With all the talk of the so-called Features Final Four, I feel obligated to at least mention that there is some prime basketball action going on as I type this. Manhattan done gone and pulled them an upset. So. Illinois was looking to do the same, it would seem, but 'Bama pulled it out. Whose brackets are on the brink?

I was right about Maryland being overrated. Look for them to lose in the next round.

I have Stanford going all the way. I know nothing about college basketball.

Predictions by bracket

Phoenix: Stanford is definitely overrated, however I do believe that Maryland is an Elite 8 team. Look for the Terps over the Cardinal in the round of 16. And for you Commodores fans, sorry guys, Western Michigan sends the 'Dores back to class after the first round. With a healthy Okafur, UConn takes this region over Maryland.

Atlanta: If you like first round upsets look elsewhere. Louisville will be the lone double digit seed to advance, only to be handled by Miss. St. in the second round. Duke will play a close game against Arizona before a Sweet 16 matchup with Cincinnati. The other 16 matchup between North Carolina and Miss. St. will be interesting, but look for the Tarheels to advance to play Duke in the Elite 8. And if there is a god, North Carolina is Final Four bound. Unfortunately, I am an atheist. Sorry Ceeze, Duke will be in San Antonio

St. Louis: This bracket is stacked, and intriguing matchups abound. Look for Kentucky to catch fits for the first half of the FAMU game, only to beat Washington handily and run into Providence in the 16, Kansas makes an early exit against UIC, take that you Big 12 bastards. Gonzaga will shine in the bottom half of the bracket, playing Geogia Tech in the 16, and advancing to play a Kentucky team coming off a hard fought win over the Friars. I hate Kentucky and I like Blake Stepp. The Zags are for real BABY!

East Rutherford: Texas Tech will knock off the first number one seed, taking St. Joe's in the second round. As much as enjoy watching Manhattan play, Wake Forest will be too much for them and will proceed to give Mr Knight a choke hold in the round of 16. Richmond will pull a slightly surprising win against Wisconsin in the first round, and then lose to Pitt. South Carolina will beat Memphis, but can't keep up with OK State, and trust me, neither can Pitt. OK State v. Wake Forest in the 8 round, with the play of Wake's guards being the difference.

so your Final Four is Wake Forest, Gonzaga, Duke and UConn.

and your championship will be decided when UConn takes on the Wake Forest on April 5th. My money's on the Huskies.

I picked kentucky and Gonzaga to battle it out in the end. I picked Gonzaga to win over Kentucky. The Byu and Syracuse game really was a suprise for me. I thought Syracuse shouyld have destroyed them but BYU played a great game

That's not possible. They're in the same region.

My final four:
Kentucky
Pitt
Duke
UConn

Vandy will lose in the first round.

I am 10-2 so far today. My misses: Manhattan-Florida and Nevada-MichSt.

OOOps That was false Information. I just checked my bracket and It was duke and gonzage. Sorry about the confusion.

i like the way you think. i've tinkered with the idea of oklahoma state over pitt, but i'll not be held to that.

Suck it.

it is pretty bad when your hopes in the tournament rest on the shoulders of someone from antioch though well, i guess it could be worse and they could have a point guard from lavergne.

yeah, and my predictions aren't working out too well thusfar, cept for the whole no upsets in the atlanta region thing.

I've been forced to watch the games at my job, and I guess I'm pulling for DUKE since they're the blue devils (I worship the devil, you know).

looks like Stanford was overrated. Too bad about the Zags, though.

So far, I've picked 7 of the 8 Sweet 16 teams. Although I did pick Gonzaga to lose in the second round, I thought that it would be to Michigan State, not Nevada.

Here's who I have for the other half:

Kentucky
Kansas
Georgia Tech
Pitt
OK State
Illinois
NC State
[Louisville]

i was 8 for 8 today. my roommate, "the sub," was not as lucky. he's about to owe me some money.

Suck it, again.

I know, Carl. I'll happily suck it. In almost 20 years of being a Vandy basketball fan, I have never been more proud of any team than I am of these guys right now. I'm on cloud nine and I'm just a fan. I can't imagine how happy they are right now.

Overall, 12 of my Sweet 16 picks made it. Here are the ones I didn't get:

-Nevada. Anyone who says they picked Nevada to make the Sweet 16 is lying to you. I knew the Zags would go down early, but I thought it would be Michigan State to knock them off.
-Xavier. This is the least surprising of all the ones I missed. Again, I knew MS State would go down early, but I thought Louisville would be the one to do it.
-Vanderbilt. I'm sorry for doubting you, Dores! I really shouldn't be that surprised, though. Vandy has been exceeding my expectations all season, and the last two games have been no different. I picked NC State to make it to the 16.
-UAB. I actually saw that a couple of people predicted this, but I am totally shocked. This is the only one that really fucks my bracket. I had UK going to the championship. How the HELL did UAB just beat Kentucky?!!

(Edited by jamiecarroll at 7:34 pm on Mar. 21, 2004)

Ah, the 7 words I long to hear. Just not from you. Sorry.

Okay, so that steal and then the backwards pass that UAB guy made TO HIS TWIN BROTHER was one of the most fantastic plays I've seen in the tourney in years. Exciting finishes to games last night and today. And way to go Vandy. Who would have thought that the two remaining SEC teams going to the Sweet 16 would be Vandy and Alabama?

Too bad nobody will remember this (Vandy, mostly) when football season rolls around.

The UK-UAB game was amazing, and I only saw the second half. March Madness officially sucked me in today. It happens near the sweet sixteen every year.

(Edited by richarddawson at 5:48 am on Mar. 22, 2004)

I got sucked in on friday when CBS switched back and forth from ETSU to Vandy. I can't believe how close ETSU was to winning!!!! They have done really well the past few years but they still lack the experience these big teams have, which is evident by their sloppiness at the most critical moments in the game. I am so proud of Vandy!!! I will be pulling for GT and Vandy!!

well after my picks went to hell i picked UAB at some point saturday. Ceeze can back me up on that one. Of course I don't think one upset can really offset the rest of my absolutely horrid predictions.

Woohoo! My team made it!!! I will be pulling for Tech tonight..anyone else watching?

I will not. I'm bitter that I lost the office pool. My boss picked all final four teams and both championship teams. He'll also be cheering for the Yellow Jackets-- even though he already collected on the $25.

Absolutely. I'm rooting for Georgia Tech, too.

Thanks, but I guess it didn't matter. Man, my team lost, my girl on Adam Returns...lost. Not a good night for the people I was pulling for.

(Edited by mindylieu at 2:49 pm on Apr. 6, 2004)

Okafor is a beast.

Seriously. That UConn team is absolutely loaded with future NBA players. I haven't seen a team that stacked in a long time.

The fact that the Huskies won it all is of some consolation to me as a Vanderbilt fan.

Okafor and Ben Gordon are both entering the draft. I even heard that Villanueva is considering the draft, even though he only averaged 8 points per game, or something like that.

I have no doubt that Okafor and Gordon will be bona fide NBA stars.

I've heard that about Villanueva. I heard that because UConn has so much talent next season, he could actually get more playing time in the NBA.

that's nuts.