NCAA 2010 Bracket Predictions: Experts Bracket Predictions

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament are some of the most unproductive days in the American workforce.

People across the country furiously fill out their brackets in search of the perfect bracket.

Who will make it all the way? Will chalk hold up? Who will be the sleepers and/or bracket busters?

We think we have it right, but inevitably our brackets never turn out the way want. The experts try to guide fans in the right direction. Will their picks help? Look inside to see the picks from ESPN, CBS, and Sports Illustrated.

Doug Gottlieb's Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No. 1 Kansas v. No. 3 Georgetown
West: No.1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No.1 Kentucky v. No. 2 West Virginia
South: No. 1 Duke v. No. 7 Richmond

Gottlieb, like Bilas, sticks with near chalk before throwing the Richmond Spiders into the Elite 8. Richmond is a quality sleeper team for the bracket, but Gottlieb takes a bold stance with the belief that the Spiders will take down Villanova in the second round.

Digger Phelps' Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No 1 Kansas v. No. 2 Ohio State
West: No. 1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 West Virginia
South: No.1 Duke v. No. 2 Villanova

All chalk for the man with the highlighter. Come on Digger, take a chance on something!

Jay Bilas' Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No. 1 Kansas v. No. 3 Georgetown
West: No. 1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No. 2 West Virginia v. No. 12 Cornell
South: No. 1 Duke v. No. 2 Villanova

Bilas didn't go out too far on the ledge with seven of his eight picks, but he says look out for Cornell. Cornell is a sexy pick for many heading into the Tournament. The Big Red are a team many feel were underseeded. Remember, three of Cornell's four losses came against Kansas, Syracuse, and Seton Hall.

Also, Bilas is the only guy at ESPN who picked Kentucky to bow out of the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16. That pick, combined with Cornell, make Bilas the gutsiest selector at the Worldwide Leader.

Hubert Davis' Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No. 1 Kansas v. No. 2 Ohio State
West: No. 1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 West Virginia
South: No. 1 Duke v. No. 3 Baylor

Baylor makes its only appearance on the brackets of ESPN analysts. Otherwise, Davis went all chalk and what's the excitement in that—though he may be proven right.

Dick Vitale's Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No. 1 Kansas v. No. 3 Georgetown
West: No. 1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 West Virginia
South: No. 1 Duke v. No. 2 Villanova

Vitale, like most of the ESPN crew, did not go aggressive with his picks. Ultimately, the ESPN brackets came down to who thinks will win the Ohio State/Georgetown matchup in the Sweet 16.

Seth Davis' Elite 8 Picks

Midwest: No. 1 Kansas v. No. 3 Georgetown
West: No. 1 Syracuse v. No. 2 Kansas State
East: No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 West Virginia
South: No. 1 Duke v. No. 3 Baylor

Davis also sticks with Baylor to move onto the Elite 8 with a shot at the Final Four. Otherwise, Davis' bracket also came down to that Ohio State/Georgetown game in the Midwest Region.

Doug Gottlieb's Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 1 Syracuse
No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 1 Duke

Personally, I don't think Duke is getting all the way to the Final Four, but Gottlieb didn't even toe the line with his bracket. All chalk.

Digger Phelps' Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 1 Syracuse
No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 Villanova

Phelps broke away from his chalk mentality and picked Villanova to take down Duke in the South Regional Final.

Jay Bilas' Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 1 Syracuse
No. 2 West Virginia v. No. 2 Villanova

Bilas picked Kentucky to bounce out in the Sweet 16 and he took West Virginia to eliminate a second top seed in Duke in the South Regional Final. Villanova, which limped to the stretch, is becoming a favorite pick in the 11th hour.

Hubert Davis' Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 2 Kansas State
No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 1 Duke

Davis took the brave route of picking Kansas State to take down Syracuse in the West Regional Final. Syracuse lost early in the Big East Tournament and has a recent run of early exits from the Tournament. Despite expert selections, can the Orange live up to its billing?

Dick Vitale's Final Four Picks'

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 2 Kansas State
No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 2 Villanova

Vitale backed up Davis by taking the Wildcats to take down Syracuse in the Elite 8, but look carefully and you see the unfathomable. Dickie V picked Villanova to take down Duke (!) in the South Regional Final. Shocking.

Seth Davis' Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 1 Syracuse
No.1 Duke v. No. 2 West Virginia

Davis sticks with the chalk except in the East Region where he picks the Mountaineers to take down Kentucky. Odd selection given Davis' support and belief in Kentucky for the entire season, but Davis' reasoning is that the Wildcats' youth will catch up to them.

(Davis has not yet publicized his Championship Game pick)

Greg Anthony's Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kansas v. No. 1 Syracuse
No. 2 West Virginia v. No. 2 Villanova

Anthony took West Virginia and Villanova to upset their corresponding top seed opponents in the Regional Finals. The experts like West Virginia to take down Kentucky, but I'm not buying that result if the matchup comes to fruition. Give me Calipari over Bob Huggins.

Stewart Mandel's Final Four Picks

No. 1 Kentucky v. No. 1 Duke
No. 1 Kansas v. No. 7 BYU

Mandel goes on the farthest limb of any expert and picks No. 7 BYU to reach the Final Four after taking down Syracuse in the West Regional Final. It's a bold prediction to say the least considering BYU will likely face No. 2 Kansas State in the second round.

Doug Gottlieb's Championship Game

No. 1 Kansas over No. 1 Kentucky

It's the "dream" matchup of the tournament, pitting the two best teams during the regular season. John Calipari gets another shot at Bill Self. Gottlieb takes Self to take down Calipari once again.

Digger Phelps' Championship Game

No. 1 Kansas over No.1 Kentucky

Another non-shocker from the ESPN desk.

Jay Bilas' Championship Game

No. 1 Kansas over No. 2 West Virginia

Bilas breaks the mold by taking the Mountaineers in the Championship Game, but does not go far enough to pick them to take down the Jayhawks.

Hubert Davis' Championship Game

No.1 Kansas over No. 1 Kentucky

Another no-brainer from ESPN: Davis takes the Jayhawks.

Dick Vitale's Championship Game

No. 1 Kentucky over No. 1 Kansas

Dickie V spurned Duke in the Regional Final and takes the Wildcats over the Jayhawks in the Championship Game. This is the same Vitale we've always known?

Greg Anthony's Championship Game Pick

No. 1 Kansas over No. 2 West Virginia

Anthony takes a card from Bilas and takes the Jayhawks to down the Mountaineers. Personally, I can't trust Bob Huggins to take his team this far.

Stewart Mandel's Championship Game

No. 1 Kansas over No. 1 Kentucky

Mandel went the unorthodox route with BYU in the Final Four, but he sticks with chalk in Championship game by taking Bill Self's team taking down Calipari's club for the second time in three years.