hints at picking your bracket...

[jdoggivjc]

...never listen to anything ESPN has to say about the picks. i did that one year and finished dead last in my pool. i've always done better on my gut than ANY of them have done (especially Dickie V).

[mj4cy]

I usually go by how teams have done in the last month.

[Wesley]

I use my dart board on every fourth pick.

[superfan]

I always do two. One goes with my actual knowledge of how the teams are doing, seeds, records, etc.

The second has some big-time fliers in it. That bracket usually does better for some reason.

[cycfan1]

you could listen to Billy Packer and go against all the mid-majors

[Wesley]

Ouji Board is very accurate. One person use to always pick the team with the longest name.

[AirWalke]

I know ESPN mentioned this, but I noticed this before I ever heard the talking heads on TV say it.

#12 Seeds upset #5 seeds. A lot.

[ajk4st8]

Avoid Big 10 teams

[AirWalke]

Avoid Big 10 teams

Agreed, all teams not named Wisconsin and Ohio State are going to get bumped in the first round.

[ISUFan22]

Avoid Big 10 teams

Not so fast...

First, if I'm VT I'm not happy having to play Illinois in round one.

Second, the VT vs. IL game is one of the classic #5 vs #12 games.

I've watched Marquette play - they're not all that and a bag of chips. They have MSU in round 1.

I agree the Big 10 is weak yet I'd be very surprised if only Wisky and OSU advanced into the 2nd round.

[Oldgeezer]

Respectfully disagree. A week before the conf. tourney, VT, NC, and VU were tied for the ACC top. Ill was the last team in. Upsets occour when power conference teams look past lower seeds from the "lesser" conferences. MSU and Marquette will be bloody, Cream learned from Izzo and both will be ready. Coin toss.

[mj4cy]

People you should not pick to go very far: Duke, Memphis, Arkansas, Stanford, gonzaga, Iowa (I know they're not in, its just standard operatin procedure)

[ISUonthemove]

Always pick the #1 and 2 seeds to win in the first (90% of the time they will), and then pick more upsets in the first round than you think there would be.

[ornryactor]

Here's my bracket. I'm curious what you all think. I only know a little bit about the tournament teams and trends; I used a bit of knowledge and followed it up with a healthy dose of gut instinct. Opinions? What do you think?

Midwest
1 Florida (beating 16 Jackson St.)
8 Arizona (9 Purdue)
5 Butler (12 Old Dominion)
4 Maryland (13 Davidson)
6 Notre Dame (11 Winthrop)
14 Miami OH (3 Oregon) (I'm rethinking this one...)
10 GA Tech (7 UNLV)
2 Wisconsin (15 TAMU-CC)

1 Florida (8 Arizona)
4 Maryland (5 Butler)
14 Miami OH (6 Notre Dame)
2 Wisconsin (10 GA Tech)

1 Florida (4 Maryland)
2 Wisconsin (14 Miami OH)

East
1 UNC (16 E Kentucky)
9 MSU (8 Marquette)
12 Arkansas (5 USC)
4 Texas (13 NM State)
6 Vanderbilt (11 GWU)
3 Washington State (14 Oral Roberts)
10 Texas Tech (7 BC)
2 Georgetown (15 Belmont)

1 UNC (9 MSU)
4 Texas (12 Arkansas)
3 Wash. State (6 Vanderbilt)
10 Texas Tech (2 Georgetown)

4 Texas (1 UNC)
3 Wash. State (10 Texas Tech)

West
1 Kansas (16 "play-in team"...?)
9 Villanova (8 Kentucky)
12 Illinois (5 Va Tech)
4 SIU (13 Holy Cross)
6 Duke (11 VCU)
3 Pitt (14 Wright State)
7 Indiana (10 Gonzaga)
2 UCLA (15 Weber State)

1 Kansas (9 Villanova)
4 SIU (12 Illinois)
3 Pitt (6 Duke)
7 Indiana (2 UCLA)

1 Kansas (4 SIU)
7 Indiana (3 Pitt)

South
1 Ohio St. (16 Cent. Conn.)
8 BYU (9 Xavier)
5 Tennessee (12 Long Beach St.)
4 Virginia (13 Albany)
6 Louisville (11 Stanford)
3 Texas A&M (14 Penn)
7 Nevada (10 Creighton)
2 Memphis (15 North Texas)

1 Ohio State (8 BYU)
5 Tennessee (4 Virginia)
3 TAMU (6 Louisville)
7 Nevada (2 Memphis)

1 Ohio State (5 Tennessee)
3 TAMU (7 Nevada)

Atlanta
1 Kansas (1 Florida) (I have no idea who would win...)
4 Texas (1 Ohio State) (If Texas somehow gets this far, there's no way they'd give up here. They'll take the upset.)

1 Kansas (4 Texas) for the national championship, 68-63.

[cstrunk]

I see Winthrop being a possible Cinderella at an eleventh seed.