Sports Editor Don McDermott selects Connecticut to win the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament title, with the Huskies to defeat North Carolina in the finals.

How the women's tournament will progress:

GREENSBORO

First-round winners: UConn, Texas, Old Dominion, Virginia, George Washington, California, Iowa State, Rutgers.

Regional finals: UConn, Old Dominion, George Washington, Rutgers.

Final Eight: UConn over Rutgers.

SPOKANE

First-round winners: Maryland, Xavier, West Virginia, Vanderbilt, Pittsburgh, Baylor, UTEP, Stanford.

Regional finals: Maryland, Vanderbilt, Baylor, Stanford.

Final Eight: Maryland over Stanford.

NEW ORLEANS

First-round winners: North Carolina, Georgia, Kansas State, Miami (Ohio), Ohio State, Oklahoma State, DePaul, LSU.

Regional finals: North Carolina, Kansas State, Ohio State, LSU.

Final Eight: North Carolina over LSU.

OKLAHOMA CITY

First-round winners: Tennessee, Utah, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Arizona State, Duke, Syracuse, Texas A&M.

Regional finals: Tennessee, Notre Dame, Duke, Texas A&M.

Final Eight: Tennesse over Duke.

FINAL FOUR

North Carolina over Tennessee, UConn over Maryland.

CHAMPIONSHIP

UConn 68, North Carolina 61.

------

UCLA will once again reign as the men's NCAA basketball champion, in what should be one of the more competitive March Madness tournaments in history.

The forecast:

EAST

First-round winners: North Carolina, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Washington State, Oklahoma, Louisville, Butler, Tennessee.

Regional finals: North Carolina, Notre Dame, Louisville, Butler.

Final Eight: North Carolina over Butler.

MIDWEST

First-round winners: Kansas, Kent State, Villanova, Vanderbilt, USC, Cal State-Fullerton, Davidson, Georgetown.

Regional finals: Kansas, Villanova, USC, Georgetown.

Final Eight: Georgetown over Kansas.

SOUTH

First-round winners: Memphis, Oregon, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Marquette, Stanford, Miami (Fla.), Texas.

Regional finals: Memphis, Michigan State, Stanford, Texas.

Final Eight: Stanford over Memphis.

WEST

First-round winners: UCLA, Texas A&M, Drake, UConn, Purdue, Xavier, Arizona, Duke.

Regional finals: UCLA, UConn, Xavier, Duke.

Final Eight: UCLA over Duke.

----

FINAL FOUR

UCLA over Stanford, North Carolina over Georgetown.

CHAMPIONSHIP

UCLA 74, North Carolina 70

----

A disclaimer: Do not, considering the possibility of not being able to pay your rent, play poker, or hit the slots, wager on these selections.

-- Don McDermott