If everything goes according to form in the Phoenix regional of the NCAA tournament, there is a prospect of the sexiest regional final: No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Connecticut. Of course the brackets rarely play out the way they are seeded.
This game has a chance to happen, however. Stanford (29-1), the Pacific-10 Conference tournament champion, nearly went undefeated during the regular season and was ranked No. 1 in the polls for a while. Connecticut (27-6) the Big East tournament champion, was ranked No. 1 in the polls earlier.
There are plenty of land mines, however. This regional includes not only surprise Atlantic Coast Conference tournament champ Maryland, but last year’s NCAA winner Syracuse (21-7), albeit this time without Carmelo Anthony, no small matter. Two other dangerous teams are North Carolina State (20-9), which seemed to be playing a nationally ranked team every night from February on, and Alabama (17-12).
Illinois hoops fans have a lot to root for, with DePaul (21-9) and Southern Illinois (25-4) placed here. DePaul meets Dayton in the first round. Southern Illinois faces Alabama.
A main reason why people love March Madness is the burst of little-known teams into the national spotlight, if only briefly. Vermont, the No. 15 seed with a 22-8 record, fulfilled that role last year. The Catamounts are more seasoned now but play Connecticut in the first round. Even if UConn and Vermont operate in different orbits most of the time, the Huskies should not take a New England neighbor lightly.
Who’s hot: Just a couple of weeks ago, Maryland was considered to be a bubble team for the tournament. After this past weekend’s blitz through the ACC tournament, including an overtime victory over Duke on Sunday, the Terrapins (19-11) became a No. 4 seed.
Who’s not: Southern Illinois. The Salukis were seeking an undefeated campaign in the Missouri Valley Conference, then lost their regular-season finale and again in the semifinals of the league tournament.
Long shot: You’ve got to like Western Michigan’s 26-4 record, at least.
Prediction: Connecticut over Maryland.
