(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

For the first, and likely not the last, time this week, the bubble has burst. The Portland Pilots are going dancing, securing the automatic qualifying bid by winning the West Coast Conference tournament. Portland was solid this season, finishing a respectable third in the conference behind Santa Clara and Gonzaga.

Gonzaga had been projected in the field and looked like a lock to host for much of the season, with a stellar nonconference run and dominance in the WCC. The Zags beat Portland by 21 the first time they met and defeated Portland 90-40 just two weeks ago. Now Portland walks out with a trip to March Madness with a 1-point victory over the Bulldogs.

This is what March is all about. Everything we think we know can change in an instant.

Multi-bid conference

What does…

Two weeks ago, the Portland Pilots went into Gonzaga and lost to the West Coast Conference leaders by 50 points in Spokane, 90-40.

With a chance for revenge in the conference championship game, Portland completely flipped the script, upsetting the Bulldogs 67-66 and earning the WCC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season. The Pilots were 20.5-point underdogs (per Bet MGM) but put together their best performance of the season to win their ticket to the Big Dance.

Gonzaga entered the final on a 24-game win streak, in search of a victorious capper to their undefeated conference season. Only one team had even played the Bulldogs within 15 points during WCC play, and they had already dispatched Pacific during the conference semifinals. What should have been a coronation turned into a nightmare, as the best 3-point shooting team in the country (40.4 percent for the season) made only 5-of-20 looks from distance while Portland hit a series of big shots to take control in the fourth quarter.

Kennedy Dickie put the Pilots up five with 5:34 to play on a wing 3-pointer that bounced off the glass, complete with a Jordan shrug after the ball went in. Then, Emme Shearer hit the eventual game winner from the opposite wing with 1:39 to play. On Gonzaga’s final…

Filling out the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket is fun, sure. But with betting lines included, the stakes are raised and it’s a whole other ballgame — even if you’re sure of the winner, you can still pick against the spread. Last year, I had a hard time finding lines for the women’s tournament. This year, the information was much more available. I took all info into account — stats, schedules, personnel matchups, strengths and weaknesses — as I began the arduous task of analyzing each pick and selecting game winners. (And I reminded myself, more than once, not to overthink it.)

If you’re unfamiliar with betting numbers, the general idea is you subtract whatever the number is from the score, and that should make it even. So “South Florida -1.5” means the Hurricanes should win by two against Marquette. The .5 allows you to pick a side, so there are no ties. In short, the team with the “-” number next to it is giving the other team that much of a lead in this figurative world. If “PK” is listed, it means the teams are rated even strength and it’s a straight win or loss pick.

My picks for the first round are based against the spread, not straight-up winners. Check back, as I’ll have subsequent picks for every round of the tournament.

Friday

No. 9…

After months of speculation, the 2023 NCAA Tournament bracket is now complete. But before you start filling it out with reckless abandon, hoping to one-up your coworkers in the office pool or top your friends for bragging rights and free drinks, keep in mind that bracket busters are commonplace. Every year, there’s at least one team that breaks the chalk.

Looking over my women’s college basketball bracket, I’ve highlighted one potential squad from each region with upset potential as well as four dark horse teams that could reach the Final Four. This season, outside of South Carolina, the road to Dallas feels like it’s wide open.

Download your bracket here, and follow along.

Let the madness begin.

Greenville 1 Region

The Pilots (23-8, 15-3 WCC) haven’t earned an automatic bid in the NCAA Tournament since 2020, and COVID-19 put an end to their March Madness dreams before they could play. This season, Portland is in after winning the WCC tournament by beating Gonzaga in the title game. Though the Pilots don’t have any signature wins and failed to beat a ranked opponent during the regular season, they shouldn’t be overlooked.

Junior forward Alex Fowler is Portland’s all-time points leader and averages 17.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Drawing No. 5 seed Oklahoma in…