NCAA Tourney Picks: I say what?

Let’s have a little fun and make some tourney predictions. I’ll break them down regionally, then continue on to the semifinals and final.

I don’t claim to foretell the future, so don’t take these picks literately.

East Region

First Round

• UNC over Mount St. Mary’s - You don’t really expect an upset..do you?
• Indiana over Arkansas - The Hoosiers have struggled of late, but I think they’ll pull this one out.
• George Mason over Notre Dame - No 12/5 upset last year, how about this year?
• Washington St. over Winthrop - The Cougars are too much.
• Oklahoma over St. Joseph’s - The Sooners will rebound from the blowout to Texas.
• Louisville over Boise State - Sounds like a football matchup. The Cardinals will be too much in the end.
• Butler over South Alabama - Could be an upset, but I’ll sticky with the Bulldogs.
• Tennessee over American - No way the Vols drop this one.

Second Round

• UNC over IU - Indiana’s journey will simply end here.
• Washington St. over George Mason - I just see the Cougars getting this one.
• Louisville over Oklahoma - Possibly an upset, but believe the Cardinals are better.
• Butler over Tennessee - An upset special. I think Butler will shine in this game and send the Vols home.

Regional Semifinal

• UNC over Washington St. - They may give them a game, but UNC prevails.
• Butler over Louisville - Poor shooting will do the Cardinals in.

Regional Final

• Butler over UNC - The Bulldogs are riding high and nip the Tar Heels.

Midwest Region

First Round

• Kansas over Portland St. - No upset here.
• Kent St. over UNLV - No particular reasoning.
• Clemson over Villanova - The Tigers have been playing well.
• Vanderbilt over Siena - SEC wins.
• Kansas St. over USC - Beasley, Mayo? Mayo, Beasley…take your pick.
• Wisconsin over Cal St. Fullerton - The Badgers are simply better.
• Davidson over Gonzaga - Who doesn’t like upsets?
• Georgetown over UMBC - Too much good size.

Second Round

• Kansas over Kent St - Too much Jayhawks.
• Clemson over Vanderbilt - The Commodores won’t have it.
• Wisconsin over Kansas St. - Beasley goes Pro.
• Davidson over Georgetown - What the Hell? Continue the streak.

Regional Semifinal

• Kansas over Clemson - On there way.
• Davidson over Wisconsin - The streak continues.

Regional Final

• Kansas over Davidson - The luck runs out.

South Region

First Round

• Memphis over UT-Arlington - No chance.
• Mississippi State over Oregon - It’s an SEC team.
• Michigan State over Temple - Hoot, Hoot
• Pittsburgh over Oral Roberts - The better team wins.
• Kentucky over Marquette - My Wildcats will prevail.
• Stanford over Cornell - Size wins.
• St. Mary’s over Miami (Fla.) - I like some upsets.
• Texas over Austin Peay - No Governing here.

Second Round

• Memphis over Mississippi State - The Tigers want to make a point.
• Pittsburgh over Michigan State - Pitt will be too much.
• Kentucky over Stanford - United We Stand.
• Texas over St. Mary’s - The slipper doesn’t fit.

Regional Semifinal

• Memphis over Pitt - The Tigers run up and down over the Panthers.
• Kentucky over Texas - The Wildcats surprise everyone to stifle away the win.

Regional Final

• Memphis over Kentucky - Would like to pick my ‘Cats here, but the fatigue will set in.

West Region

First Round

• UCLA over Mississippi Valley St. - The Bruins are too much.
• Texas A&M over BYU - Gillispie’s old team gets it done.
• Western KY over Drake - An upset that’s waiting to happen.
• UConn over San Diego - Better team wins.
• Baylor over Purdue - I just see another upset here.
• Xavier over Georgia - The SEC Tournament momentum doesn’t last.
• West Virginia over Arizona - Tricky game, wouldn’t be surprised at an upset.
• Duke over Belmont - Hate to pick them at anything, but I’ll be fair.

Second Round

• UCLA over Texas A&M - The Aggies can’t handle them.
• Western KY over UConn - Upset special.
• Xavier over Baylor - Just because.
• West Virginia over Duke - Surprise, surprise. The Blue Devils leave early.

Regional Semifinal

• UCLA over Western KY - The Hilltoppers head back home.
• Xavier over West Virginia - The Musketeers find a way to win.

Regional Final

• UCLA over Xavier - Won’t be able to stop them.

Final Four

Semifinals

• Kansas over Butler - The run of the Bulldogs will end here.
• Memphis over UCLA - An interesting game. A close one that goes down to the wire.

Final

• Kansas over Memphis - The Jayhawks get the monkey off their back and go all the way. (Final score: 85-77)

There you have the “Not so” perfect bracket.