BT's Official Tournament Predictions

BT's Official Tournament Predictions

Four writers, eight questions, to the victor go the spoils.

JOHN AKERS

Editor, Basketball Times

* Sweet 16 Surprise – UTEP
* First-Round Sleeper – Murray State
* Player whose name will be widely known by next week – Randy Culpepper, UTEP
* Weakest team seeded four or higher – Vanderbilt
* Strongest team seeded eight or lower – Minnesota
* One team absent from the field that could win game – None exists
* Final Four Prediction – Kansas, Wisconsin, Duke, Syracuse
* National Championship – Syracuse over Duke

BRENDAN F. QUINN

Contributor, Basketball Times.  Editor, BT Online

* Sweet Sixteen Surprise — Siena

* First-Round Sleeper — San Diego State

* Player whose name will be widely known by next week – Ryan Rossiter, Siena

* Weakest team seeded four or higher – Villanova

* Strongest team seeded eight or lower – Cornell

* One team absent from the field that could win a game – William and Mary

* Final Four Prediction – Kansas, Butler, Kentucky, Baylor

* Championship Game: Kansas over Kentucky

LEW FREEDMAN

Contributor, Basketball Times and BT Online

* Sweet Sixteen Surprise — Pick any of the following ... Murray State, Xavier, Temple. 

* First-Round Sleeper — Siena

* Player whose name will be widely known by next week – Lazar Hayward, Marquette. 

* Weakest team seeded four or higher –  Purdue

* Strongest team seeded eight or lower – Tie: Northern Iowa, Murray State

* One team absent from the field that could win a game – Mississippi State. 

* Final Four Prediction – Kansas, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas State. 

* Championship Game: Kansas over Kentucky

Women's Tournament Predictions

 

WENDY PARKER

Contributor, Basketball Times and BT Online

* Sweet Sixteen Surprise —  St. John's 

* First-Round Sleeper — Tulane

* Player whose name will be widely known by next week – Danielle Adams, Texas A and M

* Weakest team seeded four or higher –  Oklahoma State 

* Strongest team seeded eight or lower – Middle Tennessee State

* One team absent from the field that could win a game – USC

* Final Four Prediction – UConn, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Stanford

* Championship Game: UConn over Stanford