USA TODAY Sports Network

Once a week, USA TODAY Sports asks its network of college basketball experts to analyze the biggest topics around the country.

This week, with the curtains closing on non-conference action, the panel provides one bold prediction in 2014.

Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports: One of college basketball's best young stars — someone considered a sure-fire lottery pick — will pull a Marcus Smart, shock the sport and return to college.

Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports: So much has changed in a short few months since the season tipped off, and I think one bold thought that would have seemed absurd back in November is shaping into a potential reality. We've talked so much about the new Big East as conference action started this week, but what about the old Big East — the American Athletic Conference. Louisville's bolting for the ACC next season, but was a clear-cut front-runner in the ACC as the defending national champions staying in a league hit hard by conference realignment. Well, I'm forecasting Louisville won't win the AAC regular season and the darkhorse (no pun intended) Southern Methodist Mustangs will win the conference race. SMU is off to a 10-2 start heading into two pivotal conference clashes against other contenders Cincinnati and UConn. In those matchups, we'll get a chance to see how good a reshaped team made up of transfers and experienced holdovers actually is. The second season of Larry Brown's college coaching experiment has waves of potential, especially in a league that Louisville might not have a stranglehold on anymore due to the loss of Chane Behanan.

David Aldridge, Duke Report:None of the top four teams from the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll will reach the 2014 Final Four. Kentucky was the preseason No. 1 team in the country, and the challenges of John Calipari's one-and-done system are showing themselves yet again this season. The Wildcats lack consistency and strong leadership in tough situations. Michigan State (Preseason No. 2) is the team that makes me nervous about making this prediction, but I'm still not sure they have a reliable scorer who can create his own shot down the stretch. Louisville (Preseason No. 3) clearly misses Gorgui Dieng in the paint and the loss of Chane Behanan makes the Cardinals even more vulnerable on the interior. And Duke (Preseason No. 4) has yet to show it can come up with defensive stops against athletic guards, which has become a recurring problem for the Blue Devils in the tourney.

Randy McClure, rushthecourt.net: Happy new year, everyone, and good tidings to all. My bold prediction for the rest of this season is that Wichita State will enter the NCAA tournament with a sterling record of 34-0, the first team to enter the Dance with an unblemished record in 23 years. Way back in 1991, a ridiculously talented UNLV team featuring Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon and Greg Anthony pulled off the trick on their way to a second consecutive Final Four, and while these 13-0 Shockers are in no way as good as those Rebels of yesteryear, they're in a similar position otherwise.

Paul Gotham, Pickin Splinters.com: There is a fine line between being bold and having one's sanity called into question. Here goes it – my bold prediction for 2014 is the Atlantic 10 will win more NCAA tournament games than the Big East this year. Bold? Last year the Big East won 13 games in the Dance. The A10 took 7. Ten of the Big East's triumphs (Louisville and Syracuse) now reside in other conferences. Two of the A-10's (Butler and Temple) have moved. Villanova appears to be the current Big East team best fit for a long run in March. That is if a team with just two guys 6-8 or taller can make a run during tournament time (hope they don't meet San Diego State or Baylor or Wichita State in that first weekend) Georgetown hasn't advanced beyond the second round since 2007. Marquette has the past three years, but the Golden Eagles don't look ready to repeat that this year. That leaves Butler, Creighton, Xavier, St. John's and none look ready to finish their season at "Jerra's Palace" in Dallas. Meanwhile UMass, VCU and St. Louis (see the recent win at Vanderbilt) have second weekend potential. And don't forget Dayton and George Washington.