2008 Woodie Awards
March Madness 2008 begins
By: David Sons
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Sports
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The field has been narrowed to the best 65 teams, divided into four regions: East, West, South and Midwest.
The tournament starts tomorrow afternoon, airing on CBS, which promises to be filled with cheesy "one shining moment" montages, and Billy Packer trying to convince us he and Mickey Rooney are not brothers separated at birth. To make it less confusing for some that may be new to the Madness, here is a break down of the regions and teams to watch.
East Region
North Carolina Tar Heels
The East region was built for the Tar Heels to make a run to the Final Four. The ACC champions are currently ranked No. 1 in all the national polls and don't have a challenge in this bracket until the regional finals, where they might meet Tennessee. The only team that could give North Carolina a problem early would be the Indiana Hoosiers, led by super-frosh Eric Gordon. Towards the bottom of the East regional, Tennessee should have a clear path to a meeting with the No.1 team in the country. Butler or Louisville could present a small problem to the Vols, but neither should slow them down too much.
South Region
Memphis Tigers
The South is more volatile than the Eastern region. The Memphis Tigers are the No. 1 team in this division after losing one game all year, a stinging home defeat to state rival Tennessee. The Tigers breezed through their conference tournament and regular season, but their soft schedule may come to haunt them. The Tigers are looking at a possible date with the Big East Tournament Champion Pitt Panthers in the regional semi-finals, a game that battle tested Pittsburgh could dominate. At the bottom of the region, the Texas Longhorns look to ride the momentum of a Big 12 tournament title appearance to the Final Four. If you're looking for a dark horse, the sixth seeded Marquette Golden Eagles could cause problems in this region.
Midwest Region
Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks are poised to go deep into the tournament. But, as Kansas fans are aware, the Jayhawks have a history of self-destructing come tournament time. This region has several contenders including Big East Champion Georgetown, Clemson, fresh off a run to the ACC title game and 10th seeded Davidson. Of all these competitive teams, the Big Ten champion Wisconsin Badgers are tough enough to put a stop to Kansas' run to the Final Four.
West Region
UCLA Bruins
This is the toughest region of all, featuring UCLA, Duke, Xavier, Connecticut, West Virginia and Arizona. This region could make or break your bracket, with the top four teams poised to make runs but prone to upsets. The winner of Arizona and West Virginia could cause problems in this bracket, and I am not set on UCLA having a smooth ride to the Final Four. The Bruins are talented enough to win it all, but will they have enough to survive this talented region?
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