I'm Mad . . .. about March Madness!!!!!

Okay, my favorite time of the Sports Year is officially here (I know, I know . . . I love college football season overall the best, but the NCAA basketball tournament is the most fun three weeks all year long!) So much great basketball crammed into so few days. It's just awesome! And I just love the whole tournament process--a great way to determine a national champion!

I have filled out my bracket and thought I'd share some of my thoughts on some of the "best and worst" and some of my upset predictions.

* A few first-round upsets. Every year, there is at least one #12 beating a #5 seed; and then there are always a few more lower seed upsets. This year, we might even get a #13 or #14 beating a #3 or #4. I wouldn't be surprised, because the lower-seeded teams are better than most years! So, the first-round upsets I have in my bracket are: UW-Milwaukee (a #11) beating Oklahoma, George Mason over Michigan State, and Kent State over Pittsburgh.

* The worst facial hair in the tourney--it's got to go to Adam Morrison for Gonzaga. The boy can shoot, but PLEASE get rid of the mustache (he and American Idol's Bucky are killing me with their mustaches!).

* Underrated players--of course, we will learn about a ton of players from smaller schools that end up being Big Time players (that's one of the best parts of the tourney!), but I gotta go with my Alabama's Ronald Steele. Probably one of the most underrated players in the nation. He's an awesome guard and if he has a big day today, we might just win out over Marquette!

* Best mascot names. We all know about Wildcats and Longhorns and Gators, but what about the really "great" mascots that will show up in the tourney this year? My favorites are-- the Pennsylvania Quakers (when was the last time you were intimidated by a Quaker?), Wake Forest Demon Deacons (obviously, though, a deacon CAN be intimidating), Southern Illinois Salukis (for some reason, this school has an Egyptian purebred dog for their mascot!), and the Niagara Purple Eagles (yep, I've heard of an eagle before; nope, never heard of a purple one!).

* My Elite Eight. I only have one #1 seed sitting in my Elite Eight. So, I will either look like a genius when this is all over--or a complete idiot! My top 8 picks are: LSU, Iowa, Arkansas, UCLA, UConn, North Carolina, Boston College, and Florida. Going to the Final Four are LSU, UCLA, Uconn, and Boston College. From there, everyone says I should go with the "sure thing" in UConn. But who knows . . .

Enjoy a day of basketball. I know I will!! ( And . . . Roll Tide!)