Jabin's March Madness Pool

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Tournament Info

But Jabin, I don't know anything about college basketball??!! Quit your whining! This thing isn't about basketball knowledge. There are so many upsets and unexpected results, you just never know. That's why they call it "March Madness."

That being said, this page is intended to be a resource to help you make your pool picks. It's not going to tell you who to pick, but it will point you in the right direction and give you access to more information than you could ever possibly want about the 2008 tournament. You have my word (and my word is my bond) that after reading this page, you will be no better prepared to make your picks than you were when you started. And you can take that to the bank.

Let's start with the Top Ten, going into "Selection Sunday." The court below features the top ten, with a link to each team's "official" men's basketball Web site. Below the Top Ten you'll find links to even more information.

1. North Carolina

A deep, talented team that has gone through the wars of the Atlantic Coast Conference (even if it is a bit of a down year for the ACC). If Ty Law is healthy (he's been hobbled by a bum ankle), Tyler "Psycho T" Hansbrough and the rest of the crew could be a force to be reckoned with. No matter what happens in the ACC Tourney, the Tar Heels will most likely be the 1 seed in the East, which means 'home' tournament games in Raleigh, the East Regional in Charlotte, and then hello San Antonio.

2. Memphis

Coach John Calipari's Tigers almost made it through the season undefeated until Tennessee spoiled their fun a few weeks ago. Despite that one loss, they are a talented bunch, led by Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose. But the thing that scares me about Memphis is that they don't just win games close, they crush teams. They are a definite 1 seed, and a lot of people will have them in their Final Four.

3. UCLA

If you like defense, and I know that you do, then you will LOVE the Bruins. The biggest complaint people have about this team is their offense, because you certainly can't complain about the way they get after people. Freshman Kevin Love was just named PAC-10 Player of the Year, and there is a talented cast around him. Look for these guys to be tops in the West, and again, a lot of people will have these guys in their Final Four.

4. Tennessee

A traditional football and women's basketball school, Coach Bruce Pearl has the Volunteers men reaching the upper echelon of college basketball. They were even the #1 team in the country a few weeks ago after knocking off Memphis in a great game. Problem is, they lost at Vanderbilt the next week and relinquished the No. 1 ranking. Chris Lofton has hit more 3-pointers than anyone in the history of the Southeastern Conference, and JaJuan Smith and J.P. Prince (Tayshaun's cousin) can play some ball.

5. Kansas

A balanced team out of the Big 12, led by forward Darrell Arthur, guard Brandon Rush, and sophomore Sherron Collins. These guys rock-chalk Jayhawked their way to the Big 12 regular season title (shared with Texas) for like the 100th time in a row since Wilt Chamberlain played there, and they are always solid. How far they will go in the big dance remains to be seen, but they are a legitimate threat.

6. Texas

As mentioned above, the Longhorns shared the Big 12 title with Kansas (for the second time in three years). Everyone expected them to suck this year after losing Kevin Durant to the NBA, but coach Rick Barnes has them playing strong and back on top of the Big 12. Point guards are important at tournament time, and Texas has one of the best around in DJ Augustin.

7. Duke

Despite getting spanked by my boys from Wake Forest this season in the one game they played (don't start me on the ACC's unbalanced schedule!), the Blue Devils have a balanced team and some serious history in the NCAA tourney. Not Coach K's best squad ever, but they *did* beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill this year, and are used to the limelight. DeMarcus Nelson is their best player, and Greg Paulus does a fine job continuing the Duke tradition of having an annoying guard you love to hate.

8. Wisconsin

The Badgers are the champions of the Big Ten Conference, which used to mean something. Now I'm not so sure. Anyway, these guys are pretty talented, led by forward Brian Butch (a guy with that name could only play in the Big Ten, couldn't he?). Coach Bo Ryan always has his team playing hard, but two losses to Purdue and a bludgeoning at Duke in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge were certainly blemishes on their record. They did beat Texas in Austin, though.

9. Georgetown

I was told this weekend when the Hoyas won their second straight Big East regular season title (with a win over Louisville) that it was the first time they'd ever done that. I couldn't believe they never had, even in Patrick Ewing's day, so it shows you what I know. Anyway, I always get a bit frustrated watching these guys play, because they don't get the ball to Roy Hibbert enough. He's the best center to play in our nation's capital since the above-mentioned Ewing, but they seem to forget that sometimes. If they remember, the Hoyas could go deep.

10. Xavier

A balanced team that cruised to the Atlantic-10 title despite not having one player named to the all-conference team (and despite a loss to St. Joe's last week). Coach Sean Miller was coach of the year in the A-10, and Stanley Burrell was picked as the top defensive player in the conference. Not too many big wins on their schedule (the only stud team they played was Tennessee, and they lost), so who knows how they'll do in the Big Dance?

So that takes care of the Top 10. But there's plenty of more information available to help you make your picks.

Take a look at the whole ESPN/USAToday Top 25, and here are some other sites (in no particular order)