NCAA Tournament Game Picks

Thursday March 17th

#13Clemson vs. #5West Virginia 9:15am
My Pick: Clemson
I'm gonna go with the underdogs on short rest for this game. West Virginia played in the tougher conference this season and will be well rested but i'm counting on Clemson having momentum to pull an upset to open the tournament.

#9Old Dominion vs. #8Butler 9:40am
My Pick: Old Dominion
The Butler Bulldogs were the darlings of the tournament last year, making it all the way to the title game, but i have them going out early this year. I see Old Dominion as not only good enough to beat Butler but to possibly advance further.

#13Morehead St vs. #4Louisville 10:40am
My Pick: Louisville
Some have Louisville on upset watch but i don't envision them having any problems in this one. I see Preston Knowles and Peyton Silva being able to lead this team far into the tournament.

#10Penn St vs. #7Temple 11:10am
My Pick: Temple
I want to pick Penn St. but i just cant see them being able to score enough points to stay with Temple.

#13Princeton vs. #4Kentucky 11:45am
My Pick: Kentucky
Many are writing Princeton off but i think this will be a hard fought game as Kentucky is pushed before pulling it off.

#16UNC-Asheville vs. #1Pittsburgh 12:10pm
My Pick: Pittsburgh
16 seeds have never won a tournament game. Enough said.

#12Richmond vs. #5Vanderbilt 1:10pm
My Pick: Richmond
I had no trouble picking the underdog in this one as i can see Richmond winning this game and possibly the next. This should be an exciting one.

#15N.Colorado vs. #2San Diego St 1:40pm
My Pick: San Diego St
Northern Colorado is looking for its first tournament win but so are the Aztecs of SDSU. State will be too athletic to lose this game, even if they dont play up to their potential.

#15UC Santa Barbara vs. #2Florida 3:50pm
My Pick: Florida
While i see Florida as overrated and over-seeded, I just can't see them losing to inconsistent UCSB in the first round.

#14Wofford vs. #3BYU 4:15pm
My Pick: BYU
A few are picking the upset but i have faith in the NCAA's leading scorer, BYU's Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer can hit from anywhere and if his teammates can play well, this team can make a run in this tournament.

#14Bucknell vs. #3UConn 4:20pm
My Pick: Uconn
Uconn is coming off 5 win in the Big East Tournament behind stellar play from guard Kemba Walker and i see them continuing there run here against Bucknell. If the game is close at the end, look for Walker to take over.

#13Belmont vs. #4Wisconsin 4:27pm
My Pick: Wisconsin
I am very tempted to pick Belmont in this game to pull the shocker but i will count on Wisconsin to control tempo and get a win in a good, close game.

#1oMichigan St vs. #7UCLA 6:20pm
My Pick: Michigan St
Michigan St has had an underachieving season but its tournament time and that's when they seem to play their best. This should be one of the day's better games.

#11Gonzaga vs. #6St.Johns 6:45pm
My Pick: St. Johns
I had a hard time picking this one as i can see how both teams could win. I decided to go with St.Johns, who have been battle tested in the Big East, over the Gonzaga Bulldogs, who seem to be playing there best ball right now.

11Missouri vs. #6Cincinatti 6:50pm
My Pick: Cincy
This game seems to be even all around so i just went with the team who played in the tougher conference.

12Utah St vs. #5Kansas St 6:57pm
My Pick: Kansas St
A lot of people are picking Utah St in this one but i'm gonna go with the team with better guard play and that's Kansas State behind Jacob Pullen

NCAA Tournament Field Is Set

A look at this years' NCAA Basketball Bracket

Here is the link: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/tournament/bracket

NCAAB Conference Tournament Predictions

Conference Tournament Predictions

(rankings reflect seeding in conference tournaments)

-Atlantic Coast Conference-

Championship Game: (7)Virginia Tech over (2)North Carolina

Virginia Tech would have to pull the upset over (2)Duke just to get to this game but i can see it happening as the Hokies fight to get a spot in the NCAA tournament.

-Big 12 Conference-

Championship Game: (1)Kansas over (2)Texas
I see Kansas coasting through this tournament to find itself in the tournament championship, where the Morris brothers lift them to a tournament title and #1 seed in the big dance.

-Big East Conference-
Championship Game: (9)Connecticut over (2)Notre Dame
Uconn's Kemba Walker leads his team to the title game and comes up clutch against Big East player of the year Ben Hansborough and the Notre Dame Irish

-Big Ten Conference-
Championship Game: (4)Michigan over (2)Purdue
Michigan seems to be playing very well at the moment and if they can get past rival Ohio State, a conference tournament title is very possible.

-Mountain West Conference-
Championship Game: (2)SDSU over (5)New Mexico
New Mexico will have to get through tough Colorado State and probably BYU, a top 10 team, but they're playing at a high level at the most important time. If SDSU can't get past UNLV, then watch out for the runnin rebels playing on their home court.

-Pac 10 Conference-
Championship Game: (5)USC over (6)Washington St
These are two teams that are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to getting to the NCAA tournament. Just getting this far may help them get in, but they would much rather grab the automatic bid by winning the conference tournament.

-SEC Conference-
Championship Game: (1)Florida over (2)Kentucky
This conference just doesn't put the same level of competition on the court as it does on the football field but i see a good Florida team winning the tournament.

NCAA Tournament Automatic Bids So Far

Atlantic Sun Conference
Belmont (30-4)

Big South
UNC-Asheville (19-13)

Colonial
Old Dominion (27-6)

MAAC
St.Peters (20-13)

Missouri Valley
Indiana State (20-13)

Ohio Valley
Morehead State (24-9)

March Madness is here!

The Final Regular Season games have been played in the NCAA basketball season and the madness is among us


Here is a quick review of how teams are chosen for the NCAA tournament
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5206723_ncaa-basketball-tournament-selection-process.html