The Bracket According to Me

I’m having almost as much trouble filling out the Albuquerque bracket as I am spelling it.
Louisville could lose in the second round or make it to the Final Four.
The last time I was this unsure of my bracket heading into the tournament, I won my pool.
Good luck.

Syracuse

Roy Williams and Kansas are in the same bracket – who says the committee doesn’t have a sense of humor?
Early upsets: New Mexico over an inconsistent Villanova team. Northern Iowa over Wisconsin.
Player who could single-handedly create an upset: Danny Granger of New Mexico won’t be unknown after this tournament. The 6-foot-8 big man is averaging 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
One and done: Oakland, Minnesota, Villanova, Ohio University, Wisconsin, Bucknell, N.C. State, Central Florida
Out after the second round: Iowa State, New Mexico, Northern Iowa, Charlotte
Sweet 16 teams: UConn and Kansas will play a classic, with the Jayhawks surviving, while North Carolina rolls past Florida.
Regional final: In a great game between outstanding programs, Carolina has more talent and Williams’ present outlasts his past, sending the Tar Heels to the Final Four.

Austin

Eight of the schools in this region have won national championships and two more have been to the Final Four, which should promise plenty of over-the-top nostalgia on CBS.
Early upset: Niagara over Oklahoma. I like to take one long shot every year. This is it.
Players who could single-handedly create an upset: Niagara 6-foot-8 senior forward Juan Mendez averaged 23.4 points and 10.4 rebounds during the regular season. Oklahoma should be at least a little concerned. And Vermont big man Taylor Coppenrath might be the best mid-major player in America.
One and done: Delaware State, Mississippi State, Old Dominion, UTEP, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Eastern Kentucky, Vermont
Out after the second round: Iowa, Niagara, Michigan State, Stanford
Sweet 16 teams: Duke and Syracuse could be epic, but the Orange will prevail. Kentucky is too good for Utah.
Regional final: This Syracuse team’s experience can take it a long away, including to St. Louis.

Chicago

Has any No. 1 team in the nation gotten less respect come bracket time than Illinois? The Illini are the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation, but it seems like everyone has somebody else winning the title and quite a few people have them losing their region as well, including me.
Early upsets: Wisconsin-Milwaukee over Alabama. Last year’s mini-run aside, the Tide is traditionally a bad tournament team.
UAB over LSU. The Tigers have been double-digit losers to lower seeds the last two times they made the tourney.
Player who could single-handedly create an upset: Ed McCants of Wisconsin-Milwaukee – the cousin of Carolina guard Rashard McCants – is one of those guys who shoots his team into an upset.
One and done: Fairleigh-Dickinson, Texas, Alabama, Penn, LSU, Utah State, St. Mary’s, Southeastern Louisiana
Out after the second round: Southern Illinois, UAB, Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Nevada
Sweet 16 teams: Illinois may have the best guards in the nation. Boston College has the worst of any top-four seed. The Illini roll here. Up-and-down Arizona can’t hang with an underrated Cowboy team.
Regional final: The parallels with Saint Joseph’s in 2004 continue for Illinois. It lost its perfect season to a Thad Matta-coached team and will end its season against the Cowboys.

Albuquerque

No bracket has better individual talents than this one. A session ticket in New Mexico could give a fan a chance to see Chris Paul, Francisco Garcia (or Jarrett Jack), Ronny Turiaf and Nate Robinson. That’s worth whatever the scalpers are asking.
It’s awfully trendy to pick against Washington in the second round especially if the Huskies have to face Pitt.
The Panthers have struggled at times, but they have wins over UConn, Syracuse (twice) and Boston College. Wake, the No. 2 seed, has a much easier draw than Washington does.
Early upset: I don’t see a seed below 10 winning here, but Winthrop, which plays a tricky slowdown style like Princeton, could scare Gonzaga. No. 10 Creighton will knock off West Virginia in an upset, albeit a mild one.
Player who could single-handedly create an upset: Tiras Wade of Louisiana-Lafayette. I’m not picking the Ragin’ Cajuns to beat the Cardinals, but if they do, this junior sharpshooter is probably why.
One and done: Montana, Pacific, George Washington, Louisiana-Lafayette, UCLA, Winthrop, West Virginia, Chattanooga
Out after the second round: Creighton, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Washington
Sweet 16 teams: Pitt and Louisville will be a must-watch if Pitt comes to play, but Rick Pitino’s best Cardinals squad will prevail. Wake’s superior guards will hold off Gonzaga.
Regional final: The Demon Deacons and the Cardinals might be the most fun-to-watch regional final. Wake will outlast Louisville.

Final Four

Oklahoma State’s experience makes the difference over Wake, while Carolina holds off ‘Cuse.
Roy Williams’ long agonizing wait ends April 4 in St. Louis. The Tar Heels will be wielding scissors.