March Madness

I can't hide the fact that come March, all I can think about is college basketball and the NCAA Division I tournament. Forget that Tufts' biggest NESCAC rivals Amherst and Williams are playing each other in the men's basketball Division III Final Four; I'm all about Division I. There is nothing better than filling out multiple brackets and watching your winners move on. However, there is nothing worse than picking an upset and then watching the team you had losing in the first round go all the way to the Final Four. So instead of drawing out some long sequence of predictions for "the Big Dance," I broke down the top eight seeds of each region in two sentences each.



St. Louis Region aka Midwest



1. Kentucky -- Can anybody outside of the fried chicken state name two players on this team? Even so, Tubby Smith once again has a national championship contender.

2. Gonzaga -- Its only two losses came to Stanford and St. Joseph's, which is a plus. However, perennial underdogs usually don't do well when favored.

3. Georgia Tech -- Call it an East Coast or just ACC bias, but don't be surprised when the Yellow Jackets storm all the way into the Elite 8, if not further. The Yellow Jacks have great guard play and decent big men.

4. Kansas -- About as wack as they come. The Jayhawks have worse game than Andy Katzenberg. However, they should make it to the Sweet 16 just off a lucky draw.

5. Providence -- Actually not bad, but only have one real player in Ryan Gomes. Look for the Jayhawks to knock the Friars out in the second round.

6. Boston College -- Hey, the Red Sox season is almost here for more disappointment.

7. Michigan State -- Never count out a Tom Izzo squad.

8. Washington -- Never count on a team from the Wac-10, near the Wac-cific Ocean, but the Huskies are kind of hot.



Phoenix Region aka West



1. Stanford -- Although the Cardinal played a weak Wac-10 schedule they have some "hella tight" players and could go places.

2. UConn -- Here's to you Andrew Gelfand, but that's only if Okafor can stay healthy -- Ben Gordon and a bunch of young forwards won't take the Huskies to a National Championship.

3. N.C. State -- The Wolfpack love to play boring basketball. They hold opponents to low scoring totals, but that brand of basketball might be played out in the NCAA's.

4. Maryland -- Fear the Turtle. The Terps can beat anybody at any time, but on the flip side could lose to anybody and I mean anybody at any time.

5. Syracuse -- No Carmelo means no championship. Sorry James Clark, but your Orange Crush is going down.

6. Vanderbilt -- The Commodores' toughest game could be their first round match-up against Western Michigan (26-4). If they pass that test, they could do damage.

7. DePaul -- Did I miss the memo because I have little to no respect for DePaul. Dayton is a ten seed specifically for this "upset."

8. Alabama -- The Crimson Tide are so up and down that it seems just perfect for them to exit early.



Atlanta Region aka South



1. Duke -- You live by the three or die by the three. Duke will be living for a good amount of time.

2. Mississippi State -- Every year it seems like the SEC produces some upstart team that creates a buzz because of its regular season. And every year that team goes out like Chris Rock/Pookie in New Jack City.

3. Texas -- A team full of athletes that could skate to the Elite 8. Texas/UNC second round will be the best second round match-up.

4. Cincinnati -- The Bearcats are not known for their team GPA, but have been known to at least make it to the Sweet 16.

5. Illinois -- Dee Brown's quickness and explosiveness makes him one of the best point guards in the tournament. However the Illini will not be playing bad Big 10 teams.

6. North Carolina -- The Tar Heels possess the most raw talent out of any team, which causes the worst team chemistry. However, Roy Williams won't let them go out like suckers.

7. Xavier -- The Musketeers shot down St. Joe and continued their unbelievable shooting to an Atlantic 10 Championship. However, first round opponent Louisville is no slouch.

8. Seton Hall -- The Pirates were above average this season, but would have had better luck as a lower seed, as opposed to playing Arizona in the first round.



East Rutherford aka East



1. St. Joseph's -- Most overrated team in the tournament, enjoy the media spotlight now.

2. Oklahoma State -- The anti-Mississippi State because the Cowboys are actually good, not just seeded second for the heck of it.

3. Pittsburgh -- Better than most number two seeds. I wish they had dropped to a fourth seed just to see the Panthers smoke St. Joe's.

4. Wake Forest -- Went out like some busters in the ACC tournament, but expect the Deacons to do well because they are on the St. Joe side.

5. Florida -- Many are predicting the Gators to be upset by 12 seed Manhattan. Not far-fetched, but also not for sure.

6. Wisconsin -- This bracket is easily the hardest anytime you see the Big 10 Champion as the six seed. Can the Badgers get some respect?

7. Memphis -- The Tigers are led by a freshman -- he's good, but freshmen have been known to crumble in the tourney. Luckily their opponent, South Carolina, isn't the toughest competition.

8. Texas Tech -- If coach Bobby Knight can choke his players into out-performing Charlotte in the first round, Texas Tech would get the first real chance to unseat St. Joe's.