Let the Games Begin

March Madness is finally here! If you click on the link, you should be able to view my complete bracket. My bracket has Kentucky taking down Kansas in the championship game, but first, we have the opening round. Here are some of my predictions.

Midwest
Best Game - 7 Oklahoma State vs. 10 Georgia Tech
This should be one of the better first round matchups. I am picking Georgia Tech to win, but in a very close game. GT is 4-3 vs. the Top 25, while OSU is 4-5. The Yellow Jackets are hot after an impressive ACC tournament, and their frontcourt consisting of Gani Lawal and freshman Derrick Favors might be one of the best in the tournament. As long as Georgia Tech can play solid defense on James Anderson (22.6 PPG), they should be able to come out with a W.

Upset Alert - 11 San Diego State over 6 Tennessee
Tennessee has some very impressive wins over Kentucky and Kansas, but are just 5-5 on the road and 3-5 vs. Top 25 teams. SDSU has won 11 of their last 13 with one of the losses coming in a 2-point overtime loss to New Mexico. San Diego State has been hot and has proved recently that they deserve to be here, and I think they will verify that tomorrow night.

West
Best Game - 7 BYU vs. 10 Florida
Florida has lost four of their last five, so I am going to pick BYU in this one. But don't be surprised if Florida stays in this till the end: the Gators have five players averaging 10+ PPG. Nonetheless, the Cougars average 18 more PPG then points allowed. I see BYU matching up against K-State in the Round of 32.

Upset Alert - 13 Murray State over 4 Vanderbilt
I know that this is a very bold prediction, but every NCAA Tournament has an upset like this. Vanderbilt has been very impressive this year, finishing the season 24-8, but they are coming off of a loss to a non-tournament team in the SEC Tournament. Murray State is extremely balanced, with 5 players averaging 10.3-10.6 PPG. If one player has an off day, another could shine. No matter what conference your in, it takes a lot of skill and consistency to win 30 games.

East
Best Game - 7 Clemson vs. 10 Missouri
The Temple/Cornell game should be good as well, but this is a matchup between two solid teams in two of the "Big Six" conferences. I would love for Clemson to win, but Missouri has more total wins and a better conference record in a better conference than Clemson. I think Missouri will come out on top in a close game that will come down to the final few minutes.

Upset Alert - 11 Washington over 6 Marquette
Again, like the Vanderbilt upset prediction, things like this just happen in March. Marquette surprised me in the Big East tournament with an impressive win over Villanova, but they are just 4-9 against teams in the tournament. Washington was in a much weaker conference, but have tons of momentum while riding a 7-game win streak and coming off of a Pac-10 title. I wouldn't be surprised to see Marquette advance, but I like the Huskies in this one.

South
Best Game - 7 Richmond vs. 10 St. Mary's
Now it doesn't get much better than this if you're asking for two terrific teams in two under-the-radar conferences. I think this might be the best game in the first round, but only one team can come on top. I like Richmond because they have proven they can beaten quality teams, with wins against Missouri, Florida, Temple and Xavier. This game could definitely go either way, but I think the Spiders will win their first tournament game since 1998 and move on to play Villanova.

Upset Alert - 13 Siena over 4 Purdue
I hate to hop on the bandwagon, but Siena over Purdue is a popular upset pick. The Boilermakers are just 3-2 since junior forward Robbie Hummel went down with an injury, with both losses coming to tournament teams (they lost their last game to Minnesota, an 11 seed, by 27). Siena had a big upset over Ohio State in last year's tournament, and with senior leaders Edwin Ubiles and Alex Franklin, I think the Siena Saints will move on to round 2.