NCAA Tournament Preview: Let the Madness Begin!

For starters, my apologies to Drexel and Air Force. You guys got the shaft. I don't usually defend rejected tournament teams, but those two definitely got screwed...

Now that my condolences are dished, it's time for my input on this year's tournament.

North Carolina had themselves a bumpy road, and should feel very fortunate that they don't have to play Virginia Tech to get to the biggest dance of all.

And how did Stanford get into this tournament? The Cardinal are probably the only team without 20 wins that made the show as an at-large. Explain how they got in and the Dragons and the Falcons didn't. It's all about politics, I guess.

But the Florida State Seminoles didn't make it. Granted, they did beat the defending champs earlier this season. And granted, they did fight hard in the ACC Tournament. That said, it's pretty obvious that the only way you hit the hardwood in March is by finishing in the top-five of your conference.

The Tar Heels, Buckeyes, and Gators all helped themselves by winning regular-season championships AND their conference tournaments.

Here's a shock for ya: Duke isn't a number-one seed this year. Here's another: Georgetown and UNC may have to face off against each other in a Sweet 16 showdown. And how about the possibility of Ohio State against Memphis or Kansas, or UCLA or Florida against Wisconsin or Arizona? This promises to be a good tournament...so long as you're not an Air Force or Drexel fan.

After getting a phone call from someone who wanted to talk smack about the Gators, I decided to make my preemptive picks (I reserve the right to change these before the start of the tournament on Thursday): 

Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, and Ohio State in the Final Four. Florida and Ohio State in the championship game. (Ironic how the sport changes but the teams still end up hating each other.) Georgetown will beat Carolina, Kansas will squeak by UCLA, Florida will handle Wisconsin, and Ohio State will trump Memphis in OT. When the smoke clears, history will have been made one more time—and the mighty Gators will be standing tall.

Again, though, I reserve the right to change these picks after I actually sit down and look at the bracket. To be continued...