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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2008
SPORTS
5B
Picking conference winners
All 31 conferences in Division I receive an automatic bid for the winner of the league. Every conference except the Ivy League stages a conference tournament to select the winner of this automatic bid. The Kansan made its projections based on league standings and a prediction of which team would come out on top during each conference's tournament.
Memphis. If the Tigers beat Tennessee on Saturday, they'll go on to become the first team since 1991 UNLV to make the Final Four with a perfect record.
North Carolina-The Tar Heels are unlucky right now because of injuries, but they'll be better of in a month. Tywon Lawson will be healthy and rested, and that's scary.
Duke-That first-round loss from last year has been motivation for Coach K and his players all season. Count on them to make people forget about that game this March.
Stanford-The Lopez twins will be too tall and athletic for Kansas in the Elite Eight. The Jayhawks haven't seen a frontcourt as good as the Cardinal's yet this season.
Final Four Picks:
Ben Howland has had the magic touch at UCLA, taking the Bruins to two straight Final Fours. The Bruins should be able to lean on its experienced guards and the inside play of Kevin Love and make it three straight Final Fours. Duke haters may cringe, but Coach K's Devils – with freshman Kyle Singler and senior DeMarcus Nelson have enough offense to carry them to
San Antonio.The Big 12 is back. Texas already has victories against UCLA, Tennessee and Kansas. Rick Barne's team will add North Carolina to that list when they beat the Tar Heels to advance to San Antonio. Bill Self is 0-4 in the Elite Eight, but with the most balanced team in the country this season, Self will finally get the Elite Eight monkey off his back.