6) Memphis
7) Oklahoma
8) Michigan State

3 seeds
9) Missouri
10) Syracuse
11) Kansas
12) Villanova

4 seeds
13) Wake Forest
14) Washington
15) Purdue
16) West Virginia

5 seeds
17) Florida State
18) Arizona State
19) Illinois
20) Gonzaga

6 seeds
21) Xavier
22) UCLA
23) Oklahoma State
24) Utah

7 seeds
25) Tennessee
26) Butler
27) Ohio State
28) Clemson

8 seeds
29) Texas
30) LSU
31) Marquette
32) BYU

9 seeds
33) Dayton
34) Sienna
35) Utah State
36) Texas A&M

10 seeds
37) California
38) Michigan
39) Wisconsin
40) USC

11 seeds
41) Minnesota
42) Maryland
43) Boston College
44) San Diego State

12 seeds
45) Temple
46) Mississippi State
47) VCU
48) Northern Iowa

13 seeds
49) Cleveland State
50) Western Kentucky
51) North Dakota State
52) Akron

14 seeds
53) Binghampton
54) American
55) CSU Northridge
56) Robert Morris

15 seeds
57) East Tennessee State
58) Portland State
59) Cornell
60) Stephen F. Austin

16 seeds
61) Morgan State
62) Morehead St.
63) Radford
64) Play in (Alabama State vs. Chattanooga)

[SuperMcGee]

I'm not going to get into anything yet, though I surely will in the future, but just an fyi, trivial as it may be - you have Niagara as both winning the MAAC (which they will ;)) and in the next 10.

Good stuff. I'm in the same boat now needing to fill the void (I'm used to starting this early)

[CashmoneyDrew]

No MTSU love for the Sun Belt eh?

[tjsunstein]

Seems like way too much work but as long as you have Xavier winning the A10 (Temple worries me a little) it's ok in my book. ;)

I have a feeling Texas will out do Oklahoma for the Big 12 and IMO the Big 10 is as wide open as it gets.

[CJSchneider]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

26) Stephen F. Austin (Southland)

Friends don't let friends go to SFA

[dabears10]

Woo ISU last one in. But that's probably about right but I don't think the valley gets two teams, at least not this year. Because who ever wins conference will lose 3 or 4 and the next team 4 or 5. Good list sir.

What are your statistics that you are basing it off of. Pomeroy, saragin, top 25, etc.? Or is it mostly just records?

[jballa838]

UW Makes it. too much talent in Brockman and Thomas. They have so much talent and have an adequate coach in Romar.

[PalmerToCJ]

I very highly doubt the SEC only gets 3 in. Also really doubt the Big 10 gets in 7. Cincinnati is very iffy.

I like having Florida St. in (at this point anyway). They're very surprisingly actually playing well with the talent they've got, something Leonard Hamilton isn't exactly known for. Generally FSU is where a 4*/5* goes to never be heard of again.

[jballa838]

Originally Posted by PalmerToCJ

. Generally FSU is where a 4*/5* goes to never be heard of again.

so they are the college basketball version of Notre Dame football aka the Bermuda triangle of college recruits.

[tjsunstein]

Michael Snaer took FSU over UCLA and Kansas. He's rivals #11 I think.

[iowatreat54]

Honestly, I don't think, from watching them right now, that Purdue will win the Big 10. Idk who else would, but they just don't seem to be playing at the level they did last year.

[PalmerToCJ]

Originally Posted by jballa838

so they are the college basketball version of Notre Dame football aka the Bermuda triangle of college recruits.

Seriously, they get all kinds of top 30 players (beat UK heads up for Rice/Singleton who are on their roster now). Hamilton is always mentioned for his NBA connections yet the only player he's sent there is a 3 star in Thornton (who was awesome)... They never make the tournament. So yes, minus the prestige I think the comparison works out.

[bearsfan_51]

I should note, this is about 90% of where I think things sit right now, and where I think they will go. (for example: Cleveland State has a better resume than Kansas right now, but probably won't by the time March rolls around)

To answer dabears, I'm usually mostly saragin, strength of schedule, record, and my own personal opinion. Obviously in the case of smaller schools I'm going to have less personal insight.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by PalmerToCJ

I very highly doubt the SEC only gets 3 in. Also really doubt the Big 10 gets in 7. Cincinnati is very iffy.

I doubt Northwestern gets in, but I had Wisconsin out so you could trade those two longterm. I think there are 5 Big Ten locks, it doesn't take too much to add two more.

The SEC sucks this year. The suck every year, but they really suck this year.

[TitleTown088]

No NFL? Hate the NBA? Sounds like my predicament. Life is pretty boring, thankfully the draft and the Twinkies are right around the corner. I've also actually been getting into college hockey a bit to ease the transition.

BTW Duke wins easy...

[PalmerToCJ]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

I doubt Northwestern gets in, but I had Wisconsin out so you could trade those two longterm. I think there are 5 Big Ten locks, it doesn't take too much to add two more.

The SEC sucks this year. The suck every year, but they really suck this year.

Since the tournament went to 64 teams the SEC has never had less than 5 teams in. Our tournament success would say otherwise to the whole sucking idea. I do agree that the SEC is awful this year, I expect 4 minimum but 5 max teams in.

[Turtlepower]

I really don't want to count ASU as winning the PAC-10. I believe that we are a very good team, but we still haven't had that "wow" win yet. Hopefully we can start the PAC-10 season with a sweep of the Bay Area schools and then I will be very happy about our chances to win the PAC-10.

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by PalmerToCJ

Since the tournament went to 64 teams the SEC has never had less than 5 teams in. Our tournament success would say otherwise to the whole sucking idea. I do agree that the SEC is awful this year, I expect 4 minimum but 5 max teams in.

Who, at this point, could even make a case for being the 4th team?

[Turtlepower]

Originally Posted by bearsfan_51

Who, at this point, could even make a case for being the 4th team?

I think LSU will make the dance this year. They had a really good win this weekend against Washington State (all be it a much worse Wazzu team compared to last year) and their only loss is @ Texas A&M. I don't think they will do any noise in the dance, but at 10-1 and with a weak SEC, they have a good chance to slip into the NCAAs.

[RaiderNation]

Lets go Duke!!!

[bearsfan_51]

Originally Posted by Turtlepower

I think LSU will make the dance this year. They had a really good win this weekend against Washington State (all be it a much worse Wazzu team compared to last year) and their only loss is @ Texas A&M. I don't think they will do any noise in the dance, but at 10-1 and with a weak SEC, they have a good chance to slip into the NCAAs.

I also think A&M is overrated and don't have them making the dance either.

Washington State is at best the 7th best team in the Pac-10, although I guess that's something.

I certainly wouldn't be suprised if a big conference like the SEC had 4 teams based on name alone. I can't off the top of my head think of the last time a big conference only sent three (although the SEC is by far the worst of the BCS conferences). At this point, however, you really can't make a case for any of them. LSU would probably be the best one.

[j05son]

Originally Posted by RaiderNation

Lets go Duke!!!

[JeffSamardzijaIRISH]

Florida State? We're terrible this year.

[bearsfan_51]

12-2 with wins over Cincinatti and Florida with losses to Northwestern and Pittsburgh isn't horrible. It's not great but it's not horrible.

[PalmerToCJ]

Originally Posted by JeffSamardzijaIRISH

Florida State? We're terrible this year.

Off of what standards? This is the best they've been since Thornton.

As for the SEC... You've got UK/UT/UF, then likely LSU. Arkansas has a strong chance being in the SEC West along with their OOC, I don't see them losing more than 8 games.