Chart #3 (switch to men’s chart)

compiled by Jack Pfeifer (as of May 18)

Oregon & LSU Still Neck And Neck, But Here Comes Kansas!…

Much has changed individually in the three weeks since we issued our first set of NCAA women’s predictions for 2012, but the team tussle is still projecting to be as close as close can be, with LSU topping Oregon by a single point.

There just isn’t much to choose between the Ducks and the Bayou Bengals. In our first chart of the year the LSU bunch projected as a single-point favorite, 60–59. When we did the first update of the season, it was still a single point, 58–57.

And now it’s once again just the smallest of margins between the two. The difference this time is that Oregon is now on top, 59–58.

But they are no longer the only two squads with a realistic chance of coming out on top. Kansas is coming on like gangbusters and is only another 3 points back.

And guess what? All 3 schools are projected to score points in the climactic 4x4, so we could see drama of the highest order in Des Moines come June.

There are 5 new picks as No. 1: 1500—Jordan Hasay (Oregon), Steeple—Shalaya Kipp (Colorado), 4x1—Texas A&M, long jump—Tori Bowie (Southern Miss), triple jump—Ganna Demydova (Southern Miss).

The 10-deep predictions for each event: