March Madness is here! The best tournament of the year: 32 games in the first two days; 16 more games the next two days; what's not to love about the opening weekend? I’m going to break down each region, give a few upset alerts, pick the four teams that will advance to the sweet sixteen from each region, let you in on my final four picks and who I think is going to win it all.
EAST REGION
Well, the Selection committee rewarded North Carolina for their great season, as they will play their opening round games in Raleigh, and (barring a miracle from Indiana or Arkansas) will play their regional games in Charlotte. Indiana had a good season, but has been flat lately after the whole Kelvin Sampson debacle and Arkansas also had a good season, but nothing special. Neither team is stopping UNC. Out in Denver (yes, they are hosting an “East” regional … I don’t get it either) Notre Dame drew the dreaded 5th seed and got 2006 Cinderella darling George Mason. This is probably the upset that everyone and their brother is taking, so I’m not. Washington State takes out Winthrop and Notre Dame and gets a date with UNC in Charlotte. Down in Birmingham, look for some upsets. St. Joe’s & Boise St each pose threats to Oklahoma & Louisville. Butler, a school that’s usually the underdog, is the favorite against South Alabama (not exactly a local game – they’re from Mobile, 260 miles from Birmingham), and had a tremendous season (29-3) – I don’t see it ending there. Butler got a raw deal though - they're ranked 10th in the nation yet got a 7th seed. Tennessee (led by my favorite coach, Bruce Pearl) will have their hands full, and that could be their toughest game leading up to a showdown with UNC.
Upset Picks: St. Joe’s over Oklahoma, Arkansas over Indiana
East Region Sweet 16 Picks: UNC, Washington State, St. Joe’s & Tennessee
East Region Championship: UNC over Tennessee
MIDWEST REGION
Clemson made a major run in the ACC tournament and went toe to toe with UNC. That will help their confidence – I watched them, they are a talented group. Despite getting the dreaded 5th seed, I see them beating Villanova then upsetting Vanderbilt. That will set up a showdown with Kansas, and I think they can surprise the nation and knock them off. The 1st round game to watch is Kansas State versus USC – it will be billed Michael Beasley versus O. J. Mayo, a matchup of two of the best freshmen in the nation, who also both made it no secret that college was a one-year commitment for them. Beasley is a beast, and should be the No. 1 pick in the draft. If you haven’t seen him play or haven’t seen Mayo play for that matter, make sure you see this game. They each should have a least one “WOW” play in them. I’m betting on Beasley taking Kansas State to a higher place, and picking them to upset Wisconsin, mainly because I think the Big Ten is overrated and Wisconsin’s 29-4 record has a lot to do with that. But Kansas State is not going to be able to hang with Georgetown. Georgetown is my pick for the group, but might I add that my biggest concern for the Hoyas is getting past Davidson in the 2nd round.
Upset Picks: Kansas State over USC, Davidson over Gonzaga
Midwest Region Sweet 16 Picks: Kansas, Clemson, Kansas State & Georgetown
Midwest Region Championship: Georgetown over Clemson
SOUTH REGION
Memphis is loaded with talent. But they just do not play enough tough games to get them ready for this tournament (they were up 42-13 at the half of their conference championship – not exactly a good test of your meddle). Pittsburgh won the Big East championship, and the Big East tournament is tough game after tough game. I’m guessing Memphis’s run ends at their hands – another disappointing season for John Calipari. Marquette is my pick for the only 6th seed to survive past their first game (it’s the year of the 11 over 6 upset, I swear), and I also see them upsetting Stanford, who will get by Cornell, but only after they get over the shock of playing a team full of players that had higher SAT scores than them. Texas will have their hands full with St. Mary’s after they upset Miami, but should make it to the Regional final, where they will also be upset by the upstart Panthers, my Final Four Cinderella pick.
Upset Picks: St. Mary’s over Miami, Oregon over Mississippi State
South Region Sweet 16 Picks: Memphis, Pittsburgh, Marquette & Texas
South Region Championship: Pittsburgh over Texas
WEST REGION
Does anyone else immediately think of Seinfeld when they hear about Drake? After going from an unknown college to a ranked mid-major, all that keeps popping in my head is “Love the Drake!” I think they’ll also avoid the dreaded 5th seed curse (I’m very nervous about taking all 4 5th seeds to win though), and they’ll show the nation that they do belong, upsetting UConn in the 2nd round. But the run ends there. UCLA looked great winning in the Pac-10 tournament, and they are led by freshman Kevin Love, whose game is very similar to Tim Duncan’s – fundamentally sound, nothing flashy. He joined a team that went to the last two Final Fours and led them in scoring and rebounding. Look for them to make it three in a row. Duke should make the Sweet 16 as they are very good, but they are ripe for an upset. I think Xavier, the runaway A-10 champs, eliminate Coach K’s bunch.
Upset Picks: Baylor over Purdue, Arizona over West Virginia
West Region Sweet 16 Picks: UCLA, Drake, Xavier & Duke
West Region Championship: UCLA over Xavier
FINAL FOUR
Well, if lightning strikes and I’m actually right on my final four picks, that would pit UNC vs. Georgetown in one semi-final and Pittsburgh vs. UCLA in the other. While the NCAA tourney is exciting for the little guys upsetting the big schools, nothing could be sweeter than UNC and UCLA meeting up for the national championship (over a Big East championship rematch, yes). These two schools play in two major conferences and went through their seasons, each losing very little. They are the best two teams. Hopefully, the best two can play and we can get another classic like last year’s Florida-Ohio St. game. And my pick to win it all is UCLA.
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Just wondering how is the Big Ten overrated?
Please keep in mind the Big Ten got just 4 teams in the tournament and the highest seed was the league champ at a 3.
So tell me how is a league that only qualified four teams overrated? Well I'm at it, how isn't the ACC overrated? The ACC is a 12 team league that managed to get four teams in.
What ratings are you looking at, I'd really enjoy reading a rating system that has the Big Ten rated highly.
Oh and the Big East called, they said you should be getting your check by the end of week.
(Also if you care to watch some basketball you would realize Wisconsin is the white version Georgetown, they both have incredible slow offenses with fantastic defenses.)
By the way I think the Big Ten sucks, but since no one is saying the league is great, the league cannot be overrated.
You are a douche.
It's been a couple of days; the mail must be slow this week - there's still no sign of my Big East check. Maybe tomorrow.
Also, the Big Ten is the 6th ranked conference in College Hoops. Look it up. I personally believe that the Atlantic-10 (7th) & Missouri Valley Conference (8th) sport superior teams, in general, than the woeful Big Ten, which I refer to as overrated because the conference has larger schools, thus they are "supposed" to be better. So that makes them overrated in my eyes. And if you think the Big Ten sucks, then why piss and moan about it?
Go back to licking your boyfriend's taint.
your picks are killing me over here.
I wish I took your advice on UCONN...going out in the second round would be better then where i had them, bu the rest of my first round is looking good....Hate the Drake!
My picks are killing me too. Only 8 out of my Sweet 16 made it, and two of my Final Four picks are gone ...
My bracket is an absolute mess... but I notice that Wisconsin and Michigan State are still playing ball...
I didn't pick them either... so I won't resort to name calling.. :)
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