League Tournaments, Bracket Projection

I will cut to the chase now and give conference tournament predictions quickly. Also, I will post my final projected bracket alongside the real bracket on Monday or Tuesday of next week. Yes, it will be honest, and yes, it will be completed before 6pm on Sunday night. I will be in Greensboro for the ACC Tournament and doubt I find internet access to put anything up between now and then. I forget how time consuming making a bracket is, as I ahve had little time to do so lately. I do however have my current Field of 65 that I will attempt to paste below. Now, on to the predictions.

ACC: Duke over BC (reverse UNC bias? No, BC is a matchup nightmare for the Heels)
A-10: Charlotte over St. Louis (I'm telling you, GWU does not win this tournament. They're due.)
Big East: UCONN over Villinova (I don't know what else to pick, these two are too good to bet against)
Big Ten: Illinois over Wisconsin (No clue here, there are five teams that could win this. Note: If Ohio St wins the Big Ten tournament, it will receive a number one seed, guarenteed. See last year's Washington team.)
Big 12: Texas over Oklahoma (OU too physical for KU? Either way, Texas wins and grabs a 2-seed)
C-USA: Memphis over UAB (avenging last week's loss in Birmingham)
Mountain West: BYU over UNLV (major bubble problems if this happens for San Diego St & Air Force)
Pac-10: UCLA over Washington (wouldn't be surprised to see some upsets out here. If Cal loses to USC, they will not make the NCAA Tournament. What about USC or Stanford winning the whole thing?)
SEC: Florida over Alabama/Kentucky (UF typically plays well in this tournament, just not the NCAA Tournament. I don't think LSU can win it without star freshmen Tyrus Thomas)
WAC: Nevada over La Tech (Nevada must win this league to keep a bubble team from losing a spot, as the WAC is a 1-bid league right now)

I figure there are 51 bids locked up at this point (31 automatic bids plus 20 at-larges).

As things stand now, I have the following bubble teams in the Field of 65: Indiana, Arkansas, UAB, Northern Iowa, Kentucky, Cincinnati, George Mason. These teams would have to be blown out in opening rounds of league tourneys to fall out. In George Mason and No Iowa's cases, a lot of the teams below them would have to go on runs to push them out.

The following are really on the bubble, but would be in right this second: Missouri St., Michigan, Cal, Bradley, Seton Hall, Florida St, Texas A&M. All of these last six need to win some games this weekend to solidfy status, with the exception of Bradley & Mo State. The Braves & Bears can simply sit and wait, hoping that no one does enough to by-pass them and force them on the dark side of the bubble.

The following teams are on the outside looking in currently:
Air Force: win Mtn West tournament to get auto bid; lose in finals to SDSU will keep them on bubble, but I don't think that would be enough to get in.
BYU: same as Air Force. These teams should meet in semi-finals of Mtn West tournament, with the loser eliminated from at-large contention as far as I am concerned.
Syracuse: Orange just did part one by beating Cincinnati in the opening round of the Big East Tournament. If they beat UCONN, they're probably in. If they get destroyed, things do not look good. The question now is can Cincinnati make the tournament without Syracuse getting a bid too? Tough decision.
Hofstra/Creighton: Same case. Both have finished playing, Hofstra much better than Creighton. Basically they have to wait and see if teams move up the bubble or down it. Things do not loo good for Creighton, but Hofstra may get in over George Mason based on two wins over the Patriots in the last two weeks.
Colorado: Very simple. Beat Baylor and Texas A&M in the Big 12 Tournament to steal A&M's spot. Either way, I think one of the two (Colorado or A&M) will get in.
Maryland: Win at least two in the ACC Tournament (over Ga Tech & BC) and then don't get blown out in the semis...and then hope teams ahead of them lose. I'm not buying Maryland or Syracuse's arguments; then again, I don't buy Hofstra, George Mason, Creighton, Missouri St & Bradley's either. Hmm.
Utah St: Win the WAC Tournament. I don't think an at-large bid is likely, too many teams to jump over.

In conclusion, it should be a fun weekend. Be sure to watch the Selection Show on CBS Sunday night at 6pm for the beginning of what I call NCAA Hoops Hanukkah (no offense please). This is a fun time, so enjoy the conference tournaments this weekend.