When I look at the bracket, I really feel that the top teams will come through. I know this has been a wacky season, with number one teams falling so often.
In breaking this down, the East region is really loaded. Four of the preseason top eight teams in America -- Pittsburgh, Duke, UCLA and Texas -- are in the bracket, so you know these schools had big-time expectations.
Then add Villanova in the mix and you have to pick the East as the best of the best. There is also great balance in the conference lineup: seven each for the ACC, Big East and Big Ten, followed by six each from the Big 12 and Pac-10.
Well my friends, it is time to go out on a limb and make my picks...
When it is all said and done, I am picking a lot of chalk ... all four number one seeds advancing to Detroit for the Final Four. It happened last year, and I think it will happen again.
MIDWEST 1st round
Louisville over Alabama State/Morehead State winner
Siena over Ohio State
Arizona over Utah
Wake Forest over Cleveland State
Michigan State over Robert Morris
USC over Boston College
Kansas over North Dakota State
West Virginia over Dayton
WEST 1st round
Connecticut over Chattanooga
BYU over Texas A&M
Purdue over Northern Iowa
Washington over Mississippi State
Memphis over Cal State-Northridge
Maryland over California
Missouri over Cornell
Marquette over Utah State
EAST 1st round
Pittsburgh over East Tennessee State
Tennessee over Oklahoma State
Florida State over Wisconsin
Xavier over Portland State
Duke over Binghamton
Texas over Minnesota
Villanova over American
UCLA over VCU
SOUTH 1st round
North Carolina over Radford
LSU over Butler
Illinois over Western Kentucky
Gonzaga over Akron
Oklahoma over Morgan State
Clemson over Michigan
Syracuse over Stephen F. Austin
Arizona State over Temple
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MIDWEST 2nd round
Louisville over Siena
Wake Forest over Arizona
Michigan State over USC
West Virginia over Kansas
Sweet 16
Louisville over Wake Forest
Michigan State over West Virginia
Elite 8
Louisville over Michigan State
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WEST 2nd round
Connecticut over BYU
Purdue over Washington
Memphis over Maryland
Marquette over Missouri
Sweet 16
Connecticut over Purdue
Memphis over Marquette
Elite 8
Connecticut over Memphis
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EAST 2nd round
Pittsburgh over Tennessee
Florida State over Xavier
Duke over Texas
Villanova over UCLA
Sweet 16
Pittsburgh over Florida State
Duke over Villanova
Elite 8
Pittsburgh over Duke
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South 2nd round
North Carolina over LSU
Gonzaga over Illinois
Oklahoma over Clemson
Syracuse over Arizona State
Sweet 16
North Carolina over Gonzaga
Syracuse over Oklahoma
Elite 8
North Carolina over Syracuse
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FINAL FOUR
Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, North Carolina
Louisville over Connecticut, North Carolina over Pittsburgh
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
North Carolina over Louisville