The Madness of March


March brings with it a few things. St. Patrick's Day, green and a celebration of the Irish. References to Julius Ceasar and the Ides of March. And, of course, the craziest time for college basketball.

In my younger years, I used to follow all sports intensely. I would research the teams, watch clips, then fill out my bracket. I always thought I had it nailed, until I realized I didn't. In recent years I haven't watched the regular season or researched the teams, but I still love to fill out the bracket. And you know what I discovered — I do about the same in terms of making picks. Lesson learned.

So, take the following for what you will. Below are my best uniformed guesses about who'll be playing in the Final Four.

West — Creighton. A lot of people like Arizona here, but not me. I like an under dog, Creighton has perhaps the best player in the country, and I think they have a shot. Again, these are guesses.

Midwest — Wichita State. This is the only undefeated team in the country. They made the finals last year. Essentially this is the same, experienced team — an advantage in modern college basketball. This is a tough region. Wichita State would have to go through (potentially) Kentucky, Louisville and either Duke or Michigan. Still, I like the Shockers.

East — Michigan State. I think the Spartans might be poorly seeded. They won the Big Ten tournament, but they didn't have an incredible regular season. I know the reasons why they ended up a fourth seed, I just think they're the best team in the bracket.

South — Florida. The Gators are the overall number one seed and have been the best, most consistent team in the country. That doesn't mean that they will cruise through, but I think this is a team that can win its bracket and make it to the Final Four.

Final Four:
Florida over Michigan State
Wichita State over Creighton

Finals:
Florida 76, Wichita State 72

There's my picks. If you're smart, you'll pick four other teams...

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