Campus Confidential

By Adam Abramson

I want to close out the basketball season the same way CBS does: "One Shining Moment."

I aimed to dedicate this piece to Luther Vandross because I mistakenly assumed it was the first montage since Luther's death, but I was shocked to find out it's almost been two years (July 1, 2005).

However, I think every "One Shining Moment" should be dedicated to Luther because, well, he's Luther.

My buddy Tim said you don't have a pulse is if it doesn't give you chills. Below is the video followed by my thoughts.

• I've gone back and forth for a while on which mascot is better. Florida has won the football, basketball and Nike running titles this year and I'm very tempted to give UF the edge for Albert the Alligator over Brutus the Buckeye. I sought the council of Eileen, my trusted colleague who sits across from me and finished 6th in the Newsday office pool (I finished 34th).

  Adam: Eileen, I need your help. Who is the better mascot: Albert the Alligator or Brutus the Buckeye?
  Eileen (looking at a picture of Brutus): What's that on his head, a pumpkin?
  Adam: No, that's his head. A buckeye.
  Eileen: What's a buckeye?
  Adam: A nut.
  Eileen: Oh, I like that one (Brutus).
  Adam: Well, I think I like Albert. Who do you think would win in a fight?
  Eileen: Considering the Buckeye has opposable thumbs, I'd go with Ohio State.
  Adam: Well, an alligator has sharp teeth.
  Eileen: (Rolls her eyes)
  Adam: Okay, who would win in a fight: Me or an alligator?
  Eileen: The alligator.
  Adam: Well, I have opposable thumbs.
  Eileen: Aren't we talking about mascots? I don't think a plush alligator could crush anything with its teeth.
  Adam: Mascots are real.*

  *Eileen wouldn't respond after my last comment.

  Whatever, I'm giving the edge to Albert. Sorry, Columbus.

• Moving on with the video. The video editing is near flawless. Examples: "the ball is tipped" (:22), "running for your life" (:27), "shooting star" (:31), "blinking of an eye" (1:04-we'll talk more about this later), "wind in your face" (1:39), etc.

• At the :38 second mark, the Branden Wright block might be the most baller play of the video. As I like to say, Wright ate that kid's lunch on national TV.

• The Vanderbilt chick at 1:04 is incredibly hot. If you happen to be reading this or you're someone that knows her, tell her to drop me a line.

• A three-second clip of the UNC mascot? I think everyone has forgotten about him. Jason Ray deserve more love. RIP.

• At the 1:50 mark, you can hear "dagger." Nobody drops a better dagger than Steve Buckhantz. Everyone can try, but nobody will top it.

• 2:16, our first and only Bill Raftery clip, and a modest one at that. Put it this way: I watched the first half of Georgetown-Ohio State on TV, but had to get in the car at halftime. I listened to the first 12 minutes of the second half on the radio (Ian Eagle, Bill and John Thompson). When I got to where I was going I didn't want to get out of the car. Not because I wouldn't be able to watch the game, but because I would have to go back to watching Nantz and Packer call it.

• Too much Joakim Noah. He wasn't the MOP again. There were 65 teams, no need for 18 Noah clips. Brewer I can understand, but I'm not even sure anyone likes Noah at this point.

• We needed more play-by-play calls.

• I noticed this during the game, but the folks at CBS won't let us forget Al Horford's sad attempt at an Antione Walker shimmy at the 2:46 mark. I have a feeling I know what happened to him, it's happened to me before. You do something special, know you have to do something, but you haven't thought it out beforehand, so you just do the first thing that comes to mind.

• Lastly, I think Tim is right. You need to get some sort of emotion stirred when watching the montage. It's safe to say that this Tournament was highly anti-climatic, but the fact remains that it's still one of the greatest sporting events America has to offer.
  
  That's about it. Later.

By Adam Abramson

How's the saying go? "Fool me once, I'll hire a good graphic designer and try to cover it up."

It's been about a week since the West Virginia Mountaineers have won the NIT Championship and were jumping around in shirts reading "West Virgina." Since that precious moment, WVU quarterback Pat White has stopped by here to trash the basketball team (yes, I fully believe that's him...), the team's coach John Beilein bolted town for Ann Arbor and major media outlets such as ESPN and Campus Confidential exposed the t-shirt blunder.

West Virginia could have hung its head in shame. The powers at be in Morgantown could have demanded a public apology from the t-shirt company. The Blue and Gold nation could have had a collective meltdown. But no, none of these things happened. As loyal reader Jeremy pointed out, the West Virginia website took the high road.

They either staged a new shot and got some guy to do a really great thumbs up or they hired a very skilled Photoshop artist. See below (below the website screen grab is the same picture I ran last week).

I know it's not the same exact photo. The one I grabbed was an Associated Press photo, perhaps theirs is an inhouse.

You almost got away with it, WVU. But almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades...not Campus Confidential.

By Adam Abramson

I would have liked to write a game preview for the title game, but I spent Sunday in the office helping out with the Mets season opener and spent all of Monday at Yankee stadium working on my first video story. Check it out below.

If you like it, thanks. And I don't care if you don't like it...I'm posting it everywhere so you'll just have to deal with it for a day or two.

Moving on.

About a month ago I told you about the team draft I do with my buddies.

When I received word that I had first pick, I thought for about 4.5 seconds and chose the Florida Gators.

I laughed then at the heat I received for the pick. Florida had just lost three of four games and the talking heads were beginning to question a No. 1 seed in the Tournament.

And now I'm still laughing because the writing has been on the wall the entire time. I'll rehash one last time:

1. Same starting five from last year.
2. Two 6'11 forwards who are on the cusp of double-double averages.
3. A 6'9 do-it-all forward who nobody talked about a month ago (who leads UF in scoring).
4. A 45.5% three-point shooter who could hit the Rock-and-Jock 10-point shot with no problem.
5. A two-point field goal percentage of 60.
6. A scoring margin of +17.6 (they beat Ohio State by 26 the first time around).

Should I keep going?

When I said writing on the wall, I meant it. Just look at the National Championship game. Brewer defended everyone from Conley to Oden, Humphrey hit the big jumpers and Horford and Noah were strong while in the game (and when they were out, Chris Richard and Marreese Speights did just fine).

While I'm talking about the players, Al Horford should be the Tourney's MOP. In the final two games he knocked home 27 points and 29 boards (Oden had 38 and 21).

It's clear that the Buckeyes' effort was a far cry from their football brethren when they took on the Gators back in January in that other revenue sport. It just boils down to the fact that Florida is the class of college basketball far and away.

I thought about just how good Florida is in the grand scheme of past champions, but I think that's impossible to gauge. The Gators have to be among the better teams ever though. And as far as the recent dynasty the school as put together…wow. I'd love to see the athletic revenue sheets in Gainesville.

Anyway, it was great game. Fun to watch and I'm sad to see it end. But baseball and spring football are here, so I'll get over it. 27-29, 36-22

By Adam Abramson

We need to find the guy responsible for the blunder above...and fire him (or her if it's a female). Great Photoshop work by this guy...

This mistake may have set back West Virginians 20 years...But the real problem is that we know West Virginians were already 50 years behind. Yes, I have a non-football beef with West Virginia...except the stretch if I-81 through WV, only good things to say about that.

Do you think any of the players noticed the typo? I vote no. I doubt I would have noticed it right away.

As a positive, congrats to the Mountaineers for winning the NIT. I think it's a very underrated title.

By Adam Abramson

A quick note to all photographers at the Final Four:

Less photos of Joakim Noah being Joakim Noah. That could also read: Less photos of Joakim Noah making Joakim Noah faces.

I went into the system and did a search for, what else, Joakim Noah Face (okay, that's a lie, I just searched Joakim Noah).

251 matches. Below is a montage of what we're dealing with. This isn't all of them, it's only 15 of the first 22 I looked through. I became fatigued from seeing him roar over and over and over again.

We get it. He's explicit with his emotions. No need for 80 photos.

I wondered though, is this a self-contrived thing? Is it hereditary? Did he adore the Incredible Hulk in his primary years? Did he do this in a bar one night and get the hottest girl there? WHY DOES HE DO THIS?

Then it hit me, like a sign from above:

That's his mom. She's normally pretty hot. But yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiikes. She looks far from the Swedish model she once was.

Have a good day.

By Adam Abramson

Dr. Z would have gone 2-4 on his Final Four. I went 4-4. So, I'm not Dr. Z.

I know I'm not alone in going 4-4. I know you probably did as well. But I needed a self-vote of confidence after the first few rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

But, the writing was on the wall. As soon as the brackets were released everyone knew it'd be a very vanilla Final Four. Many of the predictions on the tube had 1s and 2s dominating the Elite 8/Final 4.

It's a shame there were hardly any upsets. My buddy Matt actually played it right. He did a bracket challenge with like five other guys and easily won it all. Assuming they would all predict tons of crazy upsets and Cinderellas, he filled out his bracket assuming the big dogs would cruise to the end, thus increasing his chances to win. Picking upsets gives him a 1:6 chance, but taking that beaten, yet unbeaten, path (I don't think that makes sense) he's more like 1:3 chance. Therefore, he's smarter than I am.

Alright, I gotta jet. I just wanted to reaffirm that I belong here.

Enjoy the weather.

By Adam Abramson

I have to admit. I'm not as jazzed for tonight's lineup like I was last night.

No. 5 Butler vs. No. 1 Florida
No. 6 Vanderbilt vs. No. 2 Georgetown
No. 7 UNLV vs. No. 3 Oregon
No. 5 USC vs. No. 1 North Carolina

I guess the 5, 6, 7, 5 is cool.

History shows that Florida or UNC will lose tonight. Think that's the case? I don't see it happening. I really hope we get the UNC game in New York though. I've yet to see Southern California play and it might be our last chance before OJ Mayo shows up on campus.

I saw Mayo play on TV earlier this year. Now, he has a great power forward on his team who is getting national attention on the recruiting scene, but the dude would not pass. Mayo would come down and pull up for a 3 from beyond the NBA line. It was honestly a little depressing. I hope Tim Floyd can actually coach the kid next year, but someone at work told me that Floyd doesn't call Mayo to talk to him, Mayo calls Floyd. If that's true, give me a break, he's not worth the trouble.

Because it's my blog, I can wonder how great would it be if Vanderbilt beats Georgetown tonight and with like 5 seconds left Derrick Byars puts home one of those authority dunks and pulls a UVA flag from his shorts (his former school) and starts dancing on it. I'd probably get up and dance with him. Hope all of my Virginia readers enjoyed that one. Love you guys!

Alright, let's pick some games.

Florida should and will breeze by Butler. I have them winning it all, so I have to say this. Butler can D up. They held Tennessee to 44 points, that's the only stat you need to know about the Bulldogs' defense. Wins over Notre Dame, UT, Gonzaga, Indiana and Purdue are nice, but this is Florida. Al Horford and Joakim Noah might take guys like Brandon Crone and Pete Campbell and dance on top of them as Byars would do with that UVA flag.

I like Georgetown to win. That's all you need to know. I don't know if they'll cover that 7.5 they're giving, but we're not talking spreads now, are we?

Another reason I hope UNC-USC is on is because it'll be high scoring which means Ty Lawson will run around like a madman (which is beyond awesome to watch). He's Allen Iverson, but takes seven shots a game, not 37. I'm seeing this as a typical UNC game this year. Get up by 15 early, let USC make it a game, then nail the coffin shut.

Lastly, UNLV-Oregon. I've only seen the live look-in of UNLV twice this tournament and both times they seemed like great guys (?). We gotta have one upset tonight, right??? Why not this game?

Okay, I'm out. Gotta get some things done before I head into work. I will not play FreeCell (I'm a loser), I will not play FreeCell (I'm a loser), I will not play FreeCell (I'm a loser), I will not play FreeCell (I'm a loser).

By Adam Abramson

I think I'm turning into Dr. Z…only I write for a blog and not Sports Illustrated. 2-2 last night. Thanks, Tennessee. I knew I couldn't trust a team from Knoxville. I should have picked against the spread. I would have been golden.

The Vols basically had a repeat performance. Start hotter than Scarlett Johansson in a sauna covered in those Icy Hot pads that Shaq wears, then get as cold as my hands as I tried to dig my car out of the snow at 2 a.m. last Friday. You knew it was coming though. At halftime you were thinking to yourself "My bracket is just fine. Ohio State will make a colossal run and Bill Raftery will yell lots of great things."

Speaking of…what about the "DEPLOYMENT" he belted on that late Ohio State trey from the corner? Deployment? I'm not quite sure that was the best diction, but I loved it nonetheless.

I'm tired of talking about Tennessee. I got a great message from my buddy Phil, a Pittsburgh native, during the UCLA-Pitt game that was not televised here in NY. Basically you could sum it up in "Aaron Gray is a hand-less, feet-less waste of space." I heard last week he didn't even have 1,000 points in high school? How is that possible? Was his county full of other 7-footers better than him?

Acie Law IV broke my heart when he missed that layup. The dude hit more clutch shots this year than anyone not named Kevin Durant. Thursday's result means aTm has lost six of its seven games this year by 11 points. 11. That's like a loss margin of -1.85 or something like that. I don't feel like clicking the start menu, going to applications, clicking calculator and doing the math. I felt more inclined to typing the steps.

And Southern Illinois. They played like a four seed, but it had the feel of a 13 vs. 1 game. I think it would have been so cool for them to pull the upset. I don't know that Kansas can win it all if they continue to choke from the FT line.

I'm out, gotta write about the other eight teams playing tonight.

By Adam Abramson

I’ll try and make this quick.

Before I get into picking tonight’s games, I just want to extend a challenge to my fellow FreeCell players out there. It’s my chess. I can play 10-15 games on a slower day. I usually rip through a game in 3-4 minutes. However, I met a game yesterday that took me 45 minutes to an hour. I passed along the game number to a few others, some took 10 minutes, some took just as long, some quit.

Game #32517…if you do it in 5 minutes, feel free to tell me I’m an imbecile. If you take a while, let me know it’s not just me.

As for tonight, the Sweet 16 is just great. The lineup just looks absolutely money. What are we going to call the game of the night? I’m voting Memphis-Texas A&M.

A powerful offense from Tennessee versus an overbearing defense playing just 200 miles from its home (fair?)…it’s all setting up in aTm’s favor.

Like I said in the preview, the Aggiest have lost five of their six games this year by a COMBINED 10 points. I can’t stress that stat enough. This team can play hoops. I think we’re talking the best No. 3 in the Tourney vs. the weakest No. 2.

Before you Tigers get all crazy on me, I know about the 30-3 record. John Calipari has shoved it down my throat. If Memphis is to win this game, it must grab every board, finish every transition possession (none of this alley-oop stuff the Tigers are so good at) and take nothing for granted. Nothing’s coming for free in this one. Because of this I think aTm will win.

As for the other games, I think Pittsburgh is lucky to be in it, the Panthers’ run ends at the hands of their former coach.

Kansas will be too much for Southern Illinois (although I may have said differently in one of my brackets, which we won’t talk about). The Salukis are legit on defense, but this isn’t Holy Cross or Virginia Tech. Kansas can flat out ball.

Finally, Tennessee and Ohio State. What about this 9:57 p.m. tip? Who do they think outside of Columbus and Knoxville will stay up to watch this end? I don’t understand why they couldn’t slide the games an hour back. Whatever.

Will the scare against Xavier be enough to right the ship for the Buckeyes? If Tennessee can get off to a hot start like it did against Virginia, watch out (it was like a buy-one, get one free special on three pointers in the first half). I’m having a tough time picking this game….

Screw it, I’m going with Tennessee.

By Adam Abramson

I really don't know what to say after the first weekend of the Tournament.

I think it's appropriate to point out it matches much of what happened in college basketball this season: A lot of parity amongst the best of the best, a whole lot of parity amongst the decent teams and NO PARITY between the best and the decent.

Here's a list of the weekend's upsets that are not 8/9 or 4/5:
No. 11 Winthrop over No. 6 Notre Dame
No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth over No. 6 Duke
No. 6 Vanderbilt over No. 3 Washington State
No. 7 UNLV over No. 2 Wisconsin

Four. That's less than the number of fingers on your hand (unless you were involved in a horrific cheese grating accident).

Granted, there were some exciting games, but the result was me crashing and burning with my bracket strapped to my chest. If VCU didn't beat Duke and Virginia Tech didn't mount a crazy comeback against Illinois, I'd say it was the most boring first two days of the Dance I've ever watched.

I did go to Pittsburgh for St. Patrick's Day. Great time. If you've never been to Pittsburgh and ever have a reason to go or people to see there, don't pass it up. Go to the South Side, get some IC Light and a Primanti Bros. sandwich (pictured) and have a great time. Make sure the sandwich has an egg on it.

My props go out to USC for showing up this Tournament. Not many gave the Trojans a chance, but they're for real. Ask America's sweetheart, Kevin Durant. And, how about Danny Ainge and Michael Jordan getting docked a combined $45K because of The Young Ticket (just came up with that nickname). I didn't see for myself, but apparently Ainge just sat in the same row as his mom and looked disinterested? If this is the case, are we serious?

Also, no 5-12 upsets. That makes three in the last three years. Five 6-11 upsets in the last three years. Is the six-seed curse the new five-seed curse? I'm on to something here.

Alright, I'm out.

Get back at you before Thursday tips off.

By Adam Abramson

I'm not going to do a running entry today. I've been in front of a computer for over 50 hours since Sunday. I'm going to veg and enjoy the day. If anything big happens, I'll come on and weigh in. Late tonight I'll file my thoughts from Day 1. So check back. But, right below is the best sites is where you should be this weekend, instead of work or wherever you are.

ENJOY!

By Adam Abramson

I wanted to spend more time on this but some guy decided to shoot a bunch of people and get killed in the city. So, once again I'm here until 2 a.m.

Feel free to chime in...I'm going home and resting up for the big day.

New Orleans

Schools: Florida, Jackson State, Arizona, Purdue, Nevada, Creighton, Memphis, North Texas
Rating: Niiiiiiiiiiice.
Thoughts: Memphis is 400 miles away. Gainesville is about 500 miles away. North Texas is like 600 miles away (I doubt many will drive that far to see the Mean Green get stomped). But the folks from Jackson State will make the 200-mile trip. Either way, put a bunch of rabid Gator and Tiger fans with visions of a national title in New Orleans and you're going to have a very BLUE Bourbon Street. I'd like to be there.

Lexington

Schools: Ohio State, Central Connecticut St., Brigham Young, Xavier, Louisville, Stanford, Texas A&M, Pennsylvania
Rating: A round of Jagerbombs, please.
Thoughts: UK bars. Students from Louisville, Ohio State, Xavier and you can't forget about Penn. Get out of town. Done deal pal.

Chicago

Schools: UNLV, Georgia Tech, Wisconsin, TAMU-CC, Kansas, Niagara, Kentucky, Villanova
Rating: Party on, Wayne.
Thoughts: Easy to fly to. The Badgers will be driving down. The Wildcats will be driving up. I'd even say the Jayhawks will be coming the 500 miles to the Windy City. Gonna be a great time.

Columbus

Schools: Virginia Tech, Illinois, So. Illinois, Holy Cross, Virginia, Tennessee, Albany, Long Beach State
Rating: Just go, man.
Thoughts: You know Columbus has great bars. They have to: It's Ohio State. I doubt many Hokies and Cavaliers are making the trip, but expect the Salukis and Illini to show up (can I use Illini anymore?)...It's not New Orleans, but you wanna be there.

Winston-Salem

Schools: North Carolina, E Kentucky, Marquette, Michigan State, Boston College, Texas Tech, Georgetown, Belmont
Rating: Has potential.
Thoughts: Too bad this regional isn't in Chapel Hill. Franklin Street is a blast. But enough will be in town to watch hoops. It's very drivable for UNC, E. Kentucky, Georgetown and Belmont. I don't know how rabid all of these people are, and it's Winston-Salem (not the best metropolis...)...I guess it'll be a good time.

Sacramento

Schools: Indiana, Gonzaga, UCLA, Weber State, Vanderbilt, George Washington, Washington State, Oral Roberts
Rating: Eh.
Thoughts: If you want to go party with UCLA kids, go. Otherwise, it's like 900 miles for Cougars to drive. Same for those crazy Gonzaga...ians?

Spokane

Schools: Notre Dame, Winthrop, Oregon, Miami (OH), Southern California, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico State
Rating: Go to Eugene instead. I hear it's fun there.
Thoughts: The home of the Ducks is like 500 miles from Spokane and about an ENTIRE COUNTRY away from South Bend and Fayetteville.

Buffalo

Schools: Butler, Old Dominion, Maryland, Davidson, Duke, Virginia Commonwealth, Pittsburgh, Wright State
Rating: I'll pass.
Thoughts: Pittsburgh is the only close college and everyone will probably stay home for the second-largest St. Patrick's Day festival in the country. Plus, I'll be in PGH this weekend...who's really leaving. Maybe the Wright State faithful will drive the 400 miles and it'll be home-court for the Raiders.

By Adam Abramson

Let's clear up a few things here:

1. Armageddon. I haven't seen it in a few years, but from what I can remember, it ranks in the awesomely bad category. I have a feeling the opinions of Matt and Rob are very jaded because of man crushes on Steve Buscemi.
2. I have been to Charlottesville multiple times. I've been to the gym there, I've been to house parties, bars, football games and basketball games. I've walked all around the town of Charlottesville, and I'm pretty sure I saw Ryan Pettinella's (left in the pic above) shorter twins 3,000 times.
3. Ryan Pettinella would have me for lunch on a basketball court. But not at the free throw line. I would win there.
4. I am not going to sit here and say UVa is a good TEAM on defense. Let's look at how UVA did in the ACC. Their FG% defense is tops in the league, as many angry readers have pointed out. But there's more than just looking at the number. I think the low FG% can be attributed to Virginia's pair of guards being superior to about anyone it faces. Their tough defense on the outside forces many bad shots which translates into many misses and a lower percentage. This is evident in their 3-point % defense (third in the conference). Furthermore, Virginia's strength of schedule was 11 out of 12 in the ACC. They played Miami twice, Wake Forest twice and North Carolina State twice. Half of their ACC games were against teams that are bad at picking smart shots in comparison with their ACC peers. In summary, the guards are good, the guards don't let anyone push them around, but that's only 2 of a team. Bye.
5. I woke up this late morning to find out I had been linked on a Virginia men's basketball board. I logged on and expressed my thoughts on Pettinella and how I thought he was a goof. I said anyone with a blog had the right to call me a goof. Well, a nameless villan with the handle of VandyHoo wasted little time. He linked my blog, so I'll link his. We'll call it a gentleman's blog war.
6. I'm still trying to find time to do the coolest region sites to go watch a game. But A-Rod told everyone he loves the Yankees and Rick DiPietro is only missing one game. Gotta take care of that first.

This is the longest day of the year.

By Adam Abramson

We're only one day away…

I'm in bracket crisis. I don't know what to do. When I look at it, I blackout from all the pressure.

To quote a less-than-mediocre movie: "I got that 'excited/scared' feeling. Like 98% excited, 2% scared. Or maybe it's more. It could be, it could be 98% scared, 2% excited but that's what makes it so intense."

I really can't wait though. I want to call in sick to work. I won't, but what's going to happen in the 40 minutes I have to drive to work (3-4 p.m.)…it'll probably be the Georgetown-Belmont game out here, I guess I'll survive.

The good news is that the Virginia Tech-Illinois game will be on the same time as the Kansas-Play-In winner and Texas-New Mexico State. Looks like I might get to see VT's first NCAA appearance since 1996.

Anyway, we're wrapping this marathon up with the South. With the exception of Ohio State, this region is such a wildcard. This doesn't necessarily mean it's the toughest, it just means there's a lot of teams that can end up in the Elite 8 against Ohio State…I've seen a host of suitors, but I think Texas A&M is the favorite there.

We're going with the Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer. Mark La Monica had some great Ludacris nominations including: "Pimpin' all over the paint" and "Move! Get out the way." His argument is if we're talking South (and we are), we're talking Ludacris. But that's the ways of the old, Weezy is the new South.

Anywho, I started thinking about something just now. Where is the most fun regional site to go? I'm going to try and rip through the South (meaning taking 2/3 hours instead of 3/4) so I can break each city down and come up with an order of coolest place to go. Check back later for that…

SOUTH

The conference's best player: Greg Oden, Ohio State
The conference's best team: Ohio State
The conference's sleeper(s): Creighton

No. 1 Ohio State 30-3

I really don't think Ohio State is getting enough love. I thought about it for a while and I guess it goes back to their out of conference body of work, or lack thereof. The Buckeyes edged Tennessee…that's it. I will give them this though: having a Greg Oden who can play with two hands will make a huuuuge difference. The Buckeyes should sail to the Elite 8 and, honestly, all the way to the Final Four.

Strength: The Buckeyes just smother everyone they play. They pass, they rebound, they score, they play defense…and I like their LeBron unis.
Weakness: I really can't pick out a weakness. Give me one.
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Fr. C Greg Oden (15.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 3.5 bpg)

No. 2 Memphis 30-3

Ohio State is on a 17-game run. Memphis is on a 22-game run. The difference? Memphis' key wins in its run: a one-point win at Gonzaga. And Ohio State? Try Tennessee, a Michigan State sweep and a Wisconsin sweep. Of all 65 teams, I'm most curious as to what the Tigers will do (well…second most…kind of concerned about Virginia Tech).

Strength: Athleticism. They're a fun bunch to watch…wait until they get a four-on-two…they'll do something fun.
Weakness: I hinted at it above: Playing in the CUSA is going to kill this team at some point. Their lack of height concerns me.
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: So. G Chris Douglas-Roberts (15.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.8 apg).

No. 3 Texas A&M 25-6

Five of the Aggies' six losses are by a grand total of 10 points. The other was a 12-point defeat at the hands of then-No. 1 UCLA. So…you know this team's for real. They're a #2 seed in my eyes.

Strength: If you're favorite team is playing Texas A&M in this Tournament, your favorite team will have minimal success on offense. That's just the way it goes.
Weakness: Because aTm is so tenacious on defense, they get in foul trouble.
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. G Acie Law IV (17.9 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 5.3 apg)

No. 4 Virginia 20-10

I've watched Virginia five times this season, the same amount of times their seed should be, at best. Sean Singletary and J.R. Reynolds are great, but if they're off, Virginia loses. I'll be blunt: I hate Virginia. Want to know why? Watch them play…it's guys like Ryan Pettinella. If you ever go to Charlottesville, there will be 3,000 Ryan Pettinellas walking around thinking they're better than you.

Strength: Backcourt. The media has caught wind of how good Singletary and Reynolds are.
Weakness: Defense. Opponents will push them around a little bit. But it's UVa, shouldn't be surprised by that…
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Jr. G Sean Singletary (18.9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 4.6 apg)

No. 5 Tennessee 22-10

What would happen if Bruce Pearl shed his Volunteer Orange jacket and shouted out orders in the first round with a painted chest? Seriously, what would happen? I like UT's roster…they'll run all over you (not like VMI can, but among the best), but they're a very up and down team…

Strength: The running I was just talking about a second ago? It leads to a ton of offense. We'll see who can keep up with UT.
Weakness: The frontcourt. It's young and has a lot of promise. But for now it has trouble rebounding. Maybe this is because UT takes a ton of 3s?
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Jr. G Chris Lofton (20.6 ppg, 3 rpg, 1.8 apg).

No. 6 Louisville 23-9

Rick Pitino needs his heralded freshman Derrick Caracter to show up. He missed a lot of time this year, but UL is 6-0 when he reaches double figures…4-6 when he doesn't (that's a good stat I came up with at 1am, right?)

Strength: The glass. If there's a rebound, there's a pretty good chance a Cardinal is grabbing it.
The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: So. F Terrance Williams (12.7 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.9 apg)

Okay, we have a problem here…the NCAA stats website has stopped working, so I can't see where teams rank in categories. I'm flying solo here. I'm cutting strengths and weaknesses from here on out…sorry about this.

No. 7 Nevada 28-4

Nick Fazekas is money. He needs to get his touches because it runs through him. I think he needs to dish some more: the team shoots 41.4 from out there. That's pure insanity and means they need to work the inside out more. His assists total should be doubled. Nevada does so many things right: shot selection, free throws, defense, rebounding…the Wolfpack just have to make sure they don't forget anything.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. F/C Nick Fazekas (20.5 ppg, 11 rpg, 1.8 apg)

No. 8 Brigham Young 25-8

BYU-Xavier…doesn't quite have the allure of Villanova-Kentucky, but it should be a solid game. Either way, the winner moves on to get slammed by Ohio State. But, if I'm forced to talk about the Cougs, they're money from the floor (50%) - I guess if your top four scorers are at least 6'6" that makes a lot of sense.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. F Keena Young (17 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.4 apg)

No. 9 Xavier 24-8

I still have to talk about this game? I really don't know how I feel about Xavier as a No. 9 seed. I mean, they didn't even make the ATLANTIC 10 FINALS. Watch out for Drew Lavender. He's 5'7" and he's extremely daggerlicious from 3-point land (46%!). Xavier's starting guards are Lavender and 6'3" Stanley Burrell, which could translate to matchup problems if the BYU guards post up, which they probably will.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. F Justin Doellman (13.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 1.7 apg)

No. 10 Creighton 21-12

I watched the Creighton-Southern Illinois game (also known as the MVC Championship game) and Creighton guard Nate Funk was labeled "Brad Pitt" with a jump shot. Please watch Creighton and realize how ridiculous this statement is. I like Tolliver's game inside, he just has to stay out of foul trouble (5 DQs, 10 games with four fouls). The Bluejays are lights out as a team from the stripe (76%). Should be a great game against Nevada.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. C Anthony Tolliver (13.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 11 Stanford 23-8

Stanford is tall. Louisville will focus on this, so the Cardinal (I wanted to put an 's' on that so bad) guards are going to have to be very active in keeping the passing lanes open. If I'm their coach, I'm going to try and get a lot of perimeter screens going, get your big men rolling, second chance points, all that action. I don't know how much I agree with Stanford being in the Tourney, but they can beat Louisville.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. F Lawrence Hill (16 ppg, 6 rpg, 1.8 apg)

No. 12 Long Beach State 21-13

My man Tim Hughes on the news desk hooked me up with some valuable info on the 49ers. Check out this action: all five starters are seniors, their top seven scorers are seniors and they're pretty solid on the glass. If Kevin Houston gets hot from outside, it could mean trouble for the Vols. Five senior starters though? Sounds like 2006 George Mason experience if you ask me…

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. G Aaron Nixon (18.6 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.1 apg)

No. 13 Albany 25-8

Well, I'm not much of a dog enthusiast, but if I'm not mistaken, Great Danes are huge, right? If that's the case, this is the smallest pack of Great Danes out there. It doesn't get much taller than 6'8ish on the inside. Brett Gifford, at 6'11", will come in for a few minutes, but check out these totals for the year: 48 points, 31 boards, 12 steals, 12 blocks, 7 assists and 61 fouls. We know you're a freshman, but get control of yourself, son. As for legit guys, Jamar Wilson has garnered a ton of hype going into the Tournament, so you might want to check him out; he can fill up a stat sheet.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. G Jamar Wilson (18.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.9 apg)

No. 14 Penn 23-9

As any good Quaker would be, the Penn Quakers are very efficient with the ball, shooting 49% from the floor. Gotta respect that. The fighting Donald Trumps also pass very well with 17 assists per game. It's too bad for them they're probably facing the best No. 3 in the Dance.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. F Mark Zoller (18 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 15 North Texas 23-9

North Texas officially made the West the bracket of cool mascots. The Mean Green don't have huge size inside, but what they have, they do well with. They outrebound their opponents, they block shots, they get second-chance points. But I read online that if their two forwards (Quincy Williams, Keith Wooden) get in foul trouble, it's pretty thin behind them. Look, I'm not going to sit here and say I know a lot about North Texas basketball, but I'm saving you the time from having to go read about them. If the Memphis guards drive early and often, they'll get in foul trouble because Williams and Wooden will get no respect from the refs and John Calipari probably paid everyone before the game…alright, cheap joke, he didn't and won't pay anyone.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. G Calvin Watson (15.8 ppg, 4 rpg, 1.3 apg)

No. 16 Central Connecticut State 21-11

Of the seven guys that the Blue Devils have who average at least 10 minutes, the tallest is 6'7. Who the hell is going to guard Greg Oden. That'd be like me and five friends shorter than me playing Central Connecticut State and me having to guard their 6'7 guy. It wouldn't happen. He'd have me for lunch. But check this: the starting five for CCSU average 36.5 min, 36.2, 34.2, 30.9 and 27.6. Can you imagine their conditioning camps in the fall? About as grueling as their defeat will be on Thursday evening.

The Lil' Wayne "Stuntin' like Mah Daddy" gamer: Sr. G Javier Mojica (16.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 3 apg)

By Adam Abramson

I've decided to make this the top post so I don't confuse anyone. To see the Midwest and West, scroll down or click the links in the light blue bar on the right...

After realizing how ridiculously tough this bracket it, I noticed Arkansas in that controversial 12 seed.

Are the Razorbacks the last team in? Did they snub Syracuse? Well, I'm going to go out on a short leash and say no and no.

I woke up Monday morning and talked to coach Rob about the Orange, and he just made me feel more comfortable about not caring that the 'Cuse were left out. I feel the biggest injustice was ESPN putting Jim Boeheim on the phone while the NCAA Selection Chair was trying to explain the Committee's logic. Gotta give someone some kind of warning for that.

Of Syracuse's 10 Big East wins in the regular season, seven came against non-tournament teams. Of their non-conference wins, two came against Tournament teams: Penn and Holy Cross. Watch out. Their out of conference losses came against teams not dancing.

Actually, the Beoheim thing was the second biggest injustice. The first is Arkansas being in the Dance. I should care that they beat Vanderbilt and two non-Tournament teams in the SEC Tourney? I don't care. Not when you're 0-4 against SEC teams playing in the NCAA Tournament not named Vanderbilt (Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky). Like Syracuse, Arkansas has two OOC wins against Tournament teams: Southern Illinois and Oral Roberts. A little more impressive than the Orange, but nothing I'm going to tell my mom about.

The true snubbed are Florida State and Drexel.

I'm moving on.

For this region, we'll go with the Fat Joe "make it rain" baller, although said players won't necessarily be deadly from 3.

EAST

The conference's best player: Kevin Durant, Texas
The conference's best team: A wash: Georgetown and UNC
The conference's sleeper(s): Oral Roberts (maybe)

No. 1 North Carolina 28-6

This team is great, but can you imagine if everyone stays? Brandan Wright will probably add 10-15 pounds, Wayne Ellington will only become more deadly from the perimeter, Long Island product Danny Green has the chance to emerge as a serious combo guard, etc. I think this is the most exciting team to watch, but the youth worries me. Ty Lawson is probably one of maybe five guys I'd pay to see play.

Strength: Speed and athleticism. Ty Lawson can play at the pace of Allen Iverson and he has a host of teammates that can keep up with him, each bringing their specialty to the table.
Weakness: Youth. Reyshawn Terry is the sage that all of the young guys will look to, but he's only on the floor about 20 minutes a game. (However, did you see those shots he hit late in the ACC Championship game? Clutch.) Also, Bobby Frasor playing 11 minutes a game is just too much.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:So. F Tyler Hansbrough (18 ppg, 8 rpg, 1 apg 1 broken nose)

No. 2 Georgetown 26-6

Do they get bonus points for having Patrick Ewing's son and Doc Rivers' son? What if you're John Thompson III and after a loss the phone rings and it's Doc Rivers: "Umm, did you not see the mismatch my son was drawing?" Actually, he'd probably just say "You're coaching the Celtics" and hang up. I actually think Georgetown is the toughest No. 2 in the field.

Strength: Half-court offense. They have so many options, both inside and out, that it's tough for most teams to defend. Also, they're No. 5 in the country in scoring defense.
Weakness: Turnovers. If they have to break a press, they'll make bad decisions.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. F Jeff Green (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 3 apg).

No. 3 Washington State 25-7

Nobody gave Washington State a chance this year. Actually, most picked them to finish last in the Pac 10, BEHIND Arizona State. Assuming they get by Oral Roberts, which won't be easy, they can give North Carolina fits by slowing the game down with a fantastic pair of guards.

Strength: The Cougars aren't going to score a ton of points on you, but they're going to do everything they can from keeping the opponent from lighting up the scoreboard - and they're good at it: Third in the country in turnovers, 4.5 blocks a game, 6.8 steals per game and they allow just 58.8 points per game.
Weakness: Rebounding. The Cougars actually get beat on the glass with a -2.6 margin. Nobody on the team averages six rips a game.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. G Kyle Weaver (11.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.5 apg)…and Derrick Low has a great tattoo on his leg (right one, I think).

No. 4 Texas 24-9

Ever wonder what it would be like if Kevin Garnett played in college? Well, you only have a few more chances. Kevin Durant is the Big Ticket in waiting. He's about two inches shorter than KG, but he can do everything. Need him to post up? Sure. How about a three-pointer? Try 42%. His 25 and 11 are insane. If you haven't seen him yet, watch, because he won't be around next year - I feel comfortable saying that. To think he seriously considered UNC…could you imagine?

Strength: Kevin Durant.
Weakness: Youth. Durant is a freshman, but plays like a senior. If he's not on the floor, they're looking at another freshman or sophomore for leadership (The top 8 scorers are Fr/So).
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller: Fr. F Kevin Durant (25.6 ppg, 11 rpg, 2 bpg)

No. 5 Southern California 23-11

Much like Virginia Tech, also a No. 5 over in the West. The Trojans can make serious waves, but also face the strong possibility they don't make the Sweet 16. Wait until you see how much this team's dynamic changes when O.J. Mayo arrives on campus. Also, I was just on ESPN.com, is USC really a private school?

Strength: The Trojan guards play great defense and force a lot of bad shots. They have to protect the glass and kill any second chance points.
Weakness: Size. USC has tall guards, but inside, not so much. Freshman Taj Gibson at 6'9" is the team's best shot in the frontcourt.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. G/F Nick Young (17.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.4 apg).

No. 6 Vanderbilt 20-11

It looked rough early on for the Commodores: losses against Georgetown, Wake Forest and Furman, but a strong showing in the SEC really boosted their confidence (wins over Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, at LSU-when LSU was good). They really can't fall into a lull or they will be bounced by a tough George Washington team.

Strength: Distribution. Any one of five or six guys can bring the ball up the floor. Many times it ends up in the hands of Byars, but it's not always getting there the same way.
Weakness: Frontcourt. They don't block shots, they don't force bad shots, and they get out rebounded.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Sr. G/FG Derrick Byars (17 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.4 apg). Started his career at Virginia. Wonder if the Cavs miss him?

No. 7 Boston College 20-11

It seemed all but over for the Eagles when starting center Sean Williams was booted off the team, but Al Skinner's guys have become pretty resilient. Jared Dudley was named the ACC POY and Tyrese Rice became dangerous in the last 10 games, averaging 19 points, 4 boards and 4 assists a game. It won't be easy with Williams gone, but they're .500 without him.

Strength: Variety. Because Dudley is good from everywhere on the floor, Skinner's offense has many different looks.
Weakness: John Oates. I hate to call the kid out, but he's 20-68 from three. Dude, you're 6'10, stay in the rectangle…
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Sr. F Jared Dudley (19 ppg, 8 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 8 Marquette 24-9

I look at a team like Marquette as a No. 8 and look at a team like Maryland at No. 4 and I don't see much difference. The Golden Eagles have one bad loss and a handful of good wins this year. They're an excellent team deserving of a five or six.

Strength: Garbage points. Their offense isn't going to go through their front court, but if these guys can grab offensive rebounds and get to the line, it'll help a lot.
Weakness: Accuracy from the perimeter. It wouldn't concern me that much, but they have the tendency to rely on the three ball and they only hit a third of their attempts.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:So. G Dominic James (15 ppg, 3 rpg, 5 apg)

No. 9 Michigan State 22-11

It's the same story ever year for the Spartans. The good news for Michigan State is that it's not a bad story: extremely athletic and extremely tough on the defensive end. They force tough shots and take smart ones. They won't light you up, but they'll pick you apart. That's what you get when you face Tom Izzo.

Strength: Rebounding. Again, a staple of a Tom Izzo team. The Spartans' +7.8 rebounding margin is fifth in the land.
Weakness: Michigan State forces bad shots, but they don't force a ton of turnovers via steals. They're among the worst in Division I in that category. They also need to take care of the ball in the Tourney.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. G Drew Neitzel (18 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg)

No. 10 Texas Tech 21-12

I picked Martin Zeno as the "Make it Rain" baller, but Jarrius Jackson is the guy TTU will look to in the Dance. Jackson eclipsed the 25-point mark 10 times this year, he's extremely explosive and is good from three-point land 43.5% of the time. He averages 38 MINUTES A GAME.

Strength: The backcourt. It's long been known that strong guards are more important than strong forwards. Texas Tech's trio stack up with most.
Weakness: Rebounding. Texas Tech has lost a few games this year because they don't crash the glass well. The -4.5 margin is ugly: Where are forwards Jon Plefka and Darryl Dora?
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. G Martin Zeno (16.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 11 George Washington 23-8

I've only seen GW play once this year and they're very tough inside. Carl Elliot gives them good inside-outside balance. I'm not giving away many picks on here, but I like the Colonels over the Commodores.

Strength: Disruption. The Colonels are in the top 10% of teams in the country in both steals and blocks. They're pesky!
Weakness: GW actually ranks well in most categories. They don't hit many shots beyond the arc and they foul a lot. Are those weaknesses?
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Sr. G Carl Elliott (13 ppg, 5 rpg, 5 apg)

No. 12 Arkansas 21-13

I've said enough about this team in the intro. They received much more love than I thought they would. I don't see this team making a run.

Strength: Distribution. Stan Heath may be on the hot seat, but his boys can pass the ball and find the open guy.
Weakness: Turnovers. USC will likely get at least 15 free possessions.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Fr. G Patrick Beverley (13.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 13 New Mexico State 25-8

The Aggies can score a TON of points and they shoot pretty well from outside, but they really don't a Kevin Durant-type player in the WAC. Justin Hawkins can play some ball, but Texas is used to facing an Aggie guard named Acie Law…the Texas A&M Aggie.

Strength: Rebounding. Expect a lot of quick shots and guys to be in place to get quick boards.
Weakness: Discipline. The Aggies will run a lot, but this translates into about 17 turnovers a game. That's just too many.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Jr. F Justin Hawkins (15.7 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 14 Oral Roberts 23-9

A lot of people love Oral Roberts to win in the first round. I did also. I mean, they beat Kansas on the road and played Georgetown and Arkansas tough on the road. However, if they don't stop turning the ball over, they won't beat anyone.

Strength: Balance. The Golden Eagles have a very efficient offense and Shawn King is a very formidable force on the inside on the defensive end-opponents have a tough time finding good shots.
Weakness: Again, it's turnovers. 14/15 is the benchmark of too much. They sit at 15+.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Sr. F Caleb Green (20.8 ppg, 9 rpg, 2.5 apg)

No. 15 Belmont 23-9

Quick: Where is Belmont?

Answer: Nashville.

Boomer Herndon will face Roy Hibbert. The problem is that Herndon plays maybe 16-17 minutes a game while his adversary is out there for about 27. If I'm coach Rick Byrd (who's bio says he's one of the most respected coaches in the country), I go inside to Herndon on the first 10 possessions and see if you can get 2 fouls on either Hibbert or Jeff Green. What do you have to lose? The problem is that Herndon will be so gassed he'll go pass out in the locker room until the second half.

Strength: I'm not quite sure. I know guard Andy Wicke can light it up from 3-point land.
Weakness: I'll go to turnovers. That's all I can pull from a stat sheet on the team. 16 a game is bad. I'm not trying to act like I know a lot about Belmont.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:Sr. C Boomer Herndon (10.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg)…great name for a big man.

No. 16 Eastern Kentucky 21-11

Again, another team I don't know much about. But I've heard their coach Jeff Neubauer interviewed a few times and he seems like a great guy. From the basketball logic I have, I expect EKU to chuck up a lot of 3s, creating long rebounds, allowing UNC to run all over them. I'll be tuning in to see Ty Lawson.

Strength: They don't foul. 13.6 a game! Some teams average that in a half!
Weakness: Opponents shoot 45% on them. I'm predicting the Heels to make 65% of their shots. Yikes.
The Fat Joe "Make it Rain" baller:So. G Mike Rose (15 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.8 apg)

Be back on Wednesday with the South. Expect some Greg Oden gushing. Thanks for the comments so far. Keep them coming. Suggest a relevant hip hop song for the final region.

By Adam Abramson

Someone strike up the Luther Vandross because the field has been set.

I like the No. 1 seeds. I’m okay with UCLA at No. 2 because that’s what happens when you lose your last two games.

The committee pretty much got it right. While Syracuse, Drexel and Florida State have great arguments, none are tragedies. Syracuse and Drexel could have been swapped with Arkansas and…ODU (but ODU beat Drexel two times).

Watching the aftermath of the announcement, it sounds like someone woke Bob Huggins up after a long night of drinking to inform him Kansas State didn’t make the tournament. The dude sounded so depressed/out of it.

Am I allowed to say that?

In the next four days, I’ll break down each bracket for ya’ with a quick writeup and what I feel is each team’s strength and weakness as well as The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player (horrible song, by the way).

We’ll start with the Midwest region. I think there’s a lot of parity in this region. It’s probably the second toughest (the East being the most grueling). The West follows below. Tuesday I'll reveal my thoughts on the East and wrap up with the South on Wednesday.

If you want to see my selections, join the bracket challenge (click on the green, blue or orange banners on the page and sign up, jerks) and put your picks up against mine. If you’re better than I, you can make fun of me. More details in the post below.

MIDWEST

The region's best player: Alando Tucker, Wisconsin
The region's best team: Florida
The region's sleeper(s): Winthrop, Georgia Tech

No. 1 Florida 29-5 (top overall seed)

Can the Gators win it again? The pressure is squarely on them and I feel it will be tougher this year. The competition the Gators faced in the SEC is not the same as last year and this could be a problem come the Sweet 16.

Strength: Experience, experience, experience.
Weakness: Free throws. Repeating won’t be easy and shooting 68% from the line will only make it tougher.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F/C Al Horford (13 ppg, 9 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 2 Wisconsin 29-5

The Badgers have been strong all season and were in the hunt for a No. 1 seed for a while, but losing two out of three to the Buckeyes made it easy for the selection committee.

Strength: Discipline. The Badgers have zero foul outs this season and are 10th in the country in turnovers per game.
Weakness: Offensive firepower. The Badgers average 71 points per game and have only two guys that average double figures in scoring.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Alando Tucker (20 ppg, 5 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 3 Oregon 29-5

The Ducks started the year off the man and beat up just about everyone. This team has INCREDIBLE balance on offense. Four of their seven losses were by a total of 10 points. This is a good ball team that can run.

Strength: Staying in the zone. Oregon won its first 13, had a bit of a rough spell, but are now riding a 6-game win streak.
Weakness: The Pac-10 Tournament champions rely heavily on the three. Although they’re pretty darn good at making them, if they go cold, watch out.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Aaron Brooks (17.6 ppg, 4.6, 4.4)

No. 4 Maryland 24-7

When Maryland was in the midst of a 3-5 skid, the Terps were very much a bubble team, but a win over Duke sparked a seven-game run that included a wins against Duke and UNC in a three-day span.

Strength: Backcourt. The Terps have three 6’5” guards (D.J. Strawberry, Mike Jones and Greivis Vasquez) who create a lot of matchup problems.
Weakness: Turnovers. The Terps love to give the ball to their opponent about 16 times per game. This could lead to an early upset: Davidson, Butler and Old Dominion are all very capable of making waves.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F James Gist (12.7 ppg, 7 rpg, 2 bpg)

No. 5 Butler 27-5

Remember when Butler was the Cinderella of the ball? Now the pressure is on them to not fall to the curse of the 5-12…and they probably have the toughest task with Old Dominion who might be missing the slipper this year…that’s all I’m gonna say about that.

Strength: Defense. Butler is seventh in the country in scoring defense.
Weakness: Forcing mistakes. The Bulldogs are among the worst in the land in steals and blocks.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. G Mike Green (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 4 apg)

No. 6 Notre Dame 24-7

The Irish are another team that can put the ball in the hoop with the best of them. Losses against DePaul, South Florida and St. John’s make me a little weary about ND’s first-round game against Winthrop (who’s very sound on defense). If the Irish get by in the first round and face Oregon, can you imagine how many points will be scored?

Strength: I just said it. Offense.
Weakness: Not many weaknesses. I think it’s fair to say that Notre Dame plays to the level of their competition. This can hurt in the tourney, but then again, ND has shown it can win when the game’s on the line.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Jr. F Rob Kurz (12.6 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 7 UNLV 28-6

UNLV’s losses: UC Santa Barbara, Arizona, Air Force, Wyoming, BYU and San Diego State UNLV’s impressive wins: at Nevada, at Texas Tech, BYU Ehhhhhhhhh….Seven seed? I guess they did win 28 games, that’s pretty impressive.

Strength: Leadership. Four of their top 5 scorers are seniors, and they take care of the ball.
Weakness: The glass. The Runnin’ Rebels are a wash with their opponents on the boards.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Wendell White (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 8 Arizona 20-10

Another trip down memory lane…this one a little more fresh: Remember when Arizona was a Top 10 team? Well, they climbed to No. 7 in both polls and then lost six of the next eight games. This team can ball though, their 12-1 start (opened with a road loss at Virginia, a 4-seed in the tourney) included wins against UNLV, Illinois, at Louisville, against Memphis, Stanford and at Washington.

Strength: Distributing the ball. The majority of the Wildcats’ field goals have an assist somewhere. Thank Mustafa Shakur for that one.
Weakness: Passiveness. Is that a word? Either way, I don’t think they challenge teams enough on the defensive end. They foul the least of any team in the country and they yield 72.5 points a game (that’s a lot).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F/C Ivan Radenovic (15 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 2 apg)…wish his name was Ivan Drago

No. 9 Purdue 21-11

How did this club get stomped by Larry Bird’s alum? I mean, it was a beating. I really can’t get this out of my mind. Only three of Purdue’s nine Big 10 wins were against teams in the tourney (Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana). This is another very ehhhh team.

Strength: Commanding the tempo. While Purdue isn’t bonkers on offense, it’s solid on defense and can control the environment.
Weakness: Experience. Only one guy on the roster has experienced the tournament.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Carl Landry (19 ppg, 7 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 10 Georgia Tech 20-11

If Georgia Tech is on, the Jackets can beat anyone (wins over Duke, UNC and Memphis). However, if they fall into a lull, they can lose to a team like Miami or Wake Forest. They definitely have the tools to make a Sweet 16 run though.

Strength: Making their shots. Georgia Tech shoots 49% from the field. That’s unconscious.
Weakness: Youth. The team’s top two scorers are freshmen (pretty good freshmen though, one is right below).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Fr. G Javaris Crittenton (14.6 ppg, 4 rpg, 6 apg)

No. 11 Winthrop 28-4

The greatest moment of Selection Sunday: The camera switching to Winthrop celebrating their announcement and the T.I.-looking player in front of the camera saying “What about it, what about it” (I’m 99% sure it was Antwon Harris). Anyway, Winthrop is pesky and the first round game should be great against Notre Dame.

Strength: Defense. They block shots, they force steals, they make teams give the ball up.
Weakness: The stripe. 63% from the free throw line. Not too impressive.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F/C Craig Bradshaw (13 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 12 Old Dominion 24-8

Everyone is griping about Drexel not making it, but the ODU sweep of the Dragons didn’t help at all. I honestly think you can point to that fact and the case is closed. Hate to see a great mascot left out though. As for ODU, half of the Monarchs’ wins came in the last 13 games. Guess it’s good they got hot when they did.

Strength: Defense. Becoming a theme among mid majors…I think have a theory about this.
Weakness: Strength of schedule. ODU beat Georgetown. Not much else to write home about, with respect to wins or losses.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Valdas Vasylius (16 ppg, 2 rpg, 1 apg)

No. 13 Davidson 29-4

The Wildcats have played one team that’s in the tournament, Duke. They lost by 28. A lot of people like Davidson to wreak some havoc, I don’t because of that reason.

Strength: Scoring points, 82 of them a game. Davidson eclipsed the 85-point mark 13 times. Maryland better be ready to run.
Weakness: Turnovers. The Wildcats average 14.5 a game. While it’s not a killer, they better be careful.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Fr. G Stephen Curry (21 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3 apg)

No. 14 Miami (OH) 18-14

A clock error kept from writing about the 26-7 Akron Zips here.

Strength: Forcing bad shots. Teams put up just 58 points a game while shooting 41 percent from the floor.
Weakness: The three. The Redhawks make 5 a game…that’s a ranking of 290 out of 325.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. F Nathan Peavy (14 ppg, 6 rpg, 1 bpg)

No. 15 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 25-6

The Islanders’ only bad loss was to Sam Houston State. Otherwise, I really don’t know what else to say. When I saw CC, I thought community college. Took a second to remember they won the Southland.

Strength: Location. It’s right near the water, they must have fun there. They also shoot 52% from the floor.
Weakness: The humidity. I’ve never been to Corpus Christi, but I’d imagine it’s a lot like where I grew up. The humidity is as bad as the Islanders’ effort to take care of the basketball (16 turnovers a game).
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. C Chris Daniels (15 ppg, 7 rpg, 1.5 bpg)

No. 16 Jackson State 21-13

Everything goes through Trey Johnson, literally. His 27.1 points per game are second in the country, tops amongst Tournament players.

Strength: Steals. The Tigers actually pick off about 8 errant balls a game. Not bad at all.
Weakness: About everything else. They let teams score about 73 points a game on them.
The Mims’ “this is why I’m hot” player: Sr. G Trey Johnson (27.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.5 bpg)

Below is the West.

By Adam Abramson

I actually think the West is the bracket Florida, as the top overall seed, should have faced.

It’s easy when you compare the two regions. I decided to do it in the table below. Taking out the 15/16 seeds (because, who the hell knows really), I decided to take the seeds and use the NIT logic: Who would you rather avoid playing? The column on the right represents the better team:

Seed	Midwest	West	Better Team
1	Florida	Kansas	Midwest
2	Wisconsin	UCLA	West
3	Oregon	Pittsburgh	Midwest
4	Maryland	Southern Illinois	Midwest
5	Butler	Virginia Tech	West
6	Notre Dame	Duke	Midwest
7	UNLV	Indiana	Midwest
8	Arizona	Kentucky	Midwest
9	Purdue	Villanova	West
10	Georgia Tech	Gonzaga	Midwest
11	Winthrop	VCU	Midwest
12	Old Dominion	Illinois	West
13	Davidson	Holy Cross	Midwest
14	Miami (OH)	Wright State	West

Easier region: West.

Hypothetical games I originally marked as “draw” but forced myself to pick: Oregon-Pittsburgh, Butler-Virginia Tech, UNLV-Indiana and Davidson-Holy Cross.

Anyway, let’s get familiar with the region. This time we’ll go with the Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: Use this info to sound smart in the office.

WEST

The region's best player: Brandon Rush, Kansas
The region's best team: UCLA
The region's sleeper(s): Holy Cross

No. 1 Kansas 29-5

It’s no big shocker that Kansas is 30-4. They have eight guys that play at least 15 minutes, five guys who are good for 10 a game and five guys who will rip down at least four boards a game. The Jayhawks have shown in the past, and this year, that the little guy can win (Oral Roberts and DePaul beat ’em this season), buuuut I think they’ll be fine.

Strength: Backcourt. So important in the Tournament. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers are cold (the good kind of cold…like ice water in the veins cold…not cold where they can’t hit a shot…but the other, just kidding).
Weakness: Free throws. 66%? Chances are I could go to any half-decent high school on LI and they make more than two thirds of their shots from the stripe.
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: So. F Julian Wright (12 ppg, 8 rpg, 2 apg)

No. 2 UCLA 26-5

It’s no secret that a Ben Howland club can play defense, so it shouldn’t be a shocker that opponents score just 60 a game on the Bruins. UCLA is limping into the tourney, with 40% of their losses coming in the last two games (if you’re too lazy to figure that out: they’ve lost their last two).

Strength: Spreading the wealth. This team passes a lot, and they’re good at it.
Weakness: Again, free throws. They’re even worse than Kansas. This could become a theme for this region (I know for a fact that the No. 5 seed is HORRIBLE from the line).
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: You’ll hear Aaron Afflalo a lot, but So. G Darren Collison is the guy (12.6 ppg, 2 rpg, 6 apg).

No. 3 Pittsburgh 27-7

I’ve watched the Panthers maybe three or four times this year and it’s safe to say they don’t go as big man Aaron Gray goes, he’ll get his numbers no matter what happens (except in the title game…1-13, yikes). It’s all about the decision making of the guards – which is pretty much backcourt by committee (but Levance Fields, Antonio Graves, Ronald Ramon and Mike Cook are all solid).

Strength: Defense. As is the case with the 2 and 4 seeds. The Panthers also take really good care of the ball.
Weakness: Leadership. Gray doesn’t have the outer fire. Who do they look to in the clutch? I should know the answer to this, but I don’t, which is a problem. (Oh, and free throws (67%).
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: Sr. C Aaron Gray (14 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 1.6 apg – 56% FG)

No. 4 Southern Illinois 27-6

In the Saluki’s six losses this year, their point totals at the half reached thirty a grand total of zero times (28 vs. Evansville, 28 vs. Creighton, 26 vs. Arkansas, 23 vs. Indiana, 23 vs. Northern Illinois and 21 vs. Bradley). Now SIU doesn’t hang a ton of points on the board, but they can’t afford to get off to a lethargic start. Lack of execution on offense leak to the other end of the floor quickly.

Strength: Insane defense. Suffocating defense. Impregnable defense. Fourth in the country defense.
Weakness: Mr. Clutch. Jamaal Tatum is supposed to be that guy, and has the potential to be that guy, but if he’s off and Randal Falker’s in foul trouble (4 or 5 fouls 12 times this year)…not good. (69% from the line)
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: Sr. G Jamaal Tatum (15 ppg, 3 rpg, 2.4 apg)

No. 5 Virginia Tech 21-11

This team can either reach the Elite 8 or get bumped in the first round. I’ve either watched or listened to 90% of Tech’s games this year and I don’t know what to say about the Hokies. They beat UNC twice, Duke, Maryland, Georgia Tech and Boston College, but lose to Marshall, Western Michigan and NC State three times…that about sums it up. Oh, they also lost to the No. 4 seed in this region, FYI.

Strength: Discipline. It all runs through Zabian Dowdell. Tech doesn’t really turn the ball over (ninth in the country in that stat) and will pick up about eight steals a game. Also, solid in transition.
Weakness: In addition to abysmal free throw shooting, Tech doesn’t have a very dynamic offense. Absolutely zero Tournament experience on the roster, zilch.
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: Sr. G Zabian Dowdell (18 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3 apg, 3 spg). If you want to see some highlight dunks, watch out for Jr. F Deron Washington.

No. 6 Duke 22-10

I’ve long disliked the Duke program, so at first I thought my opinion was jaded. I couldn’t believe Duke earned a six seed. But then I listened to the analysis afterwards and I wasn’t alone. I felt more at peace. As I said to a coworker the other night, Duke earns three seeds just because of the name.

Strength: Defense. Not gonna get much from the Blue Devils. About 61.5 points a game…
Weakness: Shot selection. Because Duke is young, the Blue Devils will try and make unnecessary passes in hopes of getting a better shot. This turns into a lot of turnovers.
The Young Jeezy “Go Getta” player to watch: Sr. G DeMarcus Nelson (14.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2 apg)…I may not like Duke, but I love his game.

No. 7 Indiana 20-10

Another good defensive team: we’re 7-for-7 in that department in this region. Much like North Carolina is famous for, IU relies on 11 guys, each averaging at least nine minutes a game. Kelvin Sampson is building pretty q