Palm's projections: Fun with fliers
Updated Nov. 9
It was this time last year that I projected a North Carolina vs. Louisville title game.
Is that what materialized?
No.
But both schools did earn No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament -- point being that I was solid with that projection, and there's reason to believe I'll be solid again this season because I value talent over pretty much everything else. The most talented teams are typically safe bets to play on the first Monday in April.
So put me down for Kansas (lots of future pros) vs. Kentucky (lots of future pros) in the title game, for a rematch of that Bill Self/John Calipari showdown from two years ago. And though I can't guarantee Calipari will again be ahead nine points with two minutes left, what I can guarantee is that he'll win if he is because it's impossible to blow two leads like that in one lifetime.
Anyway, the field ...
The Seeds
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Last four in: Utah State, San Diego State, UTEP, UNLV
Last four out: Florida, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Florida State
Quick Breakdown
| Conference | Bids | Conference | Bids | Conference | Bids | Conference | Bids |
| ACC | 6 | Big 12 | 6 | MEAC | 1 | Southern | 1 |
| America East | 1 | Big West | 1 | Missouri Valley | 2 | Southland | 1 |
| Atlantic Sun | 1 | Colonial | 1 | Mountain West | 3 | Summit | 1 |
| Atlantic 10 | 2 | C-USA | 2 | Northeast | 1 | Sun Belt | 1 |
| Big East | 8 | Horizon | 1 | Ohio Valley | 1 | SWAC | 1 |
| Big Sky | 1 | Ivy | 1 | Pac-10 | 3 | WAC | 2 |
| Big South | 1 | MAAC | 1 | Patriot | 1 | West Coast | 1 |
| Big Ten | 6 | MAC | 1 | SEC | 5 |
Detailed Breakdown
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