Grin and Barrett, 3/3/08

March 3, 2008

We have now entered March, which means, college basketball takes center-stage in the world of sports. “March Madness,” has already begun all over the country (locally number one seeds EOU men and women both fell early in their conference tournaments).

I’m not sure if I’ll write again before Spring break, so I better share my genius with you now. Everyone gets wrapped up in the NCAA tournament prediction pools, so I’ll pass on some schools you better not pass up on when doing your picks.

Let’s begin with the four potential number one seeds, North Carolina, Tennessee, Memphis, and UCLA. There were many upsets in last year’s tournament before pre-tournament favorite Florida won the national title. I would not be surprised if we have just as many upsets this season.

Three of the top four seeds are ripe for early exits in the tournament. UCLA seems to be the only sure-thing at the moment. The Pacific Ten conference might just be the best conference in the country, and the Bruins reign supreme in it. The Pac-Ten will have six, maybe seven teams in the tournament field.

Memphis boasts an impressive record with only one loss; the problem is they play in a very weak Conference USA. My guess, a sweet sixteen exit for the Tigers. Tennessee tops the usually impressive Southeastern conference; this year however, the SEC is down and may only get five teams in the tournament. The Volunteers involuntarily leave the “Big Dance” in the second round.

That brings me to North Carolina. UNC gets more attention than any other program in the country, sorry Duke it’s the truth. The Tarheels just are not as good as their current number one ranking. The Atlantic Coast Conference maybe having their worst season in the last decade. Do not be fooled by North Carolina, they will make it as far the final eight, but that’s it.

Since I keep mentioning how the major conferences are having down years, the mid-major schools will shine this year. With that being said, this month people will fall in love with Drake University, if they have not already. The Bulldogs maybe seeded as high as four after reaching 25 wins for the first time since 1969.

St. Mary’s is another school to keep an eye on. The Gaels defeated Drake, Oregon, Seton Hall, and Gonzaga on their way to their own 25 win season. SMC will be seeded lower and turn some heads reaching the sweet 16 before falling.

So who do you back the whole way? Kansas, Wisconsin, Stanford, Georgetown, Connecticut, and Washington State are my favorites to go deep into the tournament. Connecticut sticks out the most in my opinion. The Huskies have done more with less than any other team in the country.
UCONN has a list of no real big-name players but continue to win in the very difficult Big East conference. I’d say they will do much of the same in the tournament. Stanford is another team that will surprise many on how far they go in the tournament.

In conclusion, here’s my final four picks, Connecticut, Stanford, UCLA, and Wisconsin. The Bruins defeat Connecticut in the national championship game and win yet another national title.

All the action begins this week with conference tournaments until selection Sunday on March 16. If you want to get things going earlier you can sign up for numerous pools, ESPN.com, CBSSportsline.com, facebook.com, to name just some.

If you’re really a college basketball nut like me, you can even make your predictions on the NAIA national tournament. Predict Eastern Oregon’s men’s and women’s fate at http://basketball.victorysportsnetwork.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=5561.

Remember to trust your first instinct when picking, do not do hours of research, if you get stuck on a game make the decision easy on yourself. Go with the better mascot, nicer uniforms, or the fail-safe higher seed or better record.