College Basketball: Championship Week Bold Predictions

A few tickets have already been punched to the NCAA Tournament thus far, and a flurry of teams will join the party over the next few days before the power conferences kick off their tournaments towards the end of the week. With less than a week between now and the selection show, there are still a few bold predictions yet to be made, and it’s time for someone to go out on the shaky limb. I can’t promise accuracy, but these thoughts on the rest of the college basketball season will be sure to make you think.

UConn will win the American Conference Tournament.

The Huskies only chance to defend their national title is for them to win four games in four days at the American Conference Tournament. Why will they do it? For starters, the tournament is on their home court, and fan support will be rabid. Also, the Huskies chalk road to the finals includes USF, Cincinnati, Tulsa, and SMU. None of those games are especially daunting. In fact, the Huskies have already beaten each of those teams earlier this season. Lastly — Ryan Boatright

Villanova will NOT win the Big East Tournament.

The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country, but the Big East tourney is wide open. Villanova will like meet a Seton Hall team that has already beaten them in their first match-up. The second game will match them up against an extremely talented Providence team or a St. John’s team that would be playing on their home floor. They would see either Butler or Georgetown in the finals. That’s as hard of a three-game stretch for any top seed in the country this week. Every single team Villanova will likely face in this tournament was ranked at some point this season. Good luck with that gauntlet.

The MAC will have the most entertaining and unpredictable conference tournament in recent memory.

The Winner of the Wyoming/Utah State first round game in the Mountain West will win the tournament and steal a bid from the bubble.

The bubble dodged a bullet when Illinois State choked away a big first half lead against Northern Iowa in the MVC Championship. This time, bubbles will indeed burst. My personal pick to win this game and the tournament is Wyoming, a team that will be riding high after the return of their star big man, Larry Nance Jr.

The Cowboys lost three of four to fall out of at-large contention, but with Nance Jr. rounding into form. It’s feasible to see the Cowboys beating Boise State and either Colorado State or San Diego State in the final, Wyoming is 3-3 against the top of the conference, including a sweep of Colorado State.

The match-up they’d like to avoid is against San Diego State, but that seems very possible considering the Aztecs season split with the Rams.

Kentucky will win both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments

I’m not sure if that constitutes going out on a limb, but I had to make sure I at least got one of these right. This team is the closest thing to unbeatable we may ever see again.

Next: Coach's Clipboard: Villanova Wildcats Epitomize Spacing

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