Bracket Buster (Part 1)

It's that time of year again for all of us to pick out our lucky pen and fill out our NCAA tournament brackets. In my experience, you're never going to pick every game right. There's always upsets somwhere along the journey to the Final Four. How many of us can honestly say we picked George Mason to go all the way to the Final Four two years ago. Not me! Picking upsets is risky, but it's necessary if you want to win your office tournament bracket pool. Lucky for you, I'm here to help. Here's my look at each region in this year's NCAA tournament.

EAST REGION: Many are calling this the toughest bracket in this year's tourney. They may be right. From top to bottom, the East Region has a plethora of talent. Starting the from top, North Carolina, all the way to the bottom, including Boise State and American.

North Carolina (32-2): This might be the most athletic team in the country, and some are calling it the best. However, don't let the name, or the record, fool you. In my opinion, UNC is a product of a poor ACC conference. While they are still one of the best teams in the country, they really haven't been truly tested like other squads from the Pac-10 and Big East this season. They've also played in several close contests, including seven of their 30 wins this year have been by 5 points or less, while another 2 have come in Overtime. But on the flip side, good teams know how to win in the clutch. One thing the Tar Heels have going for them is that the road to the Final Four in the East goes through their home state of North Carolina. So, every game could essentially be a home game for them en route to San Antonio. They're a safe pick to go to the Final Four, but I wouldn't call them a lock.

Tennessee (29-4): When they're at their best, they can beat anybody in the country, but when they go cold, they can lose to anyone in the bracket. The Volunteers live and die by the 3 point shot. If you have good perimeter defense that can put pressure on Tennessee's outside shooters, you can beat them. They also don't play defense. If Tennessee gets hot, then look out, but if they go cold, they better hope it's against an opponent who shoots just as poorly.

Louisville (24-8): You can't forget about the Cardinals. This is a team that has kind of slipped through the cracks of the national spotlight considering they're on a two game losing streak. However, they have as good of a coach in Rick Pitino as anyone in the country. And he knows how to win, considering he led Louisville to a Final Four appearance just three years ago. If this team hits their stride at the right time, then watch out.

Washington State (24-8): WAZZU comes from the Pac-10, which in my opinion, was the best conference in the country this year. That means, they've played against tournament quality opponents all season long. So, this shouldn't be anything new for the Cougars. Washington State is led by their senior corps of guards that might be one of the best backcourts in the country. However, they've been very inconsistent this season. Remember the name Aron Baynes, their 6-10, 265 pound Junior center. If he can play up to his potential, they have a shot at knocking off UNC in the Sweet 16.

Notre Dame (24-7): The Fighting Irish seems to be a novelty every year they reach the tournament. They always seem to put up great regular season numbers before falling hard in the tournament. Since the NCAA tournament expanded to 64 teams, they've never made it further than the Sweet 16. However, Notre Dame comes from a solid Big East conference, which should have prepared them for a tough field ahead of them. Look out for sophomore forward, Luke Harangody. He's averaging 20.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Oklahoma (22-11): This is a tough team to figure, considering they finished fifth in the Big 12, yet earn a sixth seed in the tournament. Their last quality win was back on February 19th, a 92-91 overtime win against Baylor. Other quality wins were against Arkansas, Gonzaga and West Viriginia, but all of those were early in the season. I don't expect this team to last further than the second round. This could be a perfect pick for a first round upset.

Butler (29-3): Butler probably feels as though they got the shaft considering they earned a seventh seed after finishing the season with a 29-3 mark. And maybe they're right considering their three losses were by a combined 12 points this year. The Bulldogs finished the year with the nation's 10th best ranking after wrapping up the Horizon League Tournament. Last year, they earned a fifth seed, and were the closest out of any team to defeat the eventual national champions, Florida, in the Sweet 16. If Butler can escape South Alabama, they could surprise some teams.

Indiana (25-7): Another very interesting squad. They have an amazing talent in freshman guard, Eric Gordon, who averaged 21.5 points a game this year in leading the Hoosiers to a third place finish in the Big Ten. However, they are playing with an interim head coach who took over after Kelvin Sampson was forced to resign following more NCAA violations. If this team can play up to their caliber and find a way to play together under their interim head coach, Dan Dakich, they should have no problems in defeating Arkansas in the first round, and could even pose as a major threat to North Carolina in the second.

Arkansas (22-11): It's tough to really pick any SEC team, other than Tennessee this year, considering the conference was so weak. However, Arkansas did defeat the Vols in the conference semis this past weekend before losing to Georgia in the championship game. This is not a team that relies on one player to carry them. They have five players who average 9.3 points per game or better. The Razorbacks must get over their recent struggles in the NCAA tournament. They're last tournament win was in 1999 when they defeated Siena before losing to Iowa. That was just five years after their last national championship run.

South Alabama (26-6): This is a team to me that has a great record coming out of weak conference. Their two biggest quality wins this year are against Western Kentucky and Mississippi State. They also took Vanderbilt to overtime. However, they have a tough first round matchup against Butler, which will most likely be an early exit for the Jaguars.

St. Joes (21-12): This is a team who could very easily upset Oklahoma in the first round. They've defeated Xavier twice this season, including their most recent win in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10. If I had to choose, this would be my upset special in the first round of the NCAA tournament. After that, good luck to the Hawks, because I don't see them getting past Louisville.

George Mason (23-10): You always have to keep your eye on these 12 seeds because it seems every year at least one of them pulls off the upset over a 5. And who could forget this Patriots team who defined "Cinderella" this time of year by marching into the Final Four as an 11th seed two years ago. This is a team who defeated Kansas State earlier this year. While they have a very tough test against Notre Dame in the first round, don't count out the Patriots. They have more tournament experience over the past two years than the Fighting Irish have over the past decade.

Winthrop (22-11): They have a stellar guard in Michael Jenkins who can put up 30+ if he has to, however, the Eagles only have one quality win this year. That was against Miami (FL) last December. This is their fourth straight tournament appearance, and 8th in the past 10 years. But they're just 1-7 all-time in tourney play. Unless WAZZU shows signs of extreme rust early on, don't expect to see any upset in the first round. But if they do make it to the second round, it could be an interesting matchup against Notre Dame, whom they defeated last year in the first round.

Boise State (25-8): You have to remember, this isn't football, but this is a very interesting Broncos team, who's making their first tournament appearance since 1994 when they were apart of the Big Sky. They've been to the Big Dance five times, and have received a 14th seed in each of their last four. They have three players who average at least 14 points a game or more, which means they have plenty of offense. While I don't expect them to defeat Louisville, you never know what you're going to get out of a team who's coming off a 14 year drought.

American (21-11): After falling in the Patriot League Conference championship the past three seasons, the Eagles are finally headed to the NCAA tourney for the first time in school history. Unfortunately, it will only be a one game experience.

Coppin St./Mount St. Marys: Both of these teams square off in a one game playoff for the right to face North Carolina in the first round. Enough said.



I'll breakdown the Midwest Bracket tomorrow...