It's Awesome Baby

The NCAA Tournament really is unlike any other event in American sports. It and the Super Bowl are the only events, I believe, that truly transcend the actual sport and become part of the fabric of the American consciousness. The Olympics may be close, but I don't think I know anyone that actually follows the Olympics with more than casual interest, and they only take place every four years (the Winter Olympics don't really count). Soccer's World Cup may be more important internationally than any American sport, but people in America have never embraced soccer and probably never will. Soccer is for losers. The World Series, Stanley Cup Playoffs, and NBA Championship are fine, but are boring in comparison.

I'll leave the in-depth analysis to the experts, but here are my quick thoughts on this year's bracket, by region:

Atlanta

• Duke has long been my favorite college basketball program. I love Coach K. They consistently win the ACC tournament and earn a 1 seed. And I never pick them to win it all, because you know at some point during the tournament their big guy (in this case, Shelden Williams) is going to get into foul trouble, and they're going to have to have someone like Lee Melchionni in the lineup at power forward.
• Texas has been one of the most inconsisten teams in the country. Still, they have the talent to win it all.
• At mid-season, I thought West Virginia was a Final Four team. Now, I think they could lose in the first round...or be a Final Four team.

Oakland

• This is as wide-open as any bracket. Not necessarily the strongest, but any one of the top five seeds could be in the Final Four and it would not be a complete surprise.
• Memphis is as young and athletic as any team in the tourney. I think their inexperience and lack of discipline will hurt them.
• Gonzaga and UCLA are the top two team in the West, and they are on track to meet in the Sweet Sixteen. The Zags could lose to Xavier, or they could ride Adam Morrison to the Final Four to set up everyone's dream matchup with J.J. Redick and Duke. UCLA won the pathetic Pac-10, but at least they did it with ease.

Washington, D.C.

• UConn is the most talented team in the tourney, and perhaps as talented as any team in recent memory. They are also somewhat inconsistent, and Rudy Gay is too unassertive to be the superstar that he is supposed to be. UConn is the overwhelming favorite to win the whole thing, with good reason.
• The potential North Carolina-Michigan State matchup in the second round is a rematch of one of last year's national semifinal games. Whereas Michigan State's team returned several stars from that team and was expected to be one of the top contenders for this year's championship, North Carolina lost their top seven scorers and were supposed to be entering a rebuilding year. Both have been surprises; UNC has been surprisingly good, while Michigan State has been one of the nation's biggest disappointments.
• This bracket contains the two bubble teams that upset me most. I can now live with Utah State. Air Force's inclusion, however, is unacceptable. The following teams were more deserving than Air Force: Cincinnati, Florida State, Missouri State, Hofstra, Michigan, Maryland, South Carolina, Colorado, UTEP, and Creighton.

Minneapolis

• It will be interesting to see how Allan Ray performs for Villanova after he had his eye pop out of his skull. They're not going to need him in the first round, but Arizona/Wisconsin could be tough. He will have had over a week to recover by then.
• Boston College is playing as well as anyone right now. They looked impressive during their run through the ACC tourney, and took Duke down to the wire in the championship.
• Any one of the top four seeds could win this. Florida and Ohio State performed well in good conferences, but lack star power.

BStein