March Madness Eve

In what has turned out to be the greatest regular season in BYU basketball history, the Cougars' time for a first round victory in the NCAA Tournament is "now or never," according to Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson. And, considering what BYU has done in the past, and what they've accomplished this season, he might be right.

The Cougs finished the season at 29-5, setting a school record in wins (BYU won 28 in 1950-51). This team has the most depth its had in ages, it has a star in Jimmer Fredette that fans in Provo haven't seen since the glorious days of Danny Ainge in the late '70s/early '80s, it has a masterful thief in Jackson Emery, shattering the single-season steals record with 89; Marty Haws held the previous record with 66 thefts in 1989-90. Funny enough, BYU has Marty's son, Tyler, playing the dominant freshman, averaging just over 10 points a game as a greenie.

This is clearly the most well-rounded team the Cougars have had since the mid-'90s; in fact, this team plays better together than the 1992-93 team that last won a game in the NCAA Tournament, beating SMU 80-71. The chemistry between Jimmer, Jackson, Tyler Haws, Jonathan Tavernari, Chris Miles, Noah Hartsock, Brandon Davies, Charles Abouo, Michael Lloyd Jr, Lamont Morgan Jr, James Anderson, Brock Zylstra and Logan Magnusson is as good as I have ever seen in any team; for me, it rivals the '07 Rockies, when they stormed their way to the World Series. If the Rox could win 21 out of 22 to make the Fall Classic, then why can't BYU win four straight to find themselves Dancing in Indy? With the way the bracket is set up this year, it's a decent possibility.

Here's Bracketologist Joe Lunardi's preview on BYU:



Here are some other articles/columns regarding BYU and their chances at making a deep run:

Pat Forde's Best/Worst Case Scenarios for all 64 teams.

Pat Forde's Forde Minutes: March Madness Edition. Both of Forde's articles are definitely WORTH READING! He is a hilarious columnist, and these are usually my favorite annual articles to read before the Madness.

Video Preview of West Region:



Bracketologist Joe Lunardi reveals his tourney bracket:

Eamonn Brennan's Five Bold Predictions.

Andy Katz's Breakdown of the West Region.

As you can see, I'm crazy excited about MARCH MADNESS starting tomorrow! In a lot of ways, it's a good thing BYU's the first game of the weekend, mainly because I don't have to stress about them while watching all the other games. Win or lose, I'm ready for a great game against Florida tomorrow!

With the BYU talk all out of the way, here's a look at my bracket:

MIDWEST REGION:

First Round:

1) Kansas over 16) Vermont
9) Northern Iowa over 8) UNLV
5) Michigan State over 12) New Mexico State
4) Maryland over 13) Houston
11) San Diego State over 6) Tennessee
3) Georgetown over 14) Ohio
7) Oklahoma State over 10) Georgia Tech
2) Ohio State over 15) UC-Santa Barbara

Second Round:

1) Kansas over 9) Northern Iowa
5) Michigan State over 4) Maryland
3) Georgetown over 11) San Diego State
2) Ohio State over 7) Oklahoma State

Sweet 16:

1) Kansas over 5) Michigan State
2) Ohio State over 3) Georgetown

Elite Eight:

1) Kansas over 2) Ohio State

WEST REGION:

First Round:

1) Syracuse over 16) Vermont
8) Gonzaga over 9) Florida State
5) Butler over 12) UTEP
13) Murray State over 4) Vanderbilt
6) Xavier over 11) Minnesota
3) Pittsburgh over 14) Oakland
7) BYU over 10) Florida
2) Kansas State over 15) North Texas

Second Round:

1) Syracuse over 8) Gonzaga
5) Butler over 13) Murray State
6) Xavier over 3) Pittsburgh
7) BYU over 2) Kansas State

Sweet 16:

1) Syracuse over 5) Butler
7) BYU over 6) Xavier

Elite Eight:

1) Syracuse over 7) BYU

EAST REGION:

First Round:

1) Kentucky over 16) East Tennessee State
8) Texas over 9) Wake Forest
12) Cornell over 5) Temple
4) Wisconsin over 13) Wofford
6) Marquette over 11) Washington
3) New Mexico over 14) Montana
10) Missouri over 7) Clemson
2) West Virginia over 15) Morgan State

Second Round:

1) Kentucky over 8) Texas
4) Wisconsin over 12) Cornell
3) New Mexico over 6) Marquette
2) West Virginia over 10) Missouri

Sweet 16:

4) Wisconsin over 1) Kentucky
2) West Virginia over 3) New Mexico

Elite Eight:

2) West Virginia over 4) Wisconsin

SOUTH REGION:

First Round:

1) Duke over 16) Arkansas-Pine Bluff
8) California over 9) Louisville
5) Texas A&M over 12) Utah State
4) Purdue over 13) Siena
6) Notre Dame over 11) Old Dominion
3) Baylor over 14) Sam Houston State
7) Richmond over 10) Saint Mary's
2) Villanova over 15) Robert Morris

Second Round:

1) Duke over 8) California
5) Texas A&M over 4) Purdue
3) Baylor over 6) Notre Dame
2) Villanova over 7) Richmond

Sweet 16:

5) Texas A&M over 1) Duke
3) Baylor over 2) Villanova

Elite Eight:

3) Baylor over 5) Texas A&M

FINAL FOUR:

1) Kansas over 1) Syracuse
2) West Virginia over 3) Baylor

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

2) WEST VIRGINIA OVER 1) KANSAS

WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS are your 2010 NCAA CHAMPIONS!

Well, there you have it; I was forced not to pick my beloved Tar Heels to win it all, as they suffered their worst season under Roy Williams. So what do I do? I pick my 3rd favorite team, West Virginia, to hoist the NCAA Plaque (see picture).



64 teams. 3 BEAUTIFUL WEEKS of Madness. 4 Region Champs in Indy. 1 Champion. ONE SHINING MOMENT.

As for me, the search for the Perfect Bracket continues...