LET IT BEGIN!!

FINALLY...its here.

As i sit here watching on TV and listening to the radio of the first half of the first round games, i thought i would jump on here and post my thoughts as the tourney begins.

alright... my final four predictions. For some wierdo reason, i just CANT pick all four number one seeds to do it again. Last year was the first time EVER, so i like my chances of it NOT happening this year. In the end, i went with a 1, a 2, a 3, and a 4 to make it to detroit. Lets go in order as you look at your bracket:

MIDWEST... here is where my 4 seed is... i REALLY like wake forest this year. And i mean REALLY...as you'll see in a bit when i say who's going to win it all. They've got a good combination of everything...from experience to size to a good bench to good coaching...and they played in a VERY tough ACC and held their own. So...its wake over michigan state.

WEST...here is my 3 seed...Missouri. This bracket in my opinion is the toughest of the four. I mean really...a 30 win team is an 11 seed!!! i know its utah state...but still, it illustrates how tough this bracket is. As i look at my picks, one that really stands out is...i actually DID pick PURDUE to win a game. YUK! it may be the first (and ONLY) time EVER for me doing that. But anyway...back to Mizzou...i like their style! I only saw them a handful of times on TV, but they love to push the ball and stuff it in your face. I think they'll wear out the likes of marquette, memphis and uconn on the way. So...its mizzou over uconn.

EAST...here is my 2 seed...Duke. Yes, coach K will have the dukeys right back in the finale quatro after closing out the season on a high note. Like many teams, they did flub up a little at one point in the season, but ended up running their way through the conference tourney. And all this with the toughest strength of schedule in the country. So...its duke over pitt.

SOUTH...here is my 1 seed...North Carolina. And they're my ONLY number one seed. And a big reason why is their road they get to take...by FAR the EASIEST of the four regions. In fact, i have the most first round upsets in this one...with butler, western ky, and temple. i also have clemson beating oklahoma in the second round! OK...back to the heels... They get to play their first two right in their backyard in greensboro...they've got a VERY experienced team and a VERY experienced coach. I know they're a little beat up...but even a little short handed, they should be able to punch their ticket again. So...its north carolina over syracuse.

Now...drum roll please...i have WAKE beating Mizzou...and DUKE over North Carolina. (how about THAT for a final four matchup!!!)

And your champion will beeeeee.....WAKE FOREST! for all the reasons stated above...and oh yeah...i almost forgot THIS point...remember, they were the number one team in the nation at one point this year.

So there ya go! i havent heard or read too many prognosticators take Wake...so, put it this way... if they DO win it all, i WILL win EVERY bracket competition i entered!

I'll try and hop on here on a regular basis throughout the tourney.

ENJOY the most WONDERFUL time of the year!!