HOOSIER DADDY: Now, in November, Indiana is clearly the team to beat. But will it last? Photo courtesy Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images
People who talk about how much parity there is in professional sports clearly do not watch college basketball.
It’s just that simple. Why does everyone and their brother write in crazy upsets on their brackets come March? Because crazy upsets always happen. College basketball is in this beautiful age right now where the elite teams are starting to learn that hogging the premium prospects alone doesn’t guarantee you a national title. Or even a tournament berth.
Coaches are becoming smarter. But, more to the point, they’re becoming more CREATIVE. They’re starting to think outside of the box and realizing that there are about as many ways to put together a winning squad as there are berths in the tournament.
The more clever basketball coaches get, the harder it becomes to forecast any given season. Nevertheless, I take a stab at it. Right here. Right now.
Conference Champions
BOLD denotes major conference
| America East: Vermont | ACC: Duke |
| Atlantic Sun: Mercer | Atlantic 10: VCU |
| Big East: Louisville | Big Sky: Montana |
| Big South: Coastal Carolina | Big Ten: Indiana |
| Big 12: Kansas | Big West: Long Beach State |
| Colonial Athletic: Drexel | Conference USA: Memphis |
| Great West: Utah Valley | Horizon: Green Bay |
| Ivy: Princeton | MAAC: Iona |
| Mid-American: Akron | MEAC: Savannah State |
| Missouri Valley: Creighton | Mountain West: UNLV |
| Northeast: Robert Morris | Ohio Valley: Belmont |
| Pac-12: UCLA | Patriot: Lehigh |
| SEC: Missouri | Southern: Davidson |
| Southland: Oral Roberts | Summit: South Dakota State |
| SWAC: Texas Southern | Sun Belt: Western Kentucky |
| West Coast: Gonzaga | WAC: Utah State |
Final Four
|
Indiana |
Michigan |
|
Kansas |
UNLV |
National Title Game
|
Kansas |
OVER |
Michigan |
