Wow, I don’t know what is more amazing.   That all four #1 seeds advanced to the Final Four, or the fact that it has never happened before in the history of the tournament.  What I do know is that it made for a pretty boring tournament in my opinion, at least compared to the previous few years.  Davidson did their best to keep it interesting, but they didn’t quite get the job done.

One nice thing about this years tournament is that it is clear that the four best teams are in the Final Four, which most years you can’t say.  It is kind of like a BCS National Championship with the two best teams.   Let them battle it on the court and have a champion that we can all agree on.  

I originally had North Carolina beating UCLA in the finals, but in looking at things as they stand today, I predict North Carolina will beat Memphis in the finals.   Should be some great sames this weekend!

If you were a general manager in the respective sport, and you were forced to sign either Barry Bonds or Pacman Jones, which player would you sign?

Barry Bonds is the homerun king with an on-base percentage higher than some people’s credit scores.  Bonds is a polarizing figure that brings fans to the ballpark.  The career of Bonds is nearing its end, but he is still capable of putting up more than respectable numbers.

Pacman Jones is an aggressive cornerback that opposing quarterbacks are scared to throw the ball against.  Jones has the ability to make interceptions in traffic, and once he gets his hands on the football, he has a nose for the end zone.  There is little doubt that Jones would instantly improve any secondary that he joined.

Now comes the inevitable negative attributes about these players…

Bonds has been nominated as the poster man for performance enhancing drugs.  In fact, I think Barry Bonds has only been able to convince himself that he has not used banned substances. Conversely, the rest of the general public believes Bonds is nowhere near innocent from these allegations.

Pacman Jones has spent more time recently in strip clubs than he has trying to strip the football from opposing players on the field.  Jones has a lot to learn in terms of priorities and what company he should surround himself with.  Not to mention, it is not certain if Jones will even be reinstated into the NFL.

If I had to sign one of the aforementioned players, I would give the nod to Pacman Jones.  The reasons are simple as Jones is just now in his prime, where Bonds is at the end of his career.  I could force Jones to restructure his contract to lower his salary and protect my team if we needed to sever ties, where Bonds is still going to demand the kind of money people dream of winning in their local state lottery. 

One thing is for certain, similar to the lottery, there is a one-in-a-billion chance that Bonds and Jones will be able to escape extensive media coverage anytime soon.

After the first two rounds of the 2008 NCAA tourney,  here are my top ten moments:

1. Davidson upsets Georgetown to make Sweet 16
2. Western Kentucky makes buzzer beater to upset Drake
3. Two 12 seeds make Sweet 16 (Villanova and Western Kentucky)
4. West Virginia upsets Duke in second round
5. San Diego upsets UCONN in first round
6. Beasley vs Mayo; Beasley and Kansas State beat USC in first round
7. Siena upsets Vanderbilt in the first round
8. Stanford wins in overtime against Marquette with their coach ejected
9. North Carolina never trails in a game in the first two rounds
10. Duke fights off Belmont to avoid first round upset

I think this may be one of the best, and most entertaining, Final Four’s in a long time.  With that said, let’s get to the picks.

South Region Champion (1) North Carolina v Midwest Region Champion (5) Clemson

The Tar Heels are the best team in this tournament in my opinion.  They have everything it takes to be the National Champion this year from the players to the coaches.  Clemson has had a great run to this point, but this is where it ends.

North Carolina Tar Heels move on to the National Championship game.

South Region Champion (4) Pitt v West Region Champion (1) UCLA

 Two very good, very talented teams with reason to win.  When it comes right down to it, the Bruins are the better team.  Remember Jim Nance’s quote from the 1994 National Championship game (UCLA v Arkansas)?  “There was a Wizard in the stands and magic on the court.”  That Wizard was the greatest coach in NCAA History, Mr. John Wooden.  That Wizard will continue to make an impact on the Bruins and their run to hang another banner in Westwood.  UCLA moves on to face North Carolina in the National Championship game.

THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAME on April 7th

(1) North Carolina Tar Heels        v       (1) UCLA Bruins

In a game that will get high ratings than even the Super Bowl, the North Carolina Tar Heels will face the UCLA Bruins for the National Championship on April 7th, 2008.  Both teams just 1 game away from hanging another banner, to add to their basketball greatness, to show the World that they are the best team in the land.  Who will be the strongest team on this day?  I’m rooting hard for UCLA and I think they have everything it takes to win their 1st National Title since 1994, but North Carolina is too strong and too fast.

National Champions:  The North Carolina Tar Heels

We’ve covered the East, Midwest and South Regions, so let’s get to the West Region.

West Region – 1st Round

(1) UCLA v (16) Mississippi Valley State….The Bruins are talented enough to go all the way through this bracket unchallenged and even be back in the National Title game, this is just the first step for them.  UCLA moves on

(9) BYU v (8) Texas A&M….The Aggies are a team that can put points on the board against anyone, but so can BYU.  BYU has an upset win over Louisville (#6 at the time) back in November and played #1 UNC very tough.  BYU is going to come ready to play, but so will Texas A&M.  This will be a back and forth game right to the end, but BYU will hang on.  BYU moves on

(5) Drake v (12) Western Kentucky….I have a sneaking feeling that Drake is going to look right past Western Kentucky, but they played Tennessee and Gonzaga very tough, losing both by a combined 9 points.  Drake better come ready to play or we’ll be watching another 12/5 upset.  Guess what, this is a 12/5 upset special.  Western Kentucky upsets Drake 68-62

(4) UConn v (13) San Diego….after losing their first 3 games against Top 25 teams (Memphis, Gonzaga, Georgetown) they won their next 4 (Marquette, Indiana, Pitt, Notre Dame) but only one of those games was on the road (Indiana).  So, I’m not quite convinced that they’re quite the powerhouse everyone expects this team to be.  San Diego on the other hand has an upset win at Kentucky in late December.  Yes, Kentucky isn’t quite the same team they usually are, but for a team like the Toreros to upset Kentucky on the road is no small feat.  In the end, UConn has more experience on this stage.  UConn moves on

(6) Purdue v (11) Baylor…..Who to pick, who to pick.  I know I should probably take Purdue for their 2 wins over 8th ranked Wisconsin both at home and on the road as well as 10th ranked Michigan State, but lost to Illinois in the 1st round of the Big 10 tournament, talk about a let down.  I think Purdue looks right past Baylor and gets bitten for it.  Baylor with the upset

(3) Xavier v (14) Georgia….Georgia was a huge surpise in the SEC, going through Mississippi, Kentucky, Mississippi State and Arkansas to win the SEC Title, so they’re on a huge roller coaster of emotions and in high gear going into their 1st round game against Xavier.  I think Xavier should be the stronger team, but I’m not so sure after losing to St. Joseph’s in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, but I don’t think Georgia continues it’s amazing out of nowhere run.  Xavier moves on

(7) West Virginia v (10) Arizona….Arizona no doubt has the experience to know what it takes to win, especially this being their 24th straight (correct me if I’m wrong on that) appearance in the NCAA Tournament.  They definetely played a tough schedule in 2008, but will that carry them past West Virginia as a 10 seed?  I think it should.  Arizona wins late, moves on

(2) Duke v (15) Belmont….I’ve talked to a few people who think Duke is believing the hype on themselves this year and may just get upset in the 1st round.  Though I trust their opinions on most things, not on this one.  Believe all you want Cameron Crazies.  Duke moves on

West Region – 2nd Round

(1) UCLA v (8) BYU…..to much Kevin Love, too much UCLA experience.  Bruins move on to the Regional Semis

(12) Western Kentucky v (4) UConn….This should be a great game, until the end of the 1st half.  UConn wins big

(6) Purdue v (3) Xavier…Purdue I think survived a scare from Baylor and they won’t recover.  Xavier moves on

(10) Arizona v (2) Duke….Yes Arizona has the experience, but I think the ‘Cats get outcoached and outplayed.  Blue Devils move on

West Region – Regional Semifinals

(1) UCLA v (4) UConn…these two teams are among the most talented in this tournament, but I think the Bruins are the better team.  UCLA moves on to the Regional Finals

(3) Xavier v (2) Duke….I really didn’t think Duke would get this far, but their run doesn’t end here.  Blue Devils head to Regional Finals

West Region – Regional Finals

(1) UCLA v (2) Duke….A great Finals matchup, no question about it.  Both teams have a storied past with great coaching, but one thing will be in the Bruins corner that will give them that extra boost.  His name?  John Wooden.  UCLA to the Final 4.

The NCAA tourney is here again, which means it is time to call in sick to work and watch hours and hours of basketball.  It is time for people to fill out office pools only to lose to the guy that you barely know in the accounting department.  Plus the worst part of it is that you find out that his wife was the one that did the picks for him, and she just picked her favorite mascots to advance.

Funny thing is…you will still fill out more brackets next year even though you are tired of losing year after year. I am of course kidding about the accountant’s wife winning your office pool.  However, I must admit that this year I have vowed that I will win my office pool, which all but guarantees that I am going to lose yet again this year. 

This year, my Final Four is Texas, North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA.  I have Kansas beating UCLA in the finals to win the tourney.  Anyone else taking Kansas this year?