NCAA TOURNAMENT PREVIEW

It's time fellas! With the opening round game or play in game (or whatever the NCAA wants to call it) tonight between Mount St. Mary's and Coppin State, the NCAA Tournament 2008 gets under way. Life is good, isn't it? Well, actually not many people care about the play in game and the NCAA should get rid of it as soon as possible but nevermind. I'll propably still put some money on the game even though I haven't seen any of the two teams play all year. Shame on me I guess. But enough of me, meaningless play in games and my addiction to betting college basketball, the Big Dance is here and it's time to have a little preview of the action to come! I will try to break down every region and say a few words about the teams here and there. Don't expect too many bold upset predicitons as we already heard enough from every expert around the world. Nobody knows what will happen and that's the great thing about the Tourney.

EAST REGION

The North Carolina Tar Heels seem to have a pretty easy way to the Final Four. By securing the number one seed in their region, the ACC champions will play in Charlotte, Raleigh and... well, that's it! If they make it through the first four games in the state of Carolina they'll be in the Final Four. The task is far from being easy though when we look at the rest of the bracket. In the second round the Tar Heels will have to take on either Arkansas or struggling Indiana, who make up for one of the most interesting first round matchups.
Everyone seems to be picking the 6th seed Oklahoma being upset by St. Joseph's and that might not even be a bad idea. Other strong contenders in the East will be the Louisville Cardinals and the Tennessee Volunteers. Both can throw an excellent full court press at you and have a load of talent on their roster. Having Rick Pitino and Bruce Pearl on their benches won't hurt either. I would love to see that matchup in the Sweet Sixteen and then watch the winner test UNC. Other teams that could make some noise include sharp shooting Notre Dame, the tough Cougars of Washington State and the Butler Bulldogs. They might find themselves in a tough environment, though, facing South Alabama in Birmingham.

MIDWEST REGION

As it happened, two of my favorite teams were seeded in the Midwest: Kansas as the number one seed and the Georgetown Hoyas as the number two. Both play different styles but not only have the depth and toughness to make it to the Final Four but also the talent. The Hoyas need their senior center Roy Hibbert to step up and lead the way, something he did in the Tourney a year ago against the likes of Greg Oden and Tyler Hansbrough. I'm looking forward to see the big fella developing a little mean streak.
I'm not to high on the third seed Wisconsin. This isn't Big Ten play anymore and their style has proved to be vulnerable in the emotional atmosphere of March Madness. In the second round they will get a look at either O.J. Mayo (USC) or Michael Beasley (Kansas State), who will meet in a showdown of super freshman in Omaha. Both will be looking to solidify their draft stock and their legacy which should make up for an outstanding duel. Other possible bracket busters are the Clemson Tigers, who had an outstanding ACC Tournament led by James Mays, K.C. Rivers and Trevor Booker, Vanderbilt with sharpshooting Shan Foster and maybe even Davidson and Stephen Curry, who won 22 games in a row coming in!

SOUTH REGION

Ah, Memphis, you and your weak conference and your free throw struggles. Man, I'm tired of hearing that. This is a very good team, plain and simple, and they can beat anybody in the Tourney. They aren't more vulnerable than North Carolina, UCLA or any other favorite. With that said, a tough road is awaiting them in the South as they not only might meet either Pittsburgh or Michigan State in the Sweet Sixteen, but also might face the Texas Longhorns deep in the heart of Texas. Doesn't that sound great.
All year I've been preaching that the Michigan State Spartans are a dangerous team. They were highly inconsistent during the season though and at times only proved dangerous to the records for lowest points totals in the Big Ten. Anways, with Tom Izzo at the helm and a talented team, the Spartans could go further than many expect them to go. I'll stick to my picks! Texas is an outstanding team led by Point Guard D.J. Augustin and they can sink you from long range. Depth seems to be no issue anymore, either.
I don't really like Stanford, I just can't stand the Lopez knuckleheads. Kentucky against Marquette seems like a great first round matchup but it really isn't. The Golden Eagles will advance as the Wildcats with or without Patrick Patterson (who I like) aren't anything special. They should have never been in the Tourney to begin with and now all they got left are Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford. Not enough if you ask.

WEST REGION

Will they make it this time? After reaching the Final Four in each of the last two seasons, the UCLA Bruins finally want to make the next and last step. The schedule looks really good for them on paper. The next three seeds Duke, Xavier and UConn haven't played particularly well at the end of the season and might be vulnerable to even be upset before meeting the Bruins. A Kevin Love/Hasheem Thabeet matchup would be one hell of a game though in the Sweet Sixteen.
A very interesting matchup awaits us between the number five seed Drake and the 12th seed from Western Kentucky. Both seem to fit the makeup of a cinderella to a tee. I really like the Hilltoppers' name and their guard heavy lineup around the strong Courtney Lee. He might look to shoot himself into the first round of the upcoming NBA Draft and this is his last chance to shine on the college stage.
Many people expect a lot out of Xavier. After seeing them in last year's Tourney, I would agree. After seeing them lose to St. Joseph's twice in recent weeks, I have my doubts. They are a good team though. But we won't root for them in the first round as they face Georgia. What an incredible run by the Bulldogs that was in the SEC Tournament, great for them and for college basketball! The Dukies have fallen off a bit lately but we'll see what happens. Coach K is a mastermind yet they lack inside game and are too dependant on the outside jumper.

MY PICK TO WIN IT ALL

KANSAS - very deep and talented team, inside outside attack, strong guards. Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

I guess the last remaining thing to do is to wish everyone a great Tourney and enjoy the excitement that we only have for these precious weekends in March. For a basketball fan this is the greatest time of the year! Let's play ball!