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!

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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

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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

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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.

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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?

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If you are a stats junkie, there isn’t a lot to look at when it comes to NCAA College Basketball.  You’ve got double-doubles and total points, but they don’t get to much into statistics.   That all changes when it comes to the NCAA Tournament.

When it comes to filling out your NCAA Tournament brackets, statistics should factor into your picks.   Things like how many seniors are on a team, how much tournament experience both teams have, what players were/are injured, and other things should all factor into your decision.   Nothing is guaranteed, but it can improve your chances of winning your office pool.

One thing that has always interested me is the 5 vs 12 matchup.  In the last 23 years, only 3 times has a 12 seed failed to win at least one matchup (last year was one of those).  It hasn’t happened two years in a row during that time.  So, have you picked at least one 12 seed to win?  How about Western Kentucky over Drake?  (My wife is a graduate of Drake, so hopefully she doesn’t read this!)

Here are some thoughts about this years tournament and my predictions:

• After a few crazy years, I think things will settle down a little bit and we won’t see as many upsets.  I also think there is a chance that we’ll see all 1 seeds in the Final Four.
• Tennessee got screwed this year.   They blew the 1 seed, then got the toughest road of any of the 2 seeds in my opinion.  If they get by Butler, I don’t think they will beat Louisville.
• Xavier is a good team and played in a tough conference, but I think a 3 seed is way to high.   They didn’t win their conference (or even make the finals) and they didn’t finish the season as strong as they would have liked.
• I think Mississippi State has a good chance to beat Memphis if they get by Oregon.
• Michigan State just might bow out in the first round with a loss to Temple.

Those are my thoughts when looking over the bracket.   Here are my Final Four picks:  North Carolina, Kansas, Texas, and UCLA.    North Carolina beats UCLA in the Finals.

Who do you have in the finals?   If you haven’t already, don’t forget to sign up for the Pro Sports Beat NCAA Tournament Challenge.

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