I know the No. 2 Tar Heels should be the obvious pick here, but I like the No. 3 Demon Deacons' chances. Wake Forest will be without their star point guard Chris Paul today, while he serves his one game suspension for punching N.C. State's Julius Hodge in the groin Sunday. (Did he not think the cameras were rolling?) But regardless, with a win today, Wake just needs to slide past a very beatable No. 5 Duke team Saturday to make the championship game, which should pit it against North Carolina Sunday. The Deacons beat the Tar Heels by 13 in their only meeting this year, so why can't they do it again?\nCorazza's pick: Wake Forest
According to ESPN.com, Stanford and UCLA have moved off bubble-watch and are now locks to make the NCCA Tournament. So with both teams no longer fighting for a berth in the NCAA Tournament, will they still give the big dogs, No. 8 Arizona and No. 13 Washington, a run for their money? Why, yes of course folks, it is March after all. I see UCLA sneaking past Arizona today. Arizona beat it twice this year, and it is a tough task beating a team three times in one year. UCLA will drop Washington in the final Friday.\nCorazza's pick: UCLA
Josh Boone and Charlie Villanueva of the No. 16 UConn might be part of the ugliest front court in the nation, but their play is downright handsome. Although the Big East is the best conference this year (sorry Almighty Coastal Conference) with No. 7 Boston College going undefeated for a good part of the season, and No. 18 Syracuse, No. 23 Pittsburg, Notre Dame and No. 21 Villanova all having solid seasons, I don't see anyone being able to take down UConn. They are winners of nine of their last 10, including an 18-point romp of Syracuse on March 6. Expect UConn to cut the nets down Sunday.\nCorazza's pick: UConn
Things can't get much worse for the No. 9 Kansas Jayhawks. They have dropped four of their last six and most likely will play the tourney without their second leading scorer, forward Keith Langford, as he nurses an ankle injury. But I am a big proponent of backward logic, so I'm going with the Jayhawks here, though No. 17 Oklahoma, No. 11 Oklahoma State or Texas Tech might be more prudent choices. I think the Big 12 tourney is the perfect time for this senior-dominated team to right the ship and get back to doing what they do best-winning.\nCorazza's pick: Kansas
When you have Ashley Judd on your side, it's tough to let her down with a loss in the conference tournament. So, I got No. 4 Kentucky coming out victorious in the SEC tourney. The Wildcats sport a balanced inside-out attack with big-man Chuck Hayes, wing-man Kelenna Azubuike and guard Patrick Sparks. I anticipate a match-up with Florida in the final. The Gators beat the Wildcats in the final game of the season March 6, beating them by two at home. Prior to the March 6th game, Florida hadn't beat Kentucky in eight tries. Expect the same thing in the final.\nCorazza's pick: Kentucky
\nWith or without Rashad McCants, North Carolina will win this tournament. Duke is the only other team in the conference with a formidable post player to match up with Sean May. And although Shelden Williams can play, May is far superior. Also, I doubt Duke sharp-shooter J.J. Redick will be at 100 percent. Word is his shoulders and back are killing him from carrying the team all year. \nPlus my sister and a 5-foot-9 blonde, who ditched me to spend a semester in England, both agree that North Carolina should win because they have "cuter uniforms." I simply can't argue with that logic.\nPhillips' Pick: North Carolina
With a new coach and a slew of new players, the Stanford Cardinal took a while to get on the right track. With wins over Arizona and Washington, they showed they can play with anyone in the conference. I love the way junior point guard Chris Hernandez runs this team, and now that everyone has bought into Coach Trent Johnson's system, the Cardinal will be a dangerous team on a neutral court. Arizona, Washington and UCLA already have their dance tickets punched, so they won't be as motivated as Stanford. \nPhillips' Pick: Stanford
Connecticut has won nine of its last 10 games, with the only loss coming at the hands of No. 2 North Carolina. Since that loss, sophomore forwards Charlie Villanueva and Josh Boone finally have emerged as go-to stars, and the rest of the team has rallied around them. UConn's recent surge reminds me of "The Mighty Ducks." Once coach Bombay's team added slap-shot artist Fulton Reed and slick scorer Adam Banks, you knew they were going to beat the Hawks in the finals. But I digress; the Huskies win it going away. \nPhillips' Pick: UConn
Picking Oklahoma to win this conference title has become trendier than the box-fade hairstyle in the early 1990s. What ever happened to the box-fade? I can remember Penny Hardaway sporting one in "Blue Chips" and thinking how cool it looked. Wow, that brings back memories -- you know, back when Anfernee Hardaway was a basketball player, not just a name on a huge paycheck. Anyway, with Keith Langford out and Oklahoma State floundering, I think Texas will take this title because of their athletic guards and depth on the interior. Look for speedy freshman point guard Daniel Gibson and junior forward Brad Buckman to lead the Longhorns to victory.\nPhillips' Pick: Texas
While I love Ashley Judd's huge umm ... pom-poms, I think Kentucky is too obvious a pick here. Sure, they are the class of the conference, but after dropping the season finale against Florida and Matt Walsh's ridiculous hair, it's hard for me to get behind them. I mean, come on, guys -- Easter isn't for a few more weeks; it's too early to lay an egg. I'm going to go out on a limb and pick Alabama here. I really like the high scoring trio of Kennedy Winston, Earnest Shelton and Chuck Davis, and I think Kentucky is ripe for another upset. Plus, I think their crimson jerseys look really good on television. When in doubt, go with the "cuter" uniforms.\nPhillips' Pick: Alabama
