Today you can watch the epic event everywhere you go.  Streamed to your mobile phone, your computer, and on every TV in every window of electronics stores, March Madness cannot be escaped.

So it comes as no surprise that Electronic Arts announced today a downloadable official NCAA tournament edition of its college basketball video game.  It was only a matter of time, it seems that every single other form of media has smothered the event.

Available exclusively on the Xbox 360 NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition will cost 1200 MS points ($15.00) and will be ready for download just in time for the start of the NCAA Tournament March 19^th.

NCAA Basketball will enable fans to replicate the entire NCAA Tournament and play through the “virtual bracket” with their favorite team under the same conditions they’ll face throughout March Madness.  Lead one of the 65 teams to Final Four glory at Ford Field in Detroit and finally, crown a champion, likely or unlikely, it’s your tournament.

The excitement surrounding March Madness is a feat in itself.  Every year offers a restored hope of “maybe this is the year my team wins,” or “maybe I’ll finally predict a perfect bracket.”  There is something refreshing, exciting, and gut-wrenching about this event, the likes that are comparable to none.

“We really wanted to make our game available to a wider selection of fans that are drawn to college basketball by the passion, excitement and drama that surrounds March Madness,” said Connor Dougan, Producer for NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition. “Fans will be able to experience the tournament, feel the adrenaline rush that comes with a single loss elimination tournament and write their own history.”

“Few sporting events capture the excitement and intensity of March Madness, so it’s great to be able to offer everyone a chance to play with NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition, an exclusive to Xbox LIVE and Xbox 360,” said Marc Whitten, General Manager of Xbox LIVE. “Xbox LIVE continues to break new ground, offering new ways to play and enjoy your favorite games and entertainment. With EA we are offering everyone a chance to experience a blockbuster game tailored specifically for March Madness in a way that has never been done before.”

Selection Sunday is not until March 18^th so the game will initially feature the teams from last year’s tournament, but on the 18^th immediately after the announcement, the accurate teams and ratings will find their way into the virtual brackets.

Emphasis will be placed on playing true to your team’s real life attributes, and with the help of authentic Division 1 in-game Coaches providing real time instruction and criticism, the sense of immersion will be incredible.

I always lose money I don’t have on March Madness, thankfully this year I’ll have fun doing it.

Mandewille was diagnosed with an abnormal heart valve, which is not considered life-threatening, but the problem could become dangerous under the strenuous training regimens of the NFL.

“I told him his health and well-being is what’s important,” Northeastern coach Rocky Hager told the Boston Herald. “I don’t know if that means he’ll continue in a career in sports, but then everybody’s career in sports eventually comes to an end. But I think he’s so well grounded and his parents have done a great job raising him and he always has the right attitude.”

Mandeville caught 63 passes for 863 yards and seven touchdowns in 33 games, worthy of earning first-team All-New England honors. Northeastern’s I-AA football program went 2-10 last year and hasn’t had a winning season since 2003.

The players are warming up and the fans are crowding the Garden for the 57th annual Beanpot Championship.

“Execute our game plan and come up high, there’s no more pressure than any other game,” said Albie O’Connell Northeastern assistant coach.

After a decisive win against Boston College, the third-ranked Huskies are ready to go for the cup. Top ranked Boston University though is ready to reclaim its title for the 29th year.

Although a Massachusetts event, this year’s game has reached nationwide attention because Northeastern has not made it to a final in more than 20 years.

So far the expectations are high and the tension is tangible.

In tonight’s consolation game Boston College beat Harvard 4-3. For some this was a good enough prize.

“Its a little depressing that we didn’t make it and its my last year, but we’re rooting for Northeastern because there’s been such a rivalry with BU all these years,” said Keith Malado, a senior at Boston College.

B.C. warned Jagodzinski that if he interviewed for the head coaching vacancy of the N.Y. Jets that they would fire him. Apparently, they weren’t kidding.

“Jeff and I were really divided on the future of this program,” said B.C.’s athletic director Gene DeFilippo. “I just thought I hired a coach that I thought was going to be here a long time and I thought Jeff was that guy. I am looking for someone who can give a commitment of at least four or five years, for the length of the contract.”

He said that there will be an interim coach assigned until he can find a long-term replacement.

Fossil has a series of NFL and college watches out there under their Kaleido collection.

You push the button, and the watch animates and goes from your team’s logo to a mirrored finish and back again.

We got the chance to wear the Steelers and Patriots watches, and they really are cool, because it’s not just a static logo on the watch face. There’s some life to it.

This means the Fiesta, Orange and Sugar Bowls, plus the BCS Championship Game, will be televised in prime…blah blah blah…who the F cares?

I read the article about five times and I still haven’t found the sentences that read, “starting in the 2009-10, college football season the NCAA will have a playoff system consisting of the top-eight ranked teams to determine the National Championship. Four newly formed bowls have been named. The Super Awesome Bowl will be featuring the number one and number eight ranked teams. The It’s Finally Here Bowl will be featuring the number two and number seven ranked teams in the nation. The There Will Finally Be No Arguments About Who Is Number One Bowl will play the number three ranked team against the number six ranked team. And finally, the If You Oppose This Playoff Format You Are An Idiot Bowl will host the number four and number five ranked teams.

Don’t give me the argument that the number nine team is left out of this tournament. Nobody cares about Boise State.

After round one we have four teams left, which leaves us three more games that can be played in the Fiesta Bowl, the Orange Bowl and the Sugar Bowl. These three bowls will alternate every year in hosting the National Championship game. It’s that easy.

I’m sorry I left out the Rose Bowl, but Vince Young’s and Matt Leinart’s performances in the NFL have completely ruined my perception of the 2006 game in Pasadena.

This new playoff system would be the best tournament in sports and would trump March Madness.

“The Wii platform and the Wii consumer are looking for a very unique sports experience,” said Peter Moore, president of EA SPORTS.  “We’re excited to take five of our most popular franchises and develop them from the ground up exclusively for the Wii, with unique controls, unique presentation, unique modes and even unique packaging. Whether you’re an EA SPORTS veteran or a rookie gamer, EA SPORTS All-Play levels the playing field and delivers a fresh new gaming experience.”

All-Play will kick off mid next month when its first title, NCAA Football 2009 All-Play ships. Featuring the new simplified All-Play controls (as well as the traditional set-up for returning players), and a multiplayer experience that evolves based on skill sets, EA Sports taught NCAA Football 2008 All-Play as the most realistic college sports experience on the Wii.

Four additional titles will be released on the All-Play line between now and the end of 2008 including Madden NFL 2009 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2008. Each title will retail for a MSRP of $49.99. More information on EA Sports and the All-Play line can be found at www.easports.com/eaallplay.

Jackson was drafted in the second round by the Philadelphia Eagles. Schmitt was tagged by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth.

The Memphis Tigers were led again by their two All-American guards, freshman Derek Rose and junior Chris Douglas-Roberts who combined for 53 of the 78 Memphis points. These two players, who are destined for NBA stardom, are that much better than any other guard tandem in college basketball and are a serious match up problem for any team they play. Of their 53 combined points, 20 of them came from the charity stripe on 23 attempts. Rose went 11-for-12 and Douglas-Roberts went 9-for-11. Interestingly, the two players were the only Tigers to get to the line. Maybe this was Coach Calipari’s strategy for fixing their free-throw woes (61% for the year), only allowing his two best-free throw shooters to get there (Rose and Douglas-Roberts, 71%). Senior Joey Dorsey did not score any points, but made his contribution by bringing down 15 rebounds, six of them on the offensive side. Forward Shawn Taggart came off the bench for 22 minutes and scored seven points and grabbed seven boards.

UCLA led 12-11 four and half minutes into the game, but Derek Rose’s lay up put Memphis in the lead for good. UCLA kept it close during the first twenty minutes of the game going into halftime 38-35, but a 10-2 run to start the second half put Memphis up by 11 and UCLA couldn’t fight their way back. UCLA was led by sophomore guard Russell Westbrook who scored 22 points on 10 for 19 shooting. Freshman Kevin Love, who most likely played his last game for UCLA, finished with 12 points and nine rebounds. This was UCLA’s third straight final four appearance and the third straight time they finished empty handed.

The nightcap featured another future NBA star Brandon Rush and his Kansas Jayhawks. On 11-for-17 shooting, Rush dropped in 25 points including 12 in a 40-to-12 run to start the game. The lead looked too big for any team to come back from, especially with the way Kansas was out-everthinging (made up word?) UNC. But, with five minutes left in the first half, Tarheel junior Danny Green sparked a 15-to-4 run with eight points on his own to close the half at 44-27.

The comeback didn’t stop there. With UNC not slowing down any, they came out firing, cutting the lead to 54-50. However, coming back from a deficit that big spends a lot of energy and the Tarheels couldn’t get any closer. Kansas finally regrouped and again took control of the game getting the lead back to 10 points, 71-61, with four and a half minutes left to play. Kansas guard Sherron Collins came off the bench with 11 points, four assists and four rebounds. AP Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough finished with 17 points and nine rebounds. Wayne Ellington led all UNC players with 18.

Monday night’s game will feature two of the best guards in the country squaring off against each other with Kansas’ Brandon Rush and Memphis’ Chris Douglas-Roberts. Both are 6-6 and can play inside and outside. The winner of this battle could ultimately help lead their team to a national title.

At best, NCAA March Madness 2008 is a pretty solid game. 

EA’s competitor with 2K’s College Hoops had high expectations. Fans of the relatively new series were disappointed in its predecessor, but anxious to see where EA would go with it this year. It’s an improvement, but they just didn’t go far enough.

The graphics are quite good. The atmosphere of a college basketball game could not have been captured any better. The fans constantly cheering and jeering, psyching out opposing teams while they are at the foul line, and the players actually look real. In this game; they actually have facial expressions depending on what they’re doing. It’s about as good as it’s gotten in a basketball video game.

The sound is another strong point. Voice-overs from Dick Vitale are good. He doesn’t just shot off a bunch of one-liners like in most sports simulation games. He has different ways of saying different things, and it doesn’t get too stale.

The gameplay has been revamped with more moves, especially in the post where players will find themselves able to move around freely. This is an improvement over what we saw in March Madness 07, which the game pretty much crumbled around.

The shooting system is also great — finally; a basketball simulation where luck doesn’t play the major role. Shots are hard to master, but when you get the system down, it becomes much easier.

You can also curve game physics around with sliders in the options menu, but physics is the biggest problem with this game.

The.

Game.

Is.

Slow.

It’s a ridiculously slow-moving game. The player movements are pretty choppy, and there is no turbo. Also, shot blocking is a near impossibility.

The online is good. It’s a mirror image of playing the game with a friend right next to you. As long as your friend is running broadband, lag isn’t an issue.

A huge array of playable teams, the best graphics to date on a basketball simulator game, and some great replay value are all huge pluses for this game, but March Madness 2008 suffers from poor gameplay that is just too slow. In the end, that’s going to be enough to sink this game from greatness.

Quick hits:

Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: EA Sports
Platform:Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2
Launch Date: December 11, 2007

Playability: 3 out of 5 stars
Learning Curve: 4 out of 5 stars
Sound: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Graphics: 4 out of 5 stars
Overall: 3.5 out of 5 stars

(7) West Virginia vs. (3) Xavier:
Xavier jumped out to an early 8-0 lead and with a barrage of three pointers that lead stretched to 18 points with around nine minutes left in the first half. It was not looking good for WVU. Xavier was hitting everything and had complete control of the game. However, Mountaineer forward Wellington Smith went on a run of his own scoring eight unanswered points to pull within ten. WVU was able to cut the lead to seven at the half.

The Mountaineers continued their comeback in the second half and were able to pull within one point 41-40 with around 15 minutes left in the game. The game stayed tight the rest of the way. With 14 seconds left in the game, WVU forward Joe Alexander kissed a shot off the glass while getting fouled. The basket tied the game up and with one free throw left he had a chance to put his team up by one. His free throw went long hitting the back of the rim and when Xavier guard Drew Lavender’s shot missed the other way, the two teams headed into overtime.

In the extra session, WVU jumped out to a 71-65 lead within the first minute and a half, but a resilient Xavier team went on a 10-3 run led by B.J. Raymond’s back-to-back three pointers. With Alexander on the bench with five fouls, West Virginia was not able to recover and the Musketeers prevailed 79-75. Senior forward Josh Duncan led Xavier with 26 points and teammate C.J. Anderson added 12 points and 10 rebounds. Joe Alexander finished with 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Mountaineers. OTR is hoping that Alexander returns for another season at WVU, because we have enjoyed watching him develop into one of the best college players in the country. If you get a chance, ESPN’s Dana O’Neil wrote a great piece on Alexander that is worth reading.

(4) Washington State vs. (1) North Carolina
Washington State plays great defense and they were able to hold UNC to 68 points on 43% shooting, but it was not enough. They forgot to score points. 47 points and only making 31% of your shots is not going to win you basketball games this deep in the tournament. Did anyone really think the Cougars had any shot at winning this game anyway? UNC hasn’t been tested yet and they weren’t last night in their 68-47 victory. All-American forward Tyler Hansbrough didn’t have his best shooting night, but his 18 points and 9 rebounds led his team in both categories. Junior Danny Green contributed 15 points off the bench. Junior center Aron Baynes played well for the Cougars, but foul trouble plagued him all game. He finished with 14 points on 6-8 shooting. That’s about it for this game. It really wasn’t an exciting game. All fifteen players played again for UNC for the third straight game.

The later games featured Tennessee vs. Louisville and UCLA vs. Western Kentucky. Let’s take a look:

(2) Tennessee vs. (3) Louisville
Tennessee went up 7-6 early in the game when forward Duke Crews made a two-point basket, but that was the last lead they held the whole game. The next time down the court Louisville’s Juan Palacios nailed a three pointer and the Cardinals never looked back. The Volunteers were able to pull within one point 37-36 during a 6-0 run to begin the second half; however, Louisville was able to take control and outscored Tennessee 42-24 the rest of the way. Louisville shot 52% from the field and were led by sophomore Earl Clark (off the bench) who dropped in 17 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Four other players contributed with ten or more points in a very balanced effort for the Cardinals. Senior guard Chris Lofton, who may have been ailing from an injury, had a horrible shooting night (3-15), but went 7-7 from the stripe to lead all Volunteers with 15 points. Louisville advances to play North Carolina in the East regional finals. The Big East is 2-0 against the ACC in this year’s tournament, but UNC will have something to say about that on Saturday.

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky
How good is UCLA freshman Kevin Love? Good to quite good is the answer. Love scored 29 points on 10-14 shooting and pulled down 14 rebounds to lead his UCLA Bruins to an 88-78 victory. Western Kentucky never held a lead in this game, but did pull within four points 61-57 with seven minutes left in the game. Western Kentucky senior guard Tyrone Brazelton played a great game in their defeat. He led all scorers with 31 points and added five assists. UCLA’s James Keefe also had a solid game off the bench with 18 points and 12 rebounds. UCLA will now play Xavier in the West regional finals.

The South region, similar to the East region, only had one game where the higher seed advanced past the lower seed (higher meaning higher number) when (5) Michigan State defeated (4) Pittsburgh 65-54 in the second round. The Spartans also won their first round game by 11 points in their victory over Temple. Their next opponent will be the number one seed Memphis Tigers, who made easy work of Texas-Arlington in the first round, but found themselves a little too close for comfort against Mississippi State. For Memphis, foul shooting was a major problem in this game as it has been all season long. They went 15-32 from the stripe including only 2-6 when the game was on the line with under 20 seconds left. Their poor foul shooting gave Mississippi one last chance to tie it, but junior Jamont Gordon’s three-pointer missed the target.

The bottom half of the bracket went as planned with no upsets. Stanford rolled over Ivy League champ Cornell 77-53, but a pesky Marquette team took them to overtime in the second round. With nine seconds left in regulation Robin Lopez made one of two free throws to tie it up and Marquette’s Lazar Hayward missed his opportunity at winning the game when his two point shot fell short. In the overtime, Robin’s twin brother Brook Lopez was the hero. Brook scored eight points in the extra session including a two point jumper with three seconds left to win the game 82-81.

Guard A.J. Abrams led his number two seed Texas Longhorns in scoring with 26 points in each of the first two games of the tournament helping them defeat Austin Peay 74-54 and a resilient Miami team 75-72. Miami was down by 17 points with just under 11 minutes left in the game, but junior guard Jack McClinton surged a comeback that pulled them within three points when senior Raymond Hicks (off the bench) nailed a three pointer with 15 seconds left. However, two clutch free throws by A.J. sealed the deal for Texas which allowed them to advance to play Stanford in the round of 16.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) Memphis vs. (5) Michigan State:
Should we worry about this team’s capability of hitting foul shots? Maybe, but this team isn’t an 11-loss team. They have only lost one game all season long, so they must be doing something right. Let’s ignore the shade-under-60% free throw average and focus on why this team is so good. Memphis has a lot of guys on their team that can play and constantly throw different lineups at the opposition. They can play big, they can play small, and this rotation keeps them fresh. They are led by 6-7 guard Chris Douglas-Roberts who shoots 54% from the field and freshman guard Derek Rose who leads the Tigers in assists. They have two 6-9 forwards that play very big in Robert Dozier and senior Joey Dorsey who loves to call the painted box his own. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Memphis has a lot of depth which is very important. Can Michigan State compete with this team? The Spartans have all five starters back from last year and are led by senior guard Drew Neitzel who leads the nation in assist to turnover ratio. I like that. However, if Michigan State has any chance at knocking off Memphis they will need a huge game from forward Raymar Morgan. Raymar had a hot start in the beginning of the year, as did the Spartans (19-2), but became very inconsistent in the second half of the year getting himself into foul trouble in a lot of the games. So, if Raymar can avoid the whistle Michigan State might have a shot, but I still think Memphis is too tough.

Perry’s Edge Memphis

(2) Texas vs. (3) Stanford:
I love this Texas team and let me tell you why. They have an outstanding point guard in D.J. Augustin who leads the team in scoring and assists. They have a deadly sharp shooter, A.J. Abrams, who is having a great tournament thus far. And 6-7 forward Damion James loves to rip down the rebounds and establishes a solid presence in the middle. However, center Connor Atchley and forward Gary Johnson are going to have their biggest task of the season. They will be facing up against the Lopez twins, Robin and Brook. I just noticed the Lopez twins have girly names. That’s funny. Ms. Robin and Ms. Brook both stand seven-feet tall and love to dominate the paint. Combined they averaged 29 points and almost 14 rebounds per game. Furthermore, for Stanford to win, junior point guard Mitch Johnson and company will need to stop D.J. and A.J. from dominating the perimeter. For Texas to win, their big men are going to need to contain the Lopez girls and Stanford’s inside game. I usually will take the inside presence over the perimeter game, but I love D.J. Augustin. Oh, and they’re playing in Houston. Perry’s Edge Texas.

Final Four Pick: Texas

West Region (Phoenix, AZ)
Summary of the first two rounds:

Mississippi Valley State scored 29 points in the first round. Not the first half, but the first round. UCLA laughed and advanced to round two where they found a legitimate opponent, Texas A&M. With 10 minutes left in the second half UCLA found themselves down by eight points 44-36. Texas A&M went scoreless for almost six minutes which allowed guard Russell Westbrook and the best freshman in college basketball Kevin Love to rally their team back within one point with 5:51 left. Russell scored all of his five points in that 7-0 run. Love tied the game at 45 and put UCLA up by two with consecutive two point baskets. The teams traded baskets until UCLA junior Darren Collison iced the game with 12 seconds left with a layup capping off his 21-point night.

The Cinderella team in the West, 12th seed Western Kentucky, provided us with the best game of the tournament in round one against Drake. In overtime, down by one point, Western Kentucky’s Ty Rogers took the hand-off from Tyrone Brazelton just behind the arc and nailed a three pointer to win the game as the buzzer sounded. In an easier game in the second round, WKU was able to defeat the 13th seeded San Diego who pulled off an upset of their own in the first round over Jim Calhoun’s UCONN Huskies. Western Kentucky will now face off against UCLA.

Xavier proved worthy of their number three seed by defeating SEC Tournament Champion Georgia 73-61 and a solid Purdue team 85-78. They will advance to play against the seventh seeded Mountaineers of West Virginia who defeated Arizona in the first round and that team I don’t like from Durham in the second round. If you want to read more of what happened in those games or how I really feel you can click here or here or here.

Let’s look at the Sweet 16 match ups:

(1) UCLA vs. (12) Western Kentucky:
I don’t think Western Kentucky has any shot at winning this game, but lets pretend. Western Kentucky has a shot at winning this game if future NBA star Courtney Lee and point guard Tyronne Brazelton can control the tempo of this game. In all honesty, Lee is one hell of a player. He averaged 20 points per game this year and has led his team to 19 victories in their last 20 games. He’s 6-5, 200 pounds, and has four years of college experience. However, Kevin Love only has one year of experience, he’s better, he’s bigger, and he plays for UCLA. Look for Love to control the inside game as his teammate Darren Collison controls the perimeter. These two players carried the Bruins down the stretch in their second round victory over Texas A&M and look for them to do the same against the Hilltoppers. Perry’s Edge UCLA.

(3) Xavier vs. (7) West Virginia:

I don’t trust basketball players under 5-10 and Xavier has one of those. His name is Drew Lavender, he’s 5-7, and he is good. That’s pretty much all I know about Xavier. They have pretty balanced scoring, they have a veteran team and they don’t turn the ball over. I shouldn’t have underestimated them a week ago, because these are the type of team that can go deep in the NCAA Tournament. However, they are playing against the team that I like most. If you haven’t seen Joe Alexander play yet, you’re in for a treat. This kid is good. He tends to force the issue at times but when he is under control he is a heck of a basketball player. He is 6-8 230 pounds and has both an inside game and outside game. He can handle the ball up top, play the post, and create his own shot. He plays defense, blocks shot, and loves to talk smack. Did I get my point across? In the game against Duke, Joe Mazulla came off the bench and controlled the whole game while coming two assists short from getting a triple double (a rare feat in college basketball). Look for Coach Huggins to turn to him early in this game. Keep your eye on forward Da’Sean Butler and guard Alex Ruoff as well. Ruoff probably has the best jumper of all the players left in this tournament. West Virginia has some guys that can play. They remind me of the team with Pittsnogle and Gansey. I’m riding the Alexander train till it ends.

Perry’s Edge: West Virginia

Final Four Pick: UCLA

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) UNC – North Carolina has been solid all year long and are the team to beat in this bracket. Indiana should not be a threat in the 2nd round. (8) Indiana has yet to score over 88 points on the road this year and that is the exact number the Tar Heels average per night. (4) Washington St. shouldn’t be a problem for UNC either. Washington St. is 0-7 vs. UCLA, Stanford, and Arizona, three tournament teams.

(2) Tennessee – They played in the weak SEC, but their out of conference schedule included wins against Temple, West Virginia, Xavier, Gonzaga, Ohio State, and Memphis. They also lost a tough game to Texas, but this Tennessee team is battle tested. They shouldn’t have any trouble until they face Louisville in the sweet 16.

(3) Louisville – Many thought that the Cardinals were the best team in the Big East this year. This is a conference that’s sending eight teams to the NCAA Tournament. Moreover, to be thought of as the best, they gotta be doing something right. Having Rick Pitino as your coach isn’t just canned potatos either. However, I do see Tennessee beating Louisville.

Upset Specials:
(12) George Mason over (5) Notre Dame. George Mason still has two starters from their 2006 run to the final four. And Notre Dame guns threes. They shoot too many of them. Live and die by the three.

(10) South Alabama over (7) Butler. My only reasoning in taking South Alabama is that this game is being played in Birmingham, Alabama.

East Region Winner: UNC – I think they are too strong right now with a healthy Ty Lawson. Hansbrough is a beast. They have quality starters at each position and they can put up points with the best of them. They really don’t have any weaknesses right now. UNC is going to be a tough team to beat.

Midwest Region:

Contenders for the final four spot:

(1) Kansas – Kansas started off the year going 20-0, finally losing to Michael Beasley’s Kansas State Wildcats. Their 20 straight wins included out of conference games against Arizona, USC, Georgia Tech, and Boston College, so they did mix it up a little with the PAC 10 and ACC. They only lost three games this year by a total of 13 points, one of those games being against Texas. Just like UNC, they should have no trouble getting thru the first two rounds.

(2) Georgetown – Regular season champs of the Big East, but they did lose to a hot Pitt team in the Big East Conference Tournament. Georgetown loves to slow down the game. They run the Princeton offense and love to get their big man Roy Hibbert involved as much as possible. They have a great point guard in Jonathan Wallace and a very deep bench. If you want to beat G’town, you’re gonna have to break their defense (5th in the nation) and score some points.

(3) Wisconsin – The Badgers are on fire right now. They have won 10 straight games and their season resume includes a huge win at Texas and two season sweeps over Indiana and Michigan State. They seem to have no problem with the teams they are supposed to beat, so I don’t see this team getting upset too early. Their only losses came against Purdue twice, Duke, and Marquette.

Upset Specials:
(12) Villanova over (5) Clemson. I think it’s all mental with Clemson. They can never win the big game. They’re gonna come out still thinking about how they lost to UNC (again) and Nova’s gonna come out guns a blaz’n.

(10) Davidson over (7) Gonzaga. Davidson has won 22 straight games and check out this out of conference schedule: Lost to UNC by four, lost to Duke by six, and lost to UCLA by 12. It looks like they can hang with the big dawgs. I understand they lost all three games, but out of respect for getting those three teams on the schedule, I’m taking them.

Best Game of the First Round:
(11) Kansas State vs. (6) USC. Two lottery picks are going to be facing off against each other in this game, USC’s OJ Mayo & KSU’s Michael Beasley. These are two teams that nobody wanted to face in the first round and the Selection Committee matched them up against each other. I guarantee that all the pro scouts will be at this game. This is the 7:10pm EST game on Thursday. Make sure you tune into this one.

Midwest Region Winner: Kansas – Yep, I took another number one seed. I see Wisconsin having too tough of a road. In the second round they will have to play the winner of the USC/KSU game, then face off against G’town? They’ll be spent by the time Kansas is in their face. Furthermore, I see Kansas being too tough for G’town. I can’t see G’town beating them either.

Few things in sports, if any, can measure up to what the NCAA Tournament brings us. The only things that are close are the conference tournaments the weekend before the Tournament begins. This year, we got to kick off the month of March by watching Coach K win his 800th game by pulling one out of his back pocket to steal a win.

We were also served up a great win for Georgetown in overtime at Marquette. We saw Texas lose to bubble team Texas Tech, keeping the Red Raiders’ hopes alive for the dance. Arkansas did the same in upsetting Vanderbilt, virtually locking them into the Tournament. In all, six ranked teams lost on the first of March.

Settle in people, it’s going to get even better next weekend.

This is when you need to be paying attention to college basketball, if you want any chance at winning your pool this year. The next two weeks will tell us who will make it all the way to San Antonio, and who will be ending their season early. And in the process, we are going to get to see some of the best basketball games of the year. Here is a quick rundown of the major conferences, who I think will win their tournaments, and who I think could be headed to the big dance:

ACC

North Carolina is once again the favorite to cut down the nets in Charlotte, and also to do so in San Antonio. The Tar Heels are getting their starting point guard Tywon Lawson back just in time, not to mention national Player of the Year candidate Tyler Hansbrough. The Heels are stacked and ready to make a run deep into the Tournament. Look for UNC to win the ACC Tournament and never look back.

Duke is also a threat to cut some cotton this year, as Coach K has built another strong team. Duke will only go as far as their shooters will take them, as they lack any real inside presence. Problem is, they don’t seem to go cold very often. Look for the Blue Devils to do well in late March.

No other ACC teams are a threat to get to San Antonio. When the official brackets are announced, I expect six teams from the ACC to be called: UNC, Duke, Clemson, Maryland, Virginia Tech, & Miami.

Big East

Georgetown was the early favorite in the Big East, and here on March 2nd they are tied in the loss column with Louisville (who has a game in hand). Georgetown is indeed a threat to make it all the way to San Antonio, but I have a hunch they won’t make it that far. I see them losing in the Regional Finals, however, and depending on their draw they could certainly make the Final Four. How they play in the Big East tournament will determine whether or not they make it to the Alamo.

Louisville is the other team playing for the regular season championship in the Big East. The Cardinals have not lost in over a month now, and are a serious threat to make it to San Antonio. Rick Pitino is proving why he is the best coach in college basketball, and has his team playing as well as anyone in the country. The Cardinals could easily be the last team standing in the Big East Tournament and given the right draw, Louisville could be cutting down the nets in Texas too.

The Huskies of Connecticut have seemingly come out of nowhere to become one of the best teams in the country. All they have been this year is steady, and none of their six losses were to bad teams. While I don’t think they can make a run at the Final Four, they are certainly a dangerous team to watch. I wouldn’t want to see my favorite team in their bracket right now, as UCONN has won twelve of its last thirteen games. Sophomore center Hasheem Thabeet uses his 7”3” frame to his advantage, as he blocks an average of 4.4 shots per game. The big guy can score too, averaging 10.2 points per game. Problem is he can disappear completely in some games, and that’s why I don’t think the Huskies will make it past the second weekend.

While they aren’t threats to go deep in the dance, Notre Dame, Marquette, Pittsburgh and West Virginia have all punched their tickets already. Cincinnati needs only beat Depaul on Thursday to do the same. Villanova has a shot to join them, which would make it an astounding nine teams from the Big East to go dancing.

Big-Ten

Wisconsin and Purdue are battling it out to see who will get the automatic bid and a likely two seed in the NCAA. While both teams are good, quality basketball teams, I don’t see either team as a serious threat to make the Final Four. Wisconsin should win the automatic bid, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Purdue take it either. Both of these teams could make a Regional Final, as could Indiana, but don’t expect to see the Big Ten represented in San Antonio.

Indiana does have Eric Gordon though, and everyone needs to see this kid play at least once. Gordon is the kind of player who could get hot and cause magical things to happen for his team. He’s that good. Problem is, with all of the turmoil surrounding the Hoosier’s program right now, I just can not see them making it past the Sweet Sixteen.

Michigan State will also be going to the Tournament this year. The question is how many other Big Ten teams will get called? I could easily see both Minnesota and Ohio State making the dance, but Ohio State has a tough slate ahead to make that happen. Both teams sit at 8-8 in the league with two games to go. If they split those games, they will be in the NCAA’s.

SEC

The SEC really only has one legitimate candidate to make the Final Four this year. Bruce Pearl has his Volunteers playing as well as anyone in the country. Despite losing at Vanderbilt this past week, Tennessee is a serious threat to make it to San Antonio. Chris Lofton leads a guard-heavy scoring attack that averages 82.8 points per game. While I don’t see the Vols cutting down the nets in San Antonio, I would not be surprised to see them there with a chance.

No other SEC teams appear to be serious threats to make the Final Four. Up to as many as six teams could be dancing, though. Mississippi State, Kentucky and Vanderbilt have all punched their tickets to join Tennessee in the Tournament. Florida and Arkansas both have a shot at joining them, with Arkansas having the best shot based on remaining games. I expect they will both make it, but if Florida loses out they will be very nervous on Selection Sunday.

Big-12

Kansas and Texas are still fighting to be the best team in the Big 12. The two teams have only played once this season, and won’t meet again unless it’s in the Big 12 tournament. Texas won that first match up, by the way. Head coach Rick Barnes has the Longhorns playing well, and they are a threat to make it to San Antonio this year. They are also good enough to win once they get there. D.J. Augustin and A.J. Abrams make up one of the best backcourts in the country, and guard play is the most important factor in the Tourney.

Kansas could also make it to San Antonio if given the right draw. The Jayhawks are extremely well balanced, and are playing good basketball right now. They aren’t playing great, though, and they are going to have to kick it up a notch if they want to make it past the second weekend of the dance.

No other Big 12 teams are a threat to make it to the Final Four. After Texas wins out, and gets the automatic bid and possible #1 seed, I see five other teams making the tournament. Baylor, Kansas State and Texas A&M have all pretty much punched their tickets already, and Oklahoma is likely to join them. Be glad that Kansas State will make it, because it means more Michael Beasley for us. If you have not seen Beasley play this year, you are truly missing out on one of the best seasons in a long time. The freshman forward scores at will (26.7 ppg), and cleans the glass (12.6 rpg) with amazing power. So do yourself a favor and watch the two games he will get to play in before heading off to the NBA.

PAC-10

UCLA has regained its past glory and is a serious contender to make waves in San Antonio. Freshman center Kevin Love leads a pretty well-balanced scoring attack that has four players averaging more than twelve points per game. Head coach Ben Howland has the Bruins playing as well as anyone in the country, and it’s a treat that we’ll get to see them face off against Stanford on Thursday. Look for UCLA to win that game as well as make it all the way to the Final Four.

Stanford is also a legitimate contender for the Final Four. They have quietly gone 24–4 this year and with twin brothers, who happen to both be seven-feet tall, Brook and Robin Lopez, they have a post-heavy attack that could carry them to San Antonio. The story of the twins will be compelling and they will be fun to watch.

Washington State and USC are in. Herb Sendek’s Arizona State Sun Devils should be in later in the week as well. Arizona could also finish at 9–9 in the conference, so we will see what the committee does with them. If they get the nod, that would be six PAC-10 teams in the tourney.

The only other team that could make the Final Four is Memphis. Freshman point guard Derrick Rose is a special, special player. A lot of people will discount the Tigers because they play in Conference USA, but don’t be fooled. They played the second toughest out-of-conference schedule this year (according to the RPI), and Conference USA isn’t the cakewalk it used to be. It’s still easy for a team of Memphis’ caliber, mind you, but it is improved. Memphis has only lost one game this year and I don’t think they will lose another unless they meet UNC in the Tournament.

With only 34 at-large bids to the NCAA Tournament up for grabs, and there being 34 bubble teams covered here, they all had better play like they aren’t in the dance as of yet. It only makes sense that some of these bids are going to be lost to mid-majors, and each one that does knocks one of the power conference teams out. Keep in mind as well that some of these mid-major conferences are good too. The Atlantic-10 alone could steal two or three bids.

When it’s all said and done, look for UNC, Texas, UCLA and Memphis to all make it to the third and final weekend of March Madness. Then look for Roy Williams to bring home another banner to hand in the Dean Dome.

The second ranked Tennessee Volunteers (24-2), coached by Bruce Pearl, are traveling across the state in attempt to repeat their 76-58 win over the Tigers from last year.

However, this is not last year. Memphis is going for perfection. They are going for the first perfect season since Bobby Knight’s ‘76 Indiana Hoosiers, when they went 32-0.

Memphis has been unbeaten on their home court for 47 straight games, but Tennessee brings one of the deepest teams in college basketball to the FedEx Forum. They are led by two long-range snipers in senior guards Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith, who have drained 156 combined three pointers. Their front court is led by two sophomore forwards, Tyler Smith and Wayne Chism, who are two big men that love to run the court in up-tempo games.

Tennessee has scored over 90 points seven times this season with their only two losses coming on the road against Texas and Kentucky.

For Memphis to continue on their road to perfection, junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts, who shoots at an amazing 55 percent from the field, will need to defend the three point arch all night long. His help will come from one of the best freshman guards, Derrick Rose, who is averaging 14 points, four rebounds and four assists per game. Memphis also has two guys that love to pound it down low in junior Robert Dozier and senior Joey Dorsey. However, this is going to be a run-and-gun game where sophomore guard Doneal Mack could flourish.

If you are a fan of basketball, college or pro, this is the game to watch Saturday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN. FedEx Forum will be rocking with Tiger fans and a few Volunteer fans, Peyton Manning included, that dare to make the trip. The Southeastern Conference against Conference USA. Let the best team win.