Who Will Solve the Riddle of the NCAA West Bracket?

Will it be the heralded UCLA Bruins? They have the No. 1 seed and a record of 14-2 against tournament teams. The Bruins have been to the Final Four the last two years. They play stiff defense, have an experienced point guard, and a deadly combination of inside and outside threats.

Will injuries to Love and Moute slow the Bruins' chase?

Can No. 16 Mississippi Valley State cause UCLA coach Ben Howland to fret? Will the Delta Devils’ 6-foot-10senior center Larry Cox at least make freshman Kevin Love work harder than he wants to in the first round?

If so, can Texas A&M or BYU take advantage?

Will the Cougar squad that won 15 of 16 in the Mountain West show up, or will the BYU squad that lost to UNLV by 15 take the court in Anaheim?

Will the Aggie team that beat Texas by 27 revive themselves, or will we see the A&M troop that lost to the not-so-vaunted Nebraska Cornhuskers?

Can Drake make it three years in a row that a Missouri Valley Conference team advances to the Sweet Sixteen?

Or will Courtney Lee lead the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky to the promised land?

Did the Huskies of UConn peak too early when they won 12 of 13, including victories over Marquette, Indiana, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and Notre Dame? Since then Jim Calhoun’s gang has lost three of six.

Can San Diego prove their worth after toppling St. Mary’s and Gonzaga on consecutive nights? Or will the Toreros drift off into the abyss?

Purdue won 11 games in a row at one point this season. Lately, they lost three of six. Which streak shows the true Boilermakers?

Seven of Baylor’s 10 losses have been by less than 10 points. Can the Bears prove that they have learned from their mistakes?

Will Georgia prove that it can more than double everyone’s pleasure?

Can Xavier carry the Atlantic 10 torch to the promised land?

Will Bob Huggins prove that you really can go home?

Could Arizona show that even a lame duck can have his day?

Which sword will prove the fate of the Blue Devils? Will it be the sword of threes dropping through twine? Or the sword of shots clanging off rims?

Can Belmont show they have grown from last year’s tournament experience? Can the Bruins prove they can shoot trifectas better than Duke?