Predicting the NCAA Tournament's 68-team field
SELECTION SUNDAY is 3 1/2 weeks away and while the majority of the 36-team at-large field is locked in, almost nothing else is certain. If last season's Kentucky team was playing this season, I could not imagine it losing. At this stage, I couldn't even tell you the favorite, much less predict a winner. Each of the 32 conferences gets an automatic bid. Here is a look as we roll toward March 13.
SELECTION SUNDAY is 3 1/2 weeks away and while the majority of the 36-team at-large field is locked in, almost nothing else is certain. If last season's Kentucky team was playing this season, I could not imagine it losing. At this stage, I couldn't even tell you the favorite, much less predict a winner. Each of the 32 conferences gets an automatic bid. Here is a look as we roll toward March 13.
America East (1)
Stony Brook
Jameel Warney, the 6-8 senior, has the nation's best set of career numbers for a team that has won 18 straight - 1,971 points, 1,189 rebounds, 259 blocks, 215 assists, 99 steals.
American (3)
Temple, Connecticut, Cincinnati
If the Owls can upset No. 1 Villanova Wednesday, that just about makes them a lock.
Atlantic 10 (3)
Saint Joseph's, Dayton, VCU
Dayton, with its great nonconference record, plays at St. Joe's Wednesday. The Hawks are in if the season ended now and would move up the seed line with a win over locked-in Dayton.
ACC (7)
North Carolina, Virginia, Miami, Notre Dame, Duke, Syracuse, Pittsburgh
North Carolina can't shoot from the outside, Virginia can't win on the road, Duke and ND can't defend. Syracuse is getting better. Miami might be the most dangerous NCAA team.
Atlantic Sun (1)
Jacksonville
Bring back Artis Gilmore.
Big 12 (6)
Kansas, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Baylor, Iowa State, Texas
If the tournament was at Allen, KU would be a lock. Love watching Oklahoma's shooters. WVU is most dangerous because of its all-out pressing style.
Big East (5)
Villanova, Xavier, Providence, Seton Hall, Butler
The new league has only gotten one team to the Sweet 16 in its first two years. That needs to change. The Wildcats are fully capable of making a deep run and they really need to make that happen. With Brooklyn and the Wells Fargo Center as likely sites on the way to Houston, it will never set up any better.
Big Sky (1)
Montana
Nobody will want to play against 6-8 German Martin Breunig (19.6 points, 8.8 rebounds, 66.2 percent shooting).
Big South (1)
Winthrop
Look out for 5-7 Keon Johnson, with his 20-point average and 66 threes.
Big Ten (7)
Iowa, Maryland, Indiana, Michigan State, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue
Iowa's Fran McCaffery, a Penn and La Salle High grad, has to be in play for national coach of the year. With the first two rounds in Des Moines, the Hawkeyes have a nice road to the regionals. This team plays better than its talent, a tribute to the coach. And he does have two really good players in NBA riser Jarrod Uthoff and shooter/scorer Peter Jok, younger brother of former Penn player/humanitarian Dau Jok.
Big West (1)
Hawaii
The Rainbow Warriors, sitting at 20-3, lost to Oklahoma, 84-81, in the semifinals of the Diamond Head Classic on Dec. 23.
CAA (1)
UNC Wilmington
Kevin Keatts, a Rick Pitino assistant on Louisville's 2013 national champions, has performed an amazing turnaround. Team was 29-64 in the three seasons before he arrived. Was 18-14 last season and 20-5 now. Joe Mihalich's veteran Hofstra team, with its high-powered offense, is quite capable.
Conference USA (1)
UAB
Remember when this used to be a strong league?
Horizon (1)
Valparaiso
Bryce Drew's squad plays some of the country's best team defense.
Ivy (1)
Yale is 8-0 and really should win it after last year's meltdown.
MAAC (1)
Monmouth
American Pharoah in summer; the Hawks in winter, a strong daily double. Team with the bench histrionics also has talent good enough to beat Notre Dame, Georgetown, UCLA and USC.
MAC (1)
Akron
Keith Dambrot's team has won 20 or more for an amazing 11th consecutive season.
MEAC (1)
Hampton
This is a beautifully coached team.
MVC (1)
Wichita State
Still has the great guard line of Fred VanVleet and Ron Baker. Still plays great defense. Offense, without much inside, is way down from recent seasons.
MWC (1)
San Diego State
Steve Fisher's team is top 10 in defensive efficiency for the third straight season, but the Aztecs are hard to watch on offense.
NEC (1)
Wagner
Drexel grad Bashir Mason has a solid team in a wide-open league.
OVC (1)
Belmont
Any group coached by Rick Byrd is to be feared.
Pac-12 (6)
Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, Utah, USC, California
Not sure there are any Final Four teams here, but there are a few that could hit the Sweet 16.
Patriot (1)
Navy
It may come down to Navy and Bucknell. The Mids, who have 18 wins, have not won 20 in 16 years.
SEC (6)
Kentucky, LSU, South Carolina, Texas A & M, Florida, Vanderbilt
Let's get Ben Simmons in his one and only tournament for an LSU team that is strangely coached. I can't decide about UK. The Wildcats look great one minute, awful the next. Coach Cal usually figures it out by March.
Southern (1)
Chattanooga
The Mocs are 23-4.
Southland (1)
Stephen F. Austin
The Lumberjacks are back again, unbeaten in league play.
SWAC (1)
Texas Southern
The Tigers are 1-11 nonconference (10 road, two neutral, none home), 11-1 in conference.
Summit (1)
South Dakota State
What would an NCAA be like without the Jackrabbits?
Sun Belt (1)
Arkansas Little Rock
A very impressive 22-3.
West Coast (2)
Gonzaga, St. Mary's
Not one of the stronger Zags teams.
WAC (1)
New Mexico State
Look out for 6-9 sophomore Pascal Siakam from Cameroon, He averages 21.5 points and 11.6 rebounds.
@DickJerardi