NCAA Bracket Cheat Sheet (First Round)

West Bracket:

#1 Kansas vs. #16 Play in team: Don't expect Kansas to lose this one. Zero number one seeds have ever lost an opening round game in the history of tournament play.

#8 Kentucky vs. #9 Villanova: Kentucky has lost 6 of 9. That's not exactly finishing the season out with a bang. The Wildcats are also 1-6 against the top 7 teams on their schedule. Nova's won 4 of 5 with their only loss being a tournament loss to #2 seed Georgetown.

#5 Virginia Tech vs. #12 Illinois:VT has key wins over Duke, Maryland, and they swept North Carolina, a #1 seed in the East. Take the Hokies' and don't look back.

#4 S. Illinois vs. #13 Holy Cross: This is the team from Illinois that you should fear. S. Ill. has 26 wins and will have 27 after another 40 minutes on the hardwood.

#6 Duke vs. #11 Virginia Common Wealth: Duke got a higher seed than they deserved. But by no means does the mean they got an easy draw in the first round. VCU is very capable of beating Duke, and guess what they will.

#3 Pittsburgh vs. #14 Wright State: I haven't been much of a PITT fan all year. But come on, they will roll Wright State in this one.

#7 Indiana vs. #10 Gonzaga: Very unimpressive year for the Zags'. They got a seeded better than they should have. Indiana will put them out of their misery quick. No Cinderella story for the Zags this year.

#2 UCLA vs. #15 Weber State: Please. This is the lock of the tournament. UCLA will win with ease.

Mid-West Bracket:

#1 Florida vs. #16 Jackson State: If Florida losses this one it will be the biggest upset in tournament history. Florida rolls Jackson State.

#8 Arizona vs. #9 Purdue: The winner gets a date with last seasons champs (Florida). That team will be Arizona. Arizona has played the toughest schedule in the nation.

#5 Butler vs. #12 Old Dominion: These two teams were supposed to be two teams that would give major conference teams problems. Wouldn't you know it; they are paired up in the first round? That's a shame. However, the winner will be Old Dominion. O.D. has won 12 of 13; Butler on the other hand has dropped 4 of 7 since their sizzling 22-2 start.

#4 Maryland vs. #13 Davidson: Short and sweet, the Turtles win.

#6 Notre Dame vs. #11 Winthrop: A lot of people like Winthrop as a sleeper team. I will tell you why you shouldn't. Winthrop has 24 wins, 21 wins have come against teams ranked 200+. They are 0-4 vs. top 25 teams. Notre Dame is a borderline top 25 team; they will put this sleeper to bed.

#3 Oregon vs. #14 Miami, Ohio: Oregon has won six in a row, including the PAC-10 tournament. They have won 4 in a row by 19+ points. Oregon is rolling at the right time, expect it to continue.

#7 UNLV vs. #10 Georgia Tech: UNLV was robbed. I can't believe they got a seven seed. If Duke gets a 6 then there is no question UNLV should be seeded 5 or 6 at the worst. They get a very tough match up now. I'll take the Rebels by 2 in a close game.

#2 Wisconsin vs. #15 Texas A&M C.C.: Easy first round match up for the Badgers. If this was Texas A&M from the Big-12 it would be a different story. Don't get the two confused.

East Bracket:

#1 North Carolina vs. #16 E. Kentucky: Yawn. Tar Heels win.

#8 Marquette vs. #9 Michigan State: Great first round match up. I've went back and fourth in this one about 7 times. The 1^st and the 7^th time I told myself MSU. Better go with them before I change my mind again.

#5 USC vs. #12 Arkansas: The Trojans of USC must have impressed the tournament committee with that 24 point loss to Oregon in that PAC-10 championship game or something. No other way to explain how they were seeded so highly. Arkansas didn't do much better in the SEC championship. They were 21 point losers. Arkansas is 1-6 vs. top 25 teams, for that reason alone I will take USC.

#4 Texas vs. #13 N. Mexico: Texas will win. Why? Kevin Durant. Pretty simple, huh?

#6 Vanderbilt vs. #11 George Washington: Vanderbilt is another team seeded too highly. They lost the first game of the SEC tournament, and have dropped two in a row. G. Washington isn't the greatest squad either. But G. Washington has won 8 in a row. I smell an upset here, take the hotter team.

#3 Washington State vs. #14 Oral Roberts: Washington State was second in the PAC-10, the toughest conference in the nation. WSU plays great defense, they held nine different teams without a FG for 5 minutes or longer during the season. WSU will win, and will be a tough out no matter who they play.

#7 Boston College vs. #10 Texas Tech: Boston College has dropped 5 of 7; take Texas Tech and Bobby Knight in the semi-upset here. Trust me.

#2 Georgetown vs. #15 Belmont: Belmont? Are you kidding me? Georgetown should not struggle in this one.

South Bracket:

#1 Ohio State vs. #16 Central Conn. St.: Ohio State has won 17 in a row. Enough said.

#8 BYU vs. #9 Xavier: Usually you get a good match up at the 8-9 spot. This is the worst one by far. BYU is the far more experienced and talented team. Feel comfortable taking them over Xavier.

#5 Tennessee vs. #12 Long Beach St.: LBS should be a #14, 15 or 16 seed. The committee over ranked the team from the Big West. They have a 23-7 record, but have played just 4 teams ranked in the top 100. Yeah, you guessed it LBS is 0-4 in those games. Make it 0-5 when Tennessee gets through with them.

#4 Virginia vs. #13 Albany: Albany is the same story as above. There record vs. top 100 teams is as follows: 0-1 vs. the top 50, 2-3 vs. the top 100. Consider them as good as gone, Virginia will easily win.

#6 Louisville vs. #11 Stanford: One would think Stanford's mascot was a cat and not a tree. I say that because this team has like 9 lives. They did everything they could to play themselves out of the tournament. They lost 4 of 5, 6 of 9, 7 of 11 either way you say it, it's not good. At 18-12 they were the last at large team to get in the tournament, and have the worst record of any at-large team. Drexel or Syracuse deserves to be in more than Stanford. With that said, you must wonder if they are due for a win. I say they pull off the unexpected upset and use up their 10^th life!

#3 Texas A&M vs. #14 Penn: Penn's ranked about 100-110....somewhere in that range. Texas A&M is ranked in the top 10. Don't be crazy, take the Aggies.

#7 Nevada vs. #10 Creighton: Extremely difficult game to pick. Both teams could easily be a 6 or 7 seed. Nevada is 27-4, Creighton is 22-10. Nevada is 10-3 vs. the top 100, Creighton is 8-5. Both solid records. Nevada's is better though, that's why they are the pick.

#2 Memphis vs. #15 N. Texas: We end with a sure thing. Memphis will win this game, and might just advance to the elite 8 or farther. Memphis has won 22 in a row and is 30-3 on the season.

Mike's Projected Final 8 Teams:

Southern Illinois, UCLA, Florida, Oregon, Texas, Washington State, Ohio State and Memphis.

Mike's Projected Finals Match-up:

UCLA over Ohio State.