First Round Bracket Preview

I have now created and locked in my various guesses as to how this NCAA Tournament will shake out. As a result of this process, there are a couple of games that I am really looking forward to in just the first round, mostly because I can't decide who will win.

• Arizona vs. Purdue Statistically, Arizona has the edge, but there is something about those Boilermakers that tells me this is going to be the toughest 8/9 matchup. And 8/9s are a tossup anyway.


• Butler vs. Old Dominion This seems to be the most likely 12/5 upset, and I just love to watch those games.


• Maryland vs. Davidson And here we are with the most likely 13/4 upset.


• Notre Dame vs. Winthrop I just want to see those Eagles kick some Irish butt. It should be a fun one.


• Nevada vs. Creighton I can't decide who I want to win, but these are some seriously well-matched teams.


• Texas A&M vs. Penn I have to watch all Aggie games with my breath held, lately.

These are the games I will be watching most closely today and tomorrow, hoping they deliver on my expectations of good, hard-fought battles. Obviously, I'm expecting the most fun in that strong MidWest region -- virtually anyone in that region can win their first-round game, and that makes for great tournament watching. I'm certainly picking other upsets, but I feel pretty confident in those. Good thing lots of games are being broadcast simultaneously, so I don't get bored with stupid stuff like the work I'm being paid to do.

For those of you making your selections based on the mascots in each game, good luck with the Kentucky-Villanova (both Wildcats) and the Louisville-Stanford (both Cardinal(s)) games.