5 bold predictions for the NCAA tournament

With the NCAA tournament set to get underway, theScore's Gino Bottero and Blake Murphy peer into the future and make five bold predictions for the Big Dance.

No. 5 Utah makes Elite Eight run

The Utes were done exactly zero favours by the selection committee, not only getting underseeded as a five but also drawing the strongest No. 12 in the field in Stephen F. Austin. Initially, that had cooled me on Utah, but the more I dig into the numbers, the more I still like the Utes, much as they're a popular pick to get upset. With a top-five player in the nation in Delon Wright, a 7-foot matchup issue in Jakob Poeltl and a top-20 ranking on each end, not only will Utah hurt upset-seekers in the Round of 64 but they'll also kill Eastern Washington's Cinderella momentum in the Round of 32 and stun Duke in the Sweet Sixteen. - Blake Murphy

At least 2 No. 2s fail to reach the 2nd weekend

When filling out a tournament bracket, it's easy to pick the chalk, but some of this year's No. 2 seeds look very vulnerable. Expecting a Round of 64 upset may be asking a bit much – No. 2 seeds are 113-7 against No. 15 seeds under the current tournament format – but after that, things will get interesting for some of those No. 2 seeds. There's some concern around Virginia and whether or not the Cavaliers will have the scoring punch to advance. Kansas is a mess right now and appears to be in line to earn a nightmare Round of 32 matchup with instate rival Wichita State. Gonzaga puts out one of the best rosters it ever has, and while the program may be known for success in the month of March, the Bulldogs have only qualified for the Sweet Sixteen twice in the last 13 seasons, with the last trip coming in 2009. - Gino Bottero

Karl-Anthony Towns overtakes Jahlil Okafor as No. 1 pick

This is an angle we've been covering all year: Okafor has been the presumptive No. 1 pick all season, but Towns has been gaining ground steadily thanks to an improved offensive game. Okafor is a better offensive player, but Towns' potentially elite defense has him right on the cusp of overtaking the Duke big man. That's something that will happen during the course of the tournament, with the Kentucky freshman seeing a minutes increase and a resultant jump in offensive production. If my Utah prediction is wrong and Duke can make a run to the national championship game, an Okafor-Towns head-to-head would be must-see viewing for every NBA fan and scout, and Towns would gain the edge on most boards. - Blake Murphy

Rick Pitino gets upset in his first tournament game

Pitino served as a collegiate head basketball coach as far back as the 1975-76 season when he was at Hawaii. The man's been around the block. Interestingly enough, his teams have been upset based on seed in their first NCAA tournament game only once. That's impressive, considering he'll be leading Louisville into his 20th NCAA tournament this year. In the past three seasons he's guided the Cardinals to the Final Four, a national title and an appearance in the Sweet Sixteen. This year's Louisville team enters as the No. 4 seed in the East Region, but the team hasn't scored more than 60 points against a tournament team since Valentine's Day. While UC Irvine is by no means a world-beater, the Anteaters do defend the rim well, and that's going to force the Cardinals into a lot of long-range shots. Louisville may be a near-double-digit favorite in the game, but here's a fun fact: Pitino's lone upset loss in his first tournament game came in a 4-13 matchup. - Gino Bottero

UCLA vindicates the selection committee

No, UCLA probably didn't deserve inclusion in the tournament based on resume alone. Even if the Bruins did, they should have required a play-in game to make the Round of 64. As it stands, Kevon Looney and company weren't all that close to the bubble, upsetting many. But despite inconsistency and Steve Alford's shortcomings, the Bruins will prove the selection committee correct, not only toppling No. 6 SMU on Thursday but also stunning No. 3 Iowa State for a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. Sometimes, these things are just gut calls and there's little statistical evidence backing this feeling up. - Blake Murphy