My popcorn is ready, baaaaaaby!
The always-anticipated Selection Sunday has come and gone, and by
7pm, I more than had my yearly fix of Greg Gumbel.
Some players celebrated with thousands of rabid students behind them, and others found their bubble residue-covered faces falling into their hands in the coach’s living room.
The brackets are out and printer ink is being consumed at a record-pace.
Here’s what to watch for:
EAST. The Heels may have the most lavish traveling situation in the tournament, as they can basically ride a baby blue Segway to their pod-site in Raleigh and their regionals in Charlotte before booking their Southwest Fun Fares to the Rio Grande. Apparently the committee compensated for this luxury by loading up their East Region with noteworthy talent, namely the best second-seed in the bracket in the Tennessee Vols, who, up until last week, was a front-runner for a top slot.
First-Round TiVo: (8)Indiana vs (9)Arkansas
State-of-Shock: (7)Butler over (2)Tennessee in the Second Round
Marbles: (1)North Carolina over (3)Louisville
Can the 'Hawks live up to the "bill-ing"?
MIDWEST. The Jayhawks were rewarded by a strong showing at the Big-XII Tournament, and on paper, Kansas should charge their way down to the Alamodome. While it may not be chock-full of the best talent in the land, this region has its fair share of rising programs (Clemson, Kansas State) and annual mainstays (Wisconsin, Gonzaga), not to mention instant gratification with Title Fight-worthy Mayo and Beasley exchanging Ultimate Highlights in just the first weekend of action.
First-Round TiVo: (6)USC vs (11)Kansas State
State-of-Shock: (12)Villanova over (5)Clemson in First Round
Marbles: (3)Wisconsin over (1)Kansas
SOUTH. Intriguing storylines stick out here, including the oft-disrespected Tigers of Memphis, Temple unearthing their experienced but dusty dancing shoes, Pitt’s strong play in the Big East royal rumble leading to a four-seed after a season of Hokey-Pokey-ing in and out of the Top 25, and Kentucky become reacquainted with what a bubble actually feels like.
First-Round TiVo: (6)Marquette vs (11)Kentucky
State-of-Shock: (4)Pittsburgh over (1)Memphis in Regional Semifinals
Marbles: (2)Texas over (4)Pittsburgh
WEST. With a suddenly-reeling Duke and the inconsistent Huskies of UConn, the UCLA Bruins might as well ask the committee to spot them plane tickets to the Final Four before the games even begin. On the other hand, asking Darren Collison and Kevin Love to accomplish a tall task and take the program to the Big Show in three straight years is quite the request. It might be fun to see how this region plays out, but it also might be boring.
First-Round TiVo: (8)BYU vs (9)Texas A&M
State-of-Shock: (11)Baylor over (6)Purdue in First Round
Marbles: (1)UCLA over (2)Duke
