Sports 'N Stuff: It's Mad, Mad, Mad . . .

By Brian Flagg - March 17, 2008
iBerkshires Columnist

... Mad March ... AWESOME BABY!

OK, the reference to Monty Python's "Mad World" might not fit but it is going to be "awesome, baby." 

The NCAA Tournament is here and it's about time. Offices are buzzing today with the "office pool professionals" ready to show their brilliance in picking brackets. So if you are one of the players in an office pool or just filling out a bracket for yourself, here is a quick picture of how I see it playing out.  

There are always the big upsets in the tournament and I am not going to even pretend to know which ones will be the "big ones." One thing I am sure of is that the final four will not be comprised of four No. 1 seeds. It hasn't happened yet and this year will be no different.  

In the East, North Carolina has the easiest road in the entire tournament. The biggest "challenge" for them will probably be Tennessee but even that game will be a victory for the 'Heels. They are the overall No. 1 seed and are considered by many (though not me) to be the best team in the country. 

The Tarheels have, bar none, the best all around player in the country in Tyler Hansbrough. They also have a healthy Ty Lawson back and that spells trouble for almost everyone in the tournament. They will represent the East in the Final Four and will play in the championship game.

In the South region, Memphis is the No. 1 seed and I believe is one of the teams who can pull off a national championship if all goes well. Scratch that. They would have to play perfect basketball ... not play well.

Path to Final Four

They will have a fairly easy road until their Final Four matchup. That will be the end for Memphis, who had a fantastic regular season capped by winning the Conference USA tournament. Head coach John Calipari has proven again that is one of the premier coaches in college basketball. He has taken teams like Memphis and formerly, UMass, and turned them into nationally recognized contenders. This year, they will fall one game short of being in the championship.

The MidWest is where I see the No. 1 seed getting ousted. Kansas has the top spot and while I think they are a formidable squad I feel Georgetown is going to take this bracket because of their better defense and big-man play. 

Patrick Ewing Jr. is a tremendous basketball player who can score whenever he touches the ball but his defensive skills will help the Hoyas more during the tournament. It has been a focus of G'town all year to get more touches for Roy Hibbert, their 7-foot-2 center. That is what will be the difference in getting Georgetown through this bracket and into the Final Four. I am not picking them to win the whole tourney though.

That brings us to the West region. My heart (and anyone who knows me knows this) says to pick Duke. I am a huge Blue Devil fan and Coach K could win and has one with teams that are not necessarily the best in the country. So there you have it ... no just kidding. UCLA is going to be your national champion.

If Hansbrough from North Carolina wasn't around, then UCLA would have the country's best all-around player in Darren Collison and they also have the nation's premier freshman sensation in Kevin Love. Love scored in double digits in all 34 games in which he played this season. 

Ben Howland knows how to win from the coach's box and will do it this year to become the national champion of college basketball.

So there you have it – for real this time. Your final four will be North Carolina, Georgetown, Memphis and UCLA; UCLA will be your champion.