KJ's 2006 NCAA Bid Spec Sheet
Picks as of 2/20-Twenty days till Selection Sunday!!!

I've added a few front runners of the smaller conferences. With it being a down year for the so-called power conferences, look for a few of the little guys to stand tall and make a credible case for their tournament legitimacy. You already know how I feel about the MVC, they are getting four teams in. Bracket Buster Saturday featured many of these alleged smaller conference teams and added some luster to their tourney resumes. The big boys wouldn't dare get on the same court with these wildcard teams if they aren't forced to do so in March, so many of the top teams in the lesser known conferences play each other in high-stakes, late season non-conference matchups. I love this time of the year...don't you???

Atlantic Coast
In Duke, Bost College, UNC, NC State
Hoping and Wishin' Maryland, Virginia
KJ Sez- ,Miami is off the list totally with the loss to BC and Duke next on the docket, they're done

Atlantic 10
In George Washington
KJ Sez- G-Dub keeps on winning and making it harder to overlook them for a #2 seed.

Big 12
In Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Kansas
Hoping and Wishin' Nebraska, Texas A&M
KJ Sez: No one now should question my pick of Colorado getting in after they thumped Oklahoma. Iowa State is off the list unless they run the table and games at Oklahoma and Colorado in a two weeks all but make that an impossibilty.

Big East
In- W. Va, UConn, Pitt, Villanova, Marquette, Georgetown, Cincy
Hopin' and Wishin' Seton Hall, Syracuse
KJ Sez: Don't read anything into the loss by UConn, Syracuse hurt its chances as much as the Cats helped theirs in the lopsided loss at home. Cincy is solidifying their tourney resume with their wins. Seton Hall might make its tourney case with a strong finish but a resuregent Cincy team is on their docket. Louisville is off the list totally, the only way Pitino and his Cards are going to any tourney now is if they buy tickets. That might even include the Big East tourney

Big 10
In Illinois Michigan Wisconsin, Iowa , Michigan State, Ohio State
Hopin' and Wishin' Indiana
KJ Sez: Mike Davis' resignation all but seals the Hoosiers fate. This team deserves a much better fate and the blowout loss to Illinois pretty much much ends their season. Michigan is rapidly falling to the Hopin' stage, with a host of bad losses. How fast has the worm turned? A week ago they were in the top 25 and looking strong but then a blowout loss to Iowa, a shootout loss to O-State and a stunning trip back 'o the woodshed by cellar dwelling Purdue has hurt their chances. Beating Minnesota stopped the bleeding but the road gets no easier with three ranked teams in a row.

C-USA
In Memphis
Hopin' and Wishin' UAB, UTEP
KJ Sez: No real changes here as Tigers are the class of the revamped C-USA and are in line for a number 1 seed. , Blazers and Miners still have work to do.

Colonial
In George Mason
Hopin' and Wishin UNC-Wilmington Hofstra
KJ Sez: George Mason leads the pack and has the 20 win credentials and the solid rpi (26) to boot, the bigger problem for an auto bid for them lies in their conference tourney where UNC-Wilmington and Hofstra are in hot pursuit with UNCW at the 20 win mark themselves. Nevertheless Colonials are about as close to bulletproof as one can get and look to be in regardless of their tourney showing

Mountain West
Lock San Diego State
Hopin' and Wishin' Air Force, UNLV
KJ Sez: SDSU is looking solid, while Air Force has hit 20 wins....so what, but the more they win the harder they'll make it for the selection committee to turn them down. UNLV faces a make or break game vs SDSU and if they lose, forget it.

Mid-American I
n Akron, Kent St
Hopin' and Wishin' Miami, Northern Illinois
KJ Sez: Miami and Northern Illinois may need to run the table and get some help. The Zips and Golden Flashes are eyeing each other warily and may just meet next month with a tourneyy bid on the line in the conference championship game.

Missouri Valley
In Wichita State, Northern Iowa, Creighton, Southern Illinois
Hopin' And Wishin' Missouri State
KJ Sez: That wasn't a misprint in Joe Lunardi's column about Missouri State being one of the last four out. At 10-6 in conference, they sit in fifth and could make the top four sweat. Did you catch that Crieghton-Wichta State thriller Tuesday? That is a preview of the entire conference tourney. Northern Iowa's thriller against a tourney bound Bucknell team makes them look even better. This is a no joke conference, the names might not be household but this scribe will take their thrilling play over the blueblood ACC or the at times ho-hum Big 10

Pac-10
In UCLA, Cal, USC, Washington, Arizona
Hopin' and Wishin' Stanford
KJ Sez: UCLA is the only team not worrying, despite losing to Southern Cal . Cal is getting close to that stage as well. Arizona and Washington would like to pass Stanford in the Pac 10 standings and make their tourney case stronger, but I think they are both in. Arizona has sent the Cardinal out to pasture for good by beating them Sunday in Palo Alto. Despite being a half game behind the Wildcats will get in unless they bomb out in the Pac-10 tourney.

Patriot
In Bucknell
Hopin' and Wishin' Lehigh
KJ sez:Bucknell???? Oh yes space cadets, they have gotten on the list as a top 25 team, even though they lost to Northern Iowa and should the unthinkable happen (not likely since the Bison should be hosting any and all Patriot Conference tourney games) they should still get an invite. Lehigh is the only team that could do that as they gave Bucknell all they could handle. But the Bison are a team that could not only get in but could send some big-boy teams home early.

SEC
In Tennessee, Florida, LSU, 'Bama
Hopin and Wishin'UK, Arkansas, Vanderbilt
KJ Sez: UK is by no means out of the woods, beating bottom feeders South Carolina and Ole Miss will do nothing to impress the selection committee. Their fate will most likely rest with three game season ending gauntlet At LSU and Tennessee and the home finale against Florida. Tubba's crew are getting dangerously close to run the tablesville to get in the tourney. Arkansas is already there with an ill-timed loss to Ole Miss and uh-oh is that Florida on deck?

WAC In Nevada
Hopin' and Wishin' Louisiana Tech
KJ Sez: Nevada leads and should be the one, but keep an eye on a rowdy Louisiana Tech squad who rolled into Southern Illinois and shocked the Salukis on Saturday. The Bulldogs should be the #2 seed in the WAC tourney. If they get the auto berth, the Wolfpack might sweat but they should get in.

West Coast
In Gonzaga
KJ Sez: Gonzaga continues to mark time and isn't worried about going but getting a #2 seed.

1 bid conferences: Tourney winners of the following will get the auto bid with no others from the conference: Amer. East, Atlantic Sun, Big Sky, Big South, Big West, Horizon, Ivy, MAAC, MEAC, Mid-Continent, Northeast, Ohio Valley, Southern, Southland, Sun Belt, SWAC,.

This list is under the provision that no are wild card/cinderellas in their respective tourneys. That won’t happen right?