Dirty Dancing

Oh yes. It's that time of the year again.

Just to lay it down to give you a little context, here are where my NCAA B-Ball allegiances lie:

Love: Boston University, Holy Cross, UMASS, Syracuse, Michigan
Like: North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Manhattan
Eh: University of Denver
Hate: Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State
LOATHE: Boston College, Louisville

So now you know. If you need reasons as to why I like each, let me know, I'm not taking the time right now.

Here's my Sweet 16:

Chicago:
#1 Illinois vs. #13 Penn
#4 Arizona vs. #2 Oklahoma State

Albuquerque:
#1 Washington vs. #5 Georgia Tech
#3 Gonzaga vs. #7 West Virginia

Austin:
#1 Duke vs. #4 Syracuse
#2 Kentucky vs. #3 Oklahoma

Syracuse:
#1 North Carolina vs. #4 Florida
#2 Connecticutt vs. #3 Kansas

On to the Elite 8:
Chicago: #1 Illinois vs. #3 Arizona
Albuq: #5 Georgia Tech vs. #7 West Virginia
Austin: #1 Duke vs. #3 Oklahoma
Syracuse: #1 North Carolina vs. #3 Kansas

Final 4:
Illinois vs. Georgia Tech
North Carolina vs. Duke

CHAMPIONSHIP:
North Carolina 86 - Illinois 79

Roy finally wins it. Dean smiles. Sean is the MOP and a top 5 pick in June.

Other notable upsets:

#13 Penn over #4 BC - BC Sucks. Period.
#12 New Mexico over #5 Villanova
#10 St. Mary's over #7 So. Illinois

#10 Iowa over #7 Cincinnati

#10 NC State over #7 Charlotte

#9 Iowa State over #8 Minnesota

#7 West Virginia over #2 Wake Forest

I really don't see a whole lot of upsets happening this year. In a way, it will be an upset that there aren't a lot of upsets, in a sense. But my one big call is obviously the West Virginia into the Elite 8, knocking off Wake and Gonzaga. If Bill Simmons has taught me anything, it's that if one team is an unseemly favorite, go the other way in your bets. There's a reason Wake dropped to a #2 seed, and it's because they finally were exposed.