Get ready for the heartaches and headaches, March Madness is in full swing.
It has been 355 days since Maryland clipped the Indiana Hoosiers, 64-52, for the national title, and now is the time for everybody to sit on their couch with at least four brackets on the coffee table and eagerly await the next scintillating moment in the most exciting sporting event in America.
MIDWEST BRACKET
This has to be stated — Weber State will make it to the Sweet 16.
Weber State wins this year’s Gonzaga Award, or in lay people’s terms, the “my girlfriend thinks it is a cool name, so they will probably win two games” award.
There is always one team in the tourney that has a crazy name and wins at least two games, and girls usually pick it.
IUPUI has a funny name too, but get real, it plays Kentucky.
But the Wildcats of Weber State are not a stranger to upsets. They knocked off North Carolina in 1999 as a No. 14 seed and put out the No. 3-seeded Michigan Wolverines in 1995.
Weber State rides a 17-game winning streak and will eliminate Wisconsin and Dayton on their way to Minneapolis, Minn., but, Kentucky prevails in the first match of Wildcats.
Marquette will outduel Alabama in the Sweet 16 before Kentucky disposes of them in the Elite Eight.
WEST BRACKET
The West is the most stacked bracket, so don’t expect many upsets here because the corresponding teams will bring their “A” games.
These games will be intense and exciting.
Arizona will beat out Illinois, and Kansas will knock off the Dukies to set up a great Elite Eight matchup between the Wildcats and Jayhawks.
‘Zona will squeak out of the West battered and bruised entering the cat fight in Jazzland against Kentucky.
SOUTH BRACKET
This is where it all gets real fun. We have overrated No. 1 and No. 2 seeds in the South and the No. 3, 6, 7 and 8 seeds all have a legitimate chance to come out of San Antonio on top.
Florida will avenge its 2000 National Title Game loss to Michigan State in the second round before losing to a well-coached Maryland team.
BYU will take out its aggression on UCONN after the NCAA slapped them in the face. (A small note to the powers that be, the phrase, “IT IS AGAINST MY RELIGION” still means something in certain parts of the world.)
The red-hot shooting LSU Tigers will claw through Birmingham, Ala., on its way to San Antonio, upsetting Texas and Stanford before losing to Maryland in the Elite Eight.
EAST BRACKET
Oklahoma, prepare for the defense of the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
After the Bulldogs take care of business against Butler and a limping Louisville team, they will showcase their outstanding perimeter defense against Oklahoma’s exceptional backcourt and knock off the Sooners.
But I have two words for you — Carmelo Anthony.
He is arguably the best player in the country. You may have not heard of this freshman phenom, but by the end of March, he will be a household name.
He will carry Syracuse through Boston and Albany with big wins over Wake Forest and Mississippi State and into New Orleans for the Final Four.
FINAL FOUR
Arizona and Kentucky will duke it out in what many people will call the “real National Title Game.” The Wildcats from the desert will be exhausted after tough games against Illinois and Kansas, and Kentucky will win it down the stretch.
Maryland’s run will end in New Orleans when Anthony and the Orangemen of Syracuse end the Terps’ hopes of a consecutive national championship, setting the stage for a rematch of the 1996 title game.
Kentucky won then, and Kentucky will win on April 7 for its eighth National Title.
Now it’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy the games.