North CarolinaCameron Ross

Every year, the Final Four gets epic hype as a national pastime. People break out their brackets and spend hours picking their winners.

People also join fantasy league pools trying to earn bragging rights.

The consensus favorite is North Carolina in most polls but 2008 won’t be a year for a juggernaut like North Carolina or UCLA to win.

How about Memphis as the favorite? It has never won before but is top five in most polls right now.

This prediction isn’t like Jimmy Kimmel’s Upset Special version of the Final Four. Memphis really has a chance even though it’d be its first title ever.

It has balanced scoring from its starters and are led by junior guard Chris Douglas-Roberts and his 17.3 points per game.

The Tigers have strong defense, especially rebounding from senior forward/center Joey Dorsey, who owns the key at 265 lbs and averages over 10 rebounds per game.

While the team’s record of 33-1 is the most impressive credential it takes into the Final Four, the Tigers had high expectations before the season even started.

The last two years, the Tigers have lost in the regional finals and they’re due to break through that barrier.

In the regular season they dominated the Conference USA and the one loss came against Tennessee (29-4) who isn’t exactly a bottom dweller.

The Tigers open tournament play against UT Arlington, which should be a cakewalk into the second round.

Assuming they beat UT Arlington, they will play either Mississippi State or Oregon. Assuming they win in the second round, they could possibly face Michigan State or Pittsburgh, both powerhouses, in the Regionals.

If they make it to the National Semifinals they could end up facing Stanford or Texas.

Bottom line, the Tigers should not be underestimated this year and the team seems to be getting plenty of respect in the media but North Carolina will likely be the favorite in most polls.

UCLAJose Martinez

It’s finally time to go dancing. Well, not really, but it is time for March Madness.

Will there be another George Mason, a Cinderella team coming out of nowhere to shock the college basketball world?

Hopefully. Watching teams from mid-major conferences shock hoops fans all over the America is the main reason I enjoy watching.

This year’s Cinderella story might possibly come out of the West regional. Drake University, out of the Missouri Valley Conference, is currently ranked No. 16 by the associated press.

In the opening round, Drake takes on another mid-major, Western Kentucky University out of the Sun Belt Conference. If it rolls over W. Kentucky it will likely take on the University of Connecticut, where it will have a tough task getting by the No. 15 ranked Huskies.

Drake is led by guard Josh Young, who is averaging 16 points per game and shooting 45 percent behind the three-point line. If he gets room there is no doubt he can be a thorn in the behind of schools coming out highly-touted conferences.

Whenever there is a Cinderella story the clock must always strike 12, and for Drake the clock will strike when it will likely take on UCLA in the round of 16. Led by center Kevin Love and guard Darren Collison, the Bruins are sure to end the run of Drake.

UCLA has the tough task of taking on Duke University barring a monumental disaster by both teams in the elite eight. But again, the tandem of Love and Collison might be too much for DeMarcus Nelson and Greg Paulus of Duke.

In the Midwest Regional, the interesting match-up will be in the opening round as the University of Southern California takes on Kansas State University. The Trojans are led by O.J. Mayo, who is currently averaging more than 20 points per game. The Wildcats will counter with a star of its own in Michael Beasley, who’s averaging more than 25 points per game.

Kansas University is going to be too much for the rest of the teams in the Midwest advancing to the Final Four. The Jayhawks have won 12 of the last 15 games heading into the NCAA championship tournament.

The East Regional is likely to be the toughest of the four. University of Tennessee is my pick to reach the Final Four. The Vols will likely take on North Carolina in the elite eight, but nothing is certain because last year’s Cinderella, George Mason, is also in this regional.

Losing Kevin Durant to the NBA didn’t hurt too much for the University of Texas as it is seeded second in the South Regional. It isn’t likely to have a tough game until the sweet 16 when it will possibly face Stanford University. The Longhorns will ride on to the Final Four out of this regional.

To recap, my final four are UCLA, Kansas, Tennessee and Texas. My pick to win it all: UCLA.

TennesseeJustin Tejada

Call me a sucker for the Disney classics but I’ve always loved watching the story of Cinderella. Rooting for the underdog and watching the success story of something that’s been beat up, stepped on, and spit on rise up and claim victory for once just brings warmth to my very soul. Maybe that kind of explains the strong favoritism I get this year towards the Tennessee Volunteers and why I think they’re going to go all the way to the Final Four and beyond.

Let’s start with some of the changes they’ve made this season. The biggest one is that they actually took home a Southeastern Conference regular-season title. That victory was nearly 41 years in the making, but they finally got that in their victory over South Carolina last Sunday. And yes, you read that right: 41 years. Not since 1967 has the team brought back home that title. That’s a big sign right there that shows that the team has seen a major turnaround – something that can be contributed largely in part by head coach Bruce Pearl, who is now 3-for-3 in guiding them to a spot during March Madness.

The conditions are now right: Pearl’s outstanding defensive skills in deploying the press coupled with the Southeastern Conference’s highest scoring team is a deadly combination. They broke one jinx in taking back home the regular-season title. The only “Big If” here is if the team can break their jinx of getting knocked out in the opening rounds of the tournament.

Kansas StateAlexander Villanueva

The brackets have been set for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and there are many teams to choose from to win through the sea of 65 college teams.

My personal pick to win the tournament will have to be Kansas State. Why? One player named Michael Beasley. If he can carry an average team like Kansas State to a NCAA title, then he will be a excellent player in the NBA.

For a freshman he is considered to be very talented and averages a double-double, with 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds.

And if he can bring his team a NCAA title, he will solidify himself as the number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and according to mock drafts all over the Internet he will be a top pick.

But he can also decide to stay in school to pursue a degree, but something tells me that he would want the millions of dollars instead.

Of course, Kansas State may not win the tournament or even get to the final four, but my gut feeling tells me that this tournament will help decide where a good player like Michael Beasley, who is considered to be a top-five pick, will end up in the NBA Draft.

TennesseeDavid Green

Looking through the NCAA brackets I was surprised about some of the rankings, but it helps my team out with no doubt. I believe Tennessee is going to take it all the way and there are few teams that can stand in its way. Its first game is going to be against American, ranked 15th on the brackets. Unless there is a glass slipper anywhere on the court, I do not see the Volunteers losing this game.

Then they play either Butler or South Alabama, which will be another day in practice for these high profile ball players. I am saying that they have practice games until they make it to the third round when they could play Louisville, and Louisville has not been the same since Luke Whitehead has been on the team, and yes that is his real name.

This Tennessee team has been one of the best teams that the school has had in a long time, if not the best. They are fast, they have high-flyers that can make that dunk to get the team amped, and they have generals in senior Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith that can lead them to the championship.

The only problem that they have is that they are a little under-sized in the big man position, and that will be a problem if they have to go against Green and Hansbrough from North Carolina. Their speed makes up for that though so they should be OK.

What they have going for them is they are a clutch team, they can do it under pressure, and that is what the “Big Dance” is all about. I see them taking it all the way. So Coach Bruce Pearl is flying under the radar with teams like Kansas State and North Carolina out there, but watch announcers start talking about ‘Tennessee’ or ‘Those Volunteers’ every other sentence.

UCLAFernando Gallo

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for basketball fans – time for the Big Dance. In offices across the country you can hear the rustling of paper brackets and see sports fans agonizing over which No. 5 seed will fall to a No. 12 seed this year. The NCAA tournament is famous for making predictors of us all and on the west coast we enjoy morning to night basketball action as we watch our brackets explode in front of us. Plus, when else is it socially acceptable to go to a sports bar and watch basketball while enjoying a cold beer at 9:30 a.m. on a Thursday? I love this game?

There are many storyline for this year’s tournament – can North Carolina be stopped? How tough is the East bracket? Will young superstars Michael Beasley and O.J. Mayo find a way to lead their teams to the Final Four like Greg Oden did with Ohio State last year?

It’s hard for me not to side with my two favorite college basketball teams – Louisville and Duke – every time the tournament happens. Even though they have high seeds this year, though, I can’t in good faith put either one of them in the Final Four. I love Tennessee, partially because coach Bruce Pearl gets so into the games that he can sweat through his dress shirt AND his suit jacket on the sidelines (Google that if you want to see some hilarious photos), but the Vols rely too much on the three-ball to win it all.

Since we know that March Madness is all about the upsets, I’ll throw a few out there: Look for Michigan State to pull off two stunners and make it to the regional final against Texas, and Georgetown and Tennessee will both make it to the Final Four. Mayo will have the highlight of his college career by leading USC over Wisconsin in a No. 6 over No. 3 upset and my beloved Dukies will be upset by Xavier in the Sweet Sixteen.

But the team that will hoist the championship banner in its home stadium next year will be UCLA. The Bruins are led by super-freshman Kevin Love, who averages a double-double with 17.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Sharp-shooting Darren Collison will provide scoring and a dangerous perimeter game, and Russell Westbrook and Josh Shipp are excellent supplements to the team’s leading scorers. Most importantly, UCLA coach Ben Howland always preaches defense and the Bruins will hassle and harangue their opponents from the tip-off of every game.

It’s going to be a tough road (and a fantastic tournament), but look for the Bruins to be dancing last when the nets are cut down in San Antonio April 7.

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