One of the most competitive draws we have seen in years heads this edition of the 68-year old NCAA Division-I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament. Over 100 schools had 20 wins, and six were vying for a number-one seed.

In pursuit of a second straight national championship, Florida has been named the top number-one seed of the bunch. Boasting all five starters from last season, they will attempt a second straight championship. Giving them the top-seed seemed to make sense according to the NCAA: beat the best to be the best. We’ll see how that pans out.

The snubs

But we cannot get started on understanding the actual bracket without mentioning the snubs. After a triumphant run last year, the Syracuse Orange were been excluded from this year’s draw. They had 10 conference wins. The team was on a significant run for the Big East title before being ousted from the Big East tournament earlier this week. Another team with gripes was Florida State, whose schedule carried no bad losses. Kansas State also went far in the Big XII tournament with nothing to show for it.
Parity also took a hit this year, as two less “smaller school” teams were excluded this year. Most of the smaller schools are facing each other in the first round (for example, Butler versus Old Dominion). Was this due to a far less satisfactory performance by these schools, or is it a conspiracy to keep Cinderella schools from gelling?

The Midwest

Butler and Old Dominion are featured in this first bracket, but this one is the temporary home to last year’s champion, the Florida Gators. This squad probably has the best chance of the four number-one seeds to get to the Final Four without significant competition. Alando Tucker and his Wisconsin Badgers are the number-two seed, and have a strong chance of beating Florida. Outside of Wisconsin, however, the competition is sparse.

One of the better 8-9 matchups is in this section, as Arizona against Purdue should be a dandy. If you’re looking for sleepers, both Winthrop and Davidson are in this draw and both could get to the Sweet 16.

The West

The West is the most unpredictable division of the bracket. It’s headed by Kansas, a team that bears the dubious distinction of being the least respected number-one seed in the tournament. Indiana and Gonzaga are back in a potential grudge from last year’s foray, and a decrepit Duke makes a showing. This isn’t the Duke we know of yesteryears, and even with their forgiving number-six seed, their chance of success is slim. Look for Virginia Commonwealth to upset Coach K’s boys. UCLA, who contended for a top-seed like Wisconsin, was given a decent consolation prize as a two-seed, and could have the biggest blowout game this year.

Another team to watch for is a tenacious Pittsburgh squad led by senior Aaron Gray.
Kentucky coach Tubby Smith and his Wildcats somehow garnered an eight-seed this year, but face a Villanova team that was a one-seed last year. Look for UCLA and Duke to cross paths in the Sweet 16, and for four-seed Southern Illinois to fall before then.
The East

This bracket is by far the most stacked and guarantees heart-pounding action. North Carolina earned their one-seed, but could face buzzsaw upstarts in Michigan State and Texas in the subsequent rounds. Speaking of Texas, potential Naismith Award winner Kevin Durant enters his first tournament with his fourth-seeded Longhorns. For the gamblers out there, a team that could escape is the two-seed Georgetown Hoyas. Roy Hibbert and Patrick Ewing, Jr. bring a their physical play to a dominant offensive team. This bracket also has significant sleepers in over-looked Vanderbilt and 12-seed Arkansas, who turn some heads with the way they played Kansas in the Big XII finals.

The South

Toronto native Tristan Blackwood and his Central Connecticut squad will try to defy history against one-seed Ohio State and the best centre in the country: Greg Oden. No 16-seed has ever beaten a one-seed, but this tournament is about the what-ifs. Outside of this matchup, the competition for the Buckeyes is similar to that of the Gators, but not as definite. One of my favourite teams, the Memphis Tigers, have the second-seed as the Conference USA Champs and could coast to the Elite 8. Rick Pitino is the first coach in NCAA history to lead three teams to the national tournament, and his sixth-seeded Louisville Cardinals offer him a strong chance to win one. Penn, the only Ivy-League team in the draw, faces fan-favourite Bobby Knight and the Texas A & M Aggies, a team that could also make a run-that is, if they can get by Memphis in the Sweet 16.

Final Four

Atlanta’s Superdome will host the Final Four and the national championships at the end of March. Florida and Ohio State should end up getting there without too much of a hitch. The Hoyas should be able to overpower North Carolina, and take your pick between Kansas and UCLA. In what should make for a great big man battle, look for Oden to cement his NBA Draft top-pick status as he leads Ohio State over the Hoyas to claim the national title.