Tim Duncan: The last great, never-talked-about superstar

Tim Duncan.

Ever heard of him? 

Four-time NBA champion. Three-time NBA Finals MVP. Two-time NBA MVP. 

Greatest. Power forward. Ever. (GPFE).

Ever heard the name?

As the ageless, wonderful, impossible-to-dislike San Antonio Spurs make this incredibly impressive run through the playoffs — seven wins, zero losses — I'm reminded that Tim Duncan is, indeed, still playing. And still playing very well.

At age 36, Duncan collected 19 points and 13 rebounds in the Spurs' comeback from down 24 points Saturday night to demoralize the Clippers in L.A., 96-86, and all but seal their advancement to the Western Conference Finals.

Which got me thinking, What Tim Duncan memories stand out to me? What games, what moments will I never forget about the NBA's GPFE.

I'll admit it — my memory is flawed. I don't have the gift of remembering specific plays from 10, 12 and 15 years ago. I'm no Bill Simmons and his encyclopedic NBA memory.

But I must have memories of a guy who's reached the pinnacle of professional basketball four times, right?

Still thinking...

And I've got nothing. 

(In fact, the one Spurs moment that I'll never forget is when Robert Horry hit that dagger 3-pointer to bury my Pistons in Game 5 of the 2005 Finals — by the way, the greatest never-talked-about Finals of the last 20-plus years.)

But no Tim Duncan memories come to mind. This from a 13-time All Star who is a career double-double (20.3 ppg, 11.3 rpg, 50.7 percent shooting). 

That speaks exactly to who Tim Duncan is, somehow, in this age of relentless, unapologetic media coverage; endless sound bites and highlights; and overexposure (see: Griffin, Blake).

The last great superstar under the radar. 

Even during the peak of his greatness, Duncan never received the bulk of the headlines (see — in chronological order — Iverson, Allen; O'Neal, Shaquille; Bryant, Kobe; McGrady, Tracy; Wade, Dwyane; Bryant, Kobe (again); Garnett, Kevin ...).

He just continued to produce stellar game after stellar game, banking in those 15-footers, grabbing every rebound within his reach, playing with that stoic demeanor whether up 20 or down 20 (a reflection of his steady coach Gregg Popovich).

And now, finishing his 15th season, Duncan is considered, unarguably, the best player to ever take the court at his position. And, I'd posit, a top-10 player of all time. 

All while avoiding the spotlight. 

We will never see another player like Duncan. No, I'm not referring to his actual game. There will be more power forwards banking in jumpers, spinning into the lane to hit jump hooks, and overcoming just average athleticism to be defensively rock solid to the tune of 12 all-defensive NBA awards.

No, I'm referring to Duncan's ability to avoid the spotlight. 

The current or future NBA superstar won't be able to slip through the cracks — they won't be able to avoid Twitter (except for a seven-Tweet experience in 2010). They'll be so overexposed that you'll come to think they're overrated just because of the attention they get (see, again: Griffin, Blake). 

Tim Duncan is a dinosaur. 

Now go watch his continued greatness before he's gone and completely forgotten — at least to the masses. 

If you don't know about the Washington Nationals, you will soon

Whether you're in North Bend, Oregon, or Augusta, Maine, you might have heard about what that kid Bryce Harper did last night. 


The Washington Nationals phenom threw a bat off a wall on the way to the clubhouse, and the bat didn't like it, caroming off the wall into Harper's face. Ten stitches later, he retook the field with a bloodied face.


What a brash, young fool!


You might have also tuned in last Sunday night and seen the kid steal home before the Phillies exerted their will during a 9-3, nationally televised thumping of the Nationals. 


So, if you live in the Bay Area or Gary, Indiana, what do you think of the Washington Nationals?


Well, you're entitled to your opinion, but from living just a couple miles from Nationals Park here in the District and from following the club even more closely than the team, you know, that I like — that would be my hometown Tigers — I can tell you that the Nationals are the present and future of baseball. 


The Nationals will be in the playoffs this year.


They'll likely be in the playoffs next year.


And they'll be in contention for the playoffs probably for the next decade.


No hyperbole here.


No other team can match what the Nationals have, assembled by the brash GM Mike Rizzo:


The best starting rotation in baseball — not a single starter older than 28 (that would be Edwin Jackson), with four of them 26 or younger.


A middle of the infield, in Ian Desmond and Danny Espinosa, which has struggled but is young and promising — Desmond is 26, Espinosa is 25.


And speaking of middles, a middle of the batting order in Ryan Zimmerman, Michael Morse, Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche that packs plenty of punch — when healthy.


Oh, and that Harper kid.


(Not to mention what many consider to be one of the best farm systems in the game.)


And the Washington Nationals are winning now. This isn't, as many have posited, a team of the future, a team we'll see in contention two to three years from now. This is a team ready to win the division and compete in the playoffs this year. 


Consider this: The Nationals have been without their slugger Morse the entire year and their best hitter Zimmerman for the last few weeks. The Nationals lost Werth on Sunday for at least a couple months and were without LaRoche for almost a week. The Nationals haven't had their closer Drew Storen all season and lost Brad Lidge, their closer No. 2, a couple weeks back. The Nationals are scoring the 26th most runs in the majors.


The Nationals are 20-12 and in first place.


If these guys all get healthy, I have a hard time seeing the Nationals losing any particular game. In other words, if I were in Vegas and betting on baseball (don't worry; I've never been to the Vegas), I'd take the Nationals every time. 


Every night, a Nationals starter gives the team a chance to win. All the offense has to do is score three, maybe four runs. When they put up seven against the Reds last night, it was over — and 26-year-old Gio Gonzalez didn't even pitch that well, giving up two runs in five innings. By this rotation's standards, that's not a quality start.


When you have that luxury, a burden is lifted from the offense. There's not a pressure to score a certain amount of runs each game. Just do what you can do.


Enter Harper, a 19-year-old who doesn't seem to feel pressure or even realize he's in the big leagues. In his first game under the national spotlight, he only stole home, turned a single for any other major leaguer into a double, and made a diving catch in left field.


After the game, he wasn't at all fazed by the fact that Phillies starter Cole Hamels admitted to pegging him before that theft of home. 


Harper isn't a rising star — he's a star. He'll go through his struggles, like yesterday's 0-for-5, bat (err, face) bashing performance, but he'll get better, more mature and flat-out dangerous every time he's at bat or on the base paths. 


As people who know a lot more about baseball than I have opined, Harper isn't a hitter or a fielder, he's a "hellbent ball player." That ought to scare plenty of opposing teams. 


Speaking of scary, that's what the Nationals are. 


This is a team built perfectly for now, five years down the road and 10 years away. This is a team with an owner in Ted Lerner willing to spend, a GM in Mike Rizzo who's made the right moves, and a manager in Davey Johnson who's handling his hungry club the right way. 


Get used to seeing the Washington Nationals at the top of the standings, because they're not going anywhere anytime soon.

Why I struggle with my football fandom these days

Here's a disturbing statistic:

Of the San Diego Chargers 1994 Super Bowl team, eight players are dead before the age of 45.

Think about that. 

Disturbing.

This one isn't as exact, but I'm not exaggerating:

Almost every month, we hear a tragic story about a former NFL player taking his own life.

Disturbing. 

I'm just getting started. And so is the bounty-gate story, which continues to slam down on the New Orleans Saints with more force than any NFL hit you've ever gotten out of your seat about. 

Jonathan Vilma, whom I always heard was a classy, hard-working player who did things the right way, offered teammates $10,000 to take out Kurt Warner and/or Brett Favre. 

He was far from the only one. Here in Washington, the Redskins are being investigated for a bounty program. They're not the lone other team.

Sickening. 

And yet, despite everything that's come out about this troubled league, the American public eats it all up. That is why 365 days a year, we are inundated with NFL chatter. ESPN's Mike & Mike in the Morning radio show doesn't go a day without a segment on some NFL story. I'm not kidding. 

There hasn't been a SportsCenter in the last two years devoid of an NFL mention — and there won't be one anytime soon. ESPN now employs more NFL analysts than there are players in the league (slight exaggeration ... slight). 

The NFL Draft is on the verge of becoming a national holiday and will be a week, and then a month, before we know it...

There are certain things I love about football, and the NFL in particular. The game takes so much smarts. The average fan has no idea how many schemes and plays each player has to memorize. I certainly can't imagine having to remember all that while lining up across from a guy who wants to rip my head off. And when a play is executive by all 11 guys, it's a beautiful, harmonic thing to watch. 

Quarterback is the most difficult position in all of sports, and those at the top of the profession make it look easy. That's incredible, and a sports feat I'll always appreciate. 

And then there's the parity. No league has had more of it than the NFL, and it creates some great drama each season and particularly in the playoffs.

But, I'm sorry, that's not enough for me to be able to forgot about football's evils and just sit back as a fan and watch. 

Every week, we hear about more and more players involved in lawsuits against the league for not properly protecting them against concussions. Of course, Commissioner Roger Goodell has implemented strict measures to try to prevent players with concussions from playing, but there's nothing he can do from stopping concussions from initially happening (who knows if there's an evolutionary helmet out there that would make a noticeable difference).

As I've learned more about the traumatic effects this injury has on players soon after their careers are complete, I'm turned off. I can't just enjoy the players while they're on my TV screen and forget about them when they retire into a life of shrinking brain size, mental illness and, sadly, sometimes suicide. 

Other studies are widespread that simply detail the trauma caused by repetitive hitting from football — not even to the head. Again, this leads to players losing their minds after the glory days are over. 

Am I boycotting the NFL? Am I going to stop watching football completely? 

No. Absolutely not. I'm too big of a sports fan, too much of a lurch for drama, to do that. But now I watch and see the game through a different lens. I cringe each time I see a huge hit (often now illegal). I wonder how that hit might affect that player 10, 12 or 15 years from now. And I wonder how many of those hits were, just a few years ago, ordered up through bribery by the other team.

It's America's most popular sports league. And in the past 12 months, it has survived a protracted work stoppage, a bounty scandal (still ongoing), an increasing number of former player lawsuits and tragic deaths. 

It dominates our airwaves. 

But these days, I usually change the channel or hit mute. 

It's simply too much for me to stomach. 

NBA tanking: It's no exact science

Do you have writer's block? In need of an idea on a blog post to write? 

Simply turn on sports talk radio for a few minutes while driving back from a tennis match (or whatever you may be doing on a Friday evening), and you'll likely hear an opinion that you completely disagree with. 

Then start punching the keys.

Tonight, I got my inspiration from a couple of buffoons on ESPN Radio who kept talking about the issue of NBA teams tanking. For a good three minutes, the hosts pounded home the point that NBA teams can't possibly tank because it would just take too much effort and planning.

I didn't record the conversation, but I think I heard something about how it would be so difficult to "coordinate the effort" between players, coaches, and, yes, the "GM."

At which point I chuckled, switched over to my favorite classic rock station, rolled down the window of the Civic, and got on with my life.

But now I need to correct these guys. So here's my brief take on "NBA tanking."

1. It exists.

2. There are no "coordinated efforts."

3. It's simple, really. 

Hey, I love the NBA. The collection of talent you see during a given game is incredible. The things players can do, from hanging in the air for an eternity to dropping 81 points to taking over a game (a la LeBron, Game 5, 2007 Eastern Conference Finals — sorry Pistons fans) are incredible.

But it's not hard to see when players aren't, well, completely into a game. There are simply games that players care less about than others. That's reflected in their effort, in sloppiness. 

That's tanking. 

An even easier-to-track tanking occurs when players are "shut down" for the season. 

Do you think LaMarcus Aldridge would have gotten hip surgery immediately if the Blazers were in the playoff race? Meanwhile, Derrick Rose practically had to be handcuffed by management to be kept from playing in the Bulls' pivotal game against the Heat last night despite several ailments.

Players who could play, who are being paid to play the full season, not playing?

That's tanking. 

So, no, tanking doesn't involve Byron Scott or Mark Jackson standing in front of their team and saying, "Guys, we need to lose the rest of our games!! I talked to the GM earlier and we decided it's the right thing to do."

(Although that would be highly entertaining and, I'm sure, would somehow leak onto Twitter.)

No, tanking is a bit more subtle.

But still very alive. And as long as the league retains the current lottery system with the fun ping pong balls, I don't see it going by the wayside anytime soon.

Maybe that'll be my next topic: the lottery system. 

I'll wait until I hear a dumb opinion on it...

Will Tiger pass Jack? Ask me in 15 years

On Sunday afternoon, I had the rarest of experiences. 

I watched more than three hours of The Masters and only when Jim Nantz went down the entire leaderboard did I hear that name. Only then was it mentioned in the Sunday afternoon dialogue. 

Tiger Woods.

Imagine that. The media has found a way, it seems, to tie in every golf story line to Woods, but not as a Woods-less drama unfolded at Augusta National Sunday, with Bubba Watson eventually outlasting Louis Oosthuizen in a two-hole playoff to claim the Green Jacket. 

Woods' performance had everything to do with it. Tiger, 36, put together his worst four-day major championship and finished a career-worst five over par at Augusta. 

So why am I even mentioning Woods? 

Oh, I'm just trying to beat the crowd. Because as great as the Bubba Watson story is, it'll fade within days, and maybe a late-night show appearance (but probably not), just as have the stories of most of the winners of each of the past 14 majors — no player has won two during that span, which dates back to the second of Padraig Harrington's back-to-back majors to close out 2008.

It's appropriate, perhaps, that those majors came right after Woods' last victory, his one-legged miracle at Torrey Pines.

So, of course, the question remains: Will Tiger catch Jack? Will he be able to win five more majors to surpass Nicklaus' 18?

Well, I'm here to tell you that this question is simply not worth addressing. Not now. And unless Woods starts winning majors and eclipses the Golden Bear, probably not for 15 years. 

Nothing that happens to Woods in the next five years could change my mind (barring death or becoming chronically unable to perform physically). Woods could tear his ACL, have another scathing book written about him by a former coach and change his swing again, and I wouldn't change my mind (not that I'm wishing any of these horrible upon him).

I wouldn't alter my stance because it's golf! Because just recently, sanguine 59-year-old Tom Watson was a hole away from winning the British Open. Because just this weekend, Freddy Couples, 52, was in contention. And neither of those guys takes closes to as good care of their bodies as Woods. 

This isn't tennis, where we know, as good as he continues to play, that Roger Federer's window is closing, that in three to four years he simply won't be able to keep up with the competition. 

This isn't basketball, where we know that even though Ray Allen hasn't eaten an ounce of saturated fat during his career, his legs won't be giving him the needed lift at age 45 to elevate above the defense and knock down those 3-pointers.

No, this is golf. 

Will Woods be able to drive the ball 330 yards at age 60? Probably not (although with technology upgrades, don't count that out, either). But players adjust. They mend their game. Focus on the areas they can control. And as any golfer will tell you, a wicked weekend around the greens combined with decent striking of the ball can win a tournament.

Even a major.

So I've said my bit. Now I'm ready to let it rest. 

Will Tigers Woods break Jack Nicklaus' record? 

Here's my surefire answer:

Not in the next four majors.

Douglass and Novak leave behind the unlikliest of legacies

Just yesterday, on the best source for Michigan basketball news umhoops.com, the site's main contributor Dylan wrote his semi annual post asking readers for donations to help the keep the site up and running (a very, very worthwhile thing to do).

Nancy Douglass, the mother of Michigan senior Stu Douglass, posted a comment, thanking Dylan for maintaining such an informative site exclusively dedicated to Michigan basketball.

And immediately, the comment thread turned into a Stu Douglass lovefest, with Nancy thanking each poster for their kind words about the soon-to-graduate guard.

"Thanks to you, your family, and Stu for the investment of your lives. It's been fun to follow Stu and company these four years, even from across the Atlantic. I watched a livestream online of the big Duke game Stu's freshman year from my buddy's apartment in Berlin. That's when i knew we had something special in the making. Four years later, my 2.5 year old son dribbles his basketball around saying, "Number One, Stu Douglass has the ball." Thanks for the hope, the inspiration, the fun! All future success is built on the four-year foundation of Stu Douglass and Zach Novak." — Scott GoBlue

"It's hard for us fans as well knowing Stu will never wear the maize and blue...however it will always be w him in all lifes endeavors...Stu-thx for having such class and helping to turn this program around the rite way...with respect and integrity and for the love of pure basketball!! GOD BLESS & GO BLUE!!" — Scott1222

"huge fan of stu. my favorite player since the fab five." — q-sac

Those were just a few of the comments about Stu and fellow senior Zach Novak. And they highlight just what an indelible impact the pair of seniors had on the program.

And to think, this was a pair of kids from Indiana with no scholarship offers. Novak had one from Valparaiso, but it was pulled. Yes, Valpo pulled his scholarship.

John Beilein was coming off a 10-22 opening season in Ann Arbor that didn't exactly create a lot of hope for the program, and needed to fill his first recruiting class. No one had heard about Douglass and Novak when they came in — just a pair of role players, everyone, myself included, thought.

Well, four years and three NCAA Tournament appearances later — three more than Michigan had during the previous decade — Douglass and Novak are leaving a legacy that will never be forgotten even as the four- and five-star recruits continue rolling in and Michigan is a perennial Big Ten power.

No follower of the program will ever forget the timeout during the game at the Breslin Center in 2011, when Novak, then a junior, got in the face of his teammates, yelling and inspiring them to a victory that would turn around what appeared to be a lost season. Since that game, the Wolverines program has been on an upward trajectory.

I could go on and on about the tangibles and intangibles they provided, but by now they've been well-documented. Novak's vocal leadership, grittiness and knack for coming up with loose balls against bigger defenders. Douglass' unheralded defense against the best perimeter players Michigan faced, vastly improved playmaking ability, and clutch shooting (even after complete off nights).

It will all be missed.

And, more than anything, the stability Douglass and Novak brought to a program that had been the epitome of unstable for a decade needs to be remembered as the Wolverines thrive with big-name recruits such as Mitch McGary and Glen Robinson Jr.

Three appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Two tournament wins. And, of course, that first Big Ten title since 1986.

Needless to say, all impossible without the building blocks of John Beilein's success at Michigan.

Hey Nancy, tell Stu his contributions to the program will never be forgotten. Even if I occasionally cringed at his shot selection as an underclassman!

NCAA Tournament breakdown: Coach Cal finally breaks through, but will the banner stay up?

Now that Syracuse is, officially, minus its Melo magic for the Big Dance, I feel comfortable making my NCAA Tournament predictions. However, I reserve the right to make any edits in the next two days if, say, John Henson's wrist  goes numb or Florida State's "veteran" roster decides to go back to work.

With that out of the way, here are my picks. Take my advice at your own risk:

(See full bracket below.)

SOUTH REGION

Play-in round

16 Western Kentucky def. 16 Mississippi Valley State: Gotta set up the in-state matchup.

First Round (*Yes, I will refuse to call it the second round throughout this blog)

1 Kentucky def. 16  Western Kentucky: No, talent is not evenly distributed in the Bluegrass state.

9 Iowa State def. 8 Connecticut: Too many people discussing UConn-Kentucky matchup gets Iowa State fired up into a tizzy.

12 VCU def. 5 Wichita State: In the annual best-two-mid-majors-play-in-the-first-round game, VCU's experience is the difference.

4 Indiana def. 13 New Mexico State: Everyone's writing off the Hoosiers after the loss of Verdell Jones. Tom Crean will have something to say about that.

6 UNLV def. 11 Colorado: The Buffalos are in the tournament? What?? 

3 Baylor def. 14 South Dakota State: Albequerque is a LONG way from the friendly confines of Brookings, SD (1,008 miles, to be exact).

10 Xavier def. 7 Notre Dame: Now is the time when teams conform to their preseason expectations. Yeah.

2 Duke def. 15 Lehigh: I had the absolute pleasure of watching C.J. McCollum play when the Mountain Hawks visited Bender Arena here in D.C., and I think he could take any Blue Devil 1-on-1...

Second round

1 Kentucky def. 8 Iowa State: This is where it gets ugly for the undermanned Cyclones.

12 VCU def. 4 Indiana: Over-under on this one should be about 170. I'll take the Rams in the shootout.

3 Baylor def. 6 UNLV: The Bears are one of the top five most talented teams in the country. The Rebels won't get in their way.

2 Duke def. 10 Xavier: Put this game in Cincy and it's a different story. In Greensboro, the Blue Devils outlast Tu and his crew (nice rhyme, right?) of tough guys.

Sweet 16

1 Kentucky def. 12 VCU: There has to be a ceiling, right, where an inspired performance simply can't -- just can't! -- overrule supreme talent?

3 Baylor def. 2 Duke: Perry Jones III and the Quincys (Acy and Miller) will help Scott Drew exact revenge for the Elite 8 loss in 2010. 

Elite 8

1 Kentucky def. 3 Baylor: Perhaps no game until the final -- hint, hint -- will have as much future NBA talent as this one. But Kentucky has more. Kentucky has a more seasoned coach. Oh, and possessing the POY doesn't hurt, either.

THE BRACKET

WEST REGION

Play-in round

14 Iona def. 14 BYU: No, Iona won't be the VCU of a year ago, but they've heard all the talk about not deserving this spot. Plus, BYU sans Jimmer just doesn't move the dial for me.

First round

1 Michigan State def. 16 Long Island: Who cares about the (sure-to-be-ugly) result of this game? Who saw that incredible LeBron-Wade halfcourt alley-oop by LIU that had Spike losing his shit?

8 Memphis def. 9 St. Louis: I'm going back to the preseason expectations theorem. Memphis was a top-10 team. If not for Rick Majerus, no one knew the Billikens even had a team.

12 Long Beach State def. 5 New Mexico: I think LBSU is tested. The 49ers only faced SDSU, Louisville, Kansas, Xavier, Kansas State, Creighton and UNC in nonconference play.

4 Louisville def. 13 Davidson: No Steph Curry, no magic. 

6 Murray State def. 11 Colorado State: Hey, remember that team that was undefeated for most of the season? That dismantled St. Mary's by 15? Yeah, they're still around.

3 Marquette def. 14 Iona: I wonder if Buzz Williams will jig to Iona's fight song after whoopin' them.

10 Virginia def. 7 Florida: The Cavaliers are struggling. Florida has way more talent. And yet I believe Tony Bennett will construct a defensive theme that flusters the run-'n'-gun Gators. Don't ask me why.

2 Missouri def. 15 Norfolk State: Can I nominate this for biggest blowout by a non-No. 1 seed? Thanks.

Second round

1 Michigan State def. 8 Memphis: So Michigan State was unranked in the preseason and Memphis, as mentioned, was in the top 10. Hmm ... um, nope. Not against Tom Izzo and his COTF Draymond Green.

12 Long Beach State def. 4 Louisville: Four senior starters. A standout point guard named Casper Ware. Tough as nails. Sounds like the recipe for a 12-4 upset (especially out west in Portland).

3 Marquette def. 6 Murray State: I really, really want to take the Racers playing in front of a home crowd in Louisville. But then I think back to the night in Morgantown, where, pre-jig, the Gold Eagles played the first half without three suspended contributors and the second half minus one and found a way to win. 

2 Missouri def. 10 Virginia: The Cavaliers thought they saw a good 3-point shooting team in Florida. Then they ran into the Tigers...

Sweet 16

1 Michigan State def. 12 Long Beach State: The one test missing from the 49ers' top-rated nonconference rate? A battle against Big Ten physicality. The Spartans will not be gentle.

2 Missouri def. 3 Marquette: This could, potentially, be the best game of the entire tournament with points galore and an average possession time of 9 seconds. In the end, 3s are worth more than 2s.

Elite 8

1 Michigan State def. 2 Missouri: Coaching, coaching, coaching. Frank Haith has done a phenomenal job after Mizzou was rightly criticized for hiring a coach with one Big Dance appearance at Miami and, later learned, potential baggage from a football scandal. Tom Izzo is a March genius.That's the itty, bitty difference.

EAST REGION

First round

1 Syracuse def. 16 UNC-Asheville: When I think of the Bulldogs, I think of Kenny George. Remember that big man? Very sadly, in all seriousness, he had to have part of his right foot amputated. I, for one, will never forget him or how Tyler Hansbrough needed about 267 steps to dunk over him.

8 Kansas State def. 9 Southern Miss: Frank Martin threatened to glare at me for six hours if I didn't pick the Wildcats. 'Nuff said.

5 Vanderbilt def. 12 Harvard: It's the Harvard of the South vs. Harvard. Oh, baby! Combine these rosters' SAT scores and you're at a million. However, there's just a little more athleticism and, yes, basketball talent on one side. That, not smarts, will decide this battle of academia.

4 Wisconsin def. 13 Montana: I love the Grizzlies and their 14-game winning streak, but Jordan Taylor is one player I don't want to bet against -- at least not until the next round...

6 Cincinnati def. 11 Texas: I would not want to face the Bearcats in this tournament. And it has nothing to do with The Punch.

3 Florida State def. 14 St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies will find out quickly what's it like (i.e. painful) to face a real ACC defense (sorry, Hokies & Wolfpack).

10 West Virginia def. 7 Gonzaga: Fun fact -- The 'Zags are just 8-8 during their run of success when they're a single-digit seed. They're 8-5 when a double-digit seed. Not a good favorite.

2 Ohio State def. 15 Loyola (Md.): The Greyhounds will hop back on  the bus quickly after this affair. 

Second round

1 Syracuse def. 8 Kansas State: Minus the Orange's March Melo Magic, I consider this a toss-up. So I'm going with the location factor: Manhattan, KS-Pitt = 961 miles. Syracuse-Pitt = 360 miles. 

5 Vanderbilt def. 4 Wisconsin: The 'Dores run of facing equally smart, efficient teams continues. Against the Badgers, their experience trumps Taylor's will to continue his illustrious career.

3 Florida State def. 6 Cincinnati: Can I say best game of the second round? This will be physical. This will be physical (did I say that?). And this will be about ... who makes more 3s. FSU by a sliver.

2 Ohio State def. 10 West Virginia: I can't wait to see The Turk battle Jared Sullinger. And I can't wait to see Aaron Craft hound he's-been-at-WVU-for-44-years Truck Bryant. The difference? The Buckeyes can shoot 3s. WVU can't.

Sweet 16

5 Vanderbilt def. 1 Syracuse: Mark my words: Even if the Orange had Melo, this would not be an upset. In the preseason, Syracuse was No. 5 and Vandy, with good reason, was No. 7. Now the 'Dores, having given Kentucky its second loss of the season -- and first not on the road -- are playing their best basketball. This. Makes. Sense.

3 Florida State def. 2 Ohio State: Both of these teams lost in this round a year ago, so don't say one is hungrier than the other. This will come down to the final minute, and the 'Noles have the best playmaker with the ball in his hands -- Michael Snaer.

Elite 8

5 Vanderbilt def. 3 Florida State: Jeffery Taylor is one of the nation's top seniors. Festus Ezeli has the size, strength and will to bang with FSU's behemoths. And John Jenkins' 3-point stroke is purer than this stuff. It all adds up to Vandy's first-ever Final Four.

MIDWEST REGION

Play-in round

16 Lamar def. 16 Vermont: I hated on Pat Knight's rant against his own team just a few weeks ago. Well, turns out it worked wonders. I'm sure he'll conjure up a strategy to dispose of the Catamounts.

12 Cal def. 12 South Florida: I haven't watched a minute of Cal basketball -- or Pac-12 hoops, for that matter -- since December, but I know this: At the end of South Florida's loss to Notre Dame in the Big East tourney, the Bulls made some of the dumbest plays I've ever seen. Smarts win in the Dance.

First round

1 North Carolina def. 16 Lamar: The magic runs out for Knight, Henson or no Henson.

8 Creighton def. 9 Alabama: Anytime you've got one of the nation's top dozen players, you can win an 8-9 game. It's a maxim. I just made it up.

5 Temple def. 12 Cal: The Owls' experienced backcourt, including Juan Fernandez, who happens to looks very similar to my roommate John Fernandez, trumps the Bears.

4 Michigan def. 13 Ohio: Nothing gets the Wolverines more amped up than the chance to beat Ohio. 

11 N.C. State def. 6 San Diego State: The Wolfpack are playing with as much confidence as any team in the country after they probably should have taken down the Tar Heels in the ACC tourney.They want a rematch.

14 Belmont def. 3 Georgetown: One part of me says, 'C'mon, man, the Hoyas aren't gonna lose in their first game for the third straight year!' Then the other side chimes in: 'But they're playing a team that almost won at Duke, has great depth and experience, and is hungry for a tournament win.' Second voice resonates longer. 

10 Purdue def. 7 St. Mary's: I already picked a West Coast Conference team to lose as a No. 7. Why not another?

2 Kansas def. 15 Detroit: If this were played in the 'D', I might just take the McCallums. They won't be backing down from the Jayhawks. But something tells me the Omaha rims won't create a Remember the Titans sequel.

Second round

1 North Carolina def. 8 Creighton: Have you ever watched a game knowing what the final outcome will likely be but totally intrigued by a side matchup? Well, if not, here you go, as former high school teammates Doug McDermott and Harrison Barnes go at it.

4 Michigan def. 5 Temple: The Owls have the experienced backcourt, but the Wolverines have the freshman sensation Trey Burke and the memory of last year's stinging second-round defeat to Duke to fuel them.

11 N.C. State def. 14 Belmont: The Wolfpack remain on a mission to get another crack at the 'Heels (or even play in the same building as them, which this win will do).

2 Kansas def. 10 Purdue: Give me two players in the tournament who care more than Purdue's Robbie Hummel and Kansas' Thomas Robinson after what they've been through. This will be the ultimate effort game, ultimately won by Robinson's ability to dominate the paint.

Sweet 16

1 North Carolina def. 4 Michigan: When the bracket came out, the first word that came to mind when assessing the Wolverines' draw -- brutal. There is no worse matchup for them than the Heels' twin towers.

2 Kansas def. 11 N.C. State: The Wolfpack's dream of a rematch will end a game short in St. Louis, where they'll have no answer for the penetrating ability of Jayhawks senior Tyshawn Taylor.

Elite 8

1 North Carolina def. 2 Kansas: Let's go back to the preseason (one more time). The Tar Heels were the consensus No. 1 team in the land. The Jayhawks, after losing the Morris twins, were picked 13th. They've overachieved, as Bill Self teams tend to do. But like in 2005 and '09, these 'Heels, when motivated -- and we're talking about a Final Four berth -- are on a mission.

FINAL FOUR

1 Kentucky def. 1 Michigan State: As has happened, in heartbreaking fashion, so often, the Spartans' magical run will end on the final weekend of the season. This Kentucky team is young, but not freshmen-dominated. There are a handful of difference-makers who remember last year's late collapse against UConn. It won't happen again.

1 North Carolina def. 5 Vanderbilt: This isn't as much of a mismatch as the "1 vs. 5" label might suggest, but the Tar Heels' depth in the paint and relentless transition attack will wear down Ezeli and eventually lead to a hard-fought victory and the end to the 'Dores' greatest season ever.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Kentucky 81, North Carolina 77: And, finally, we are graced with the rematch many have wanted since Dec. 3, not to mention, let's not forget, a rematch of last year's Elite 8 game that went down to the wire. This game will feature two hands' worth of soon-to-be NBA draft picks, two of the game's best coaches, and a little bit of offense. 

But what about defense? Did you know that Kentucky is one of the top five teams nationally in defense? Probably. And you, and Mr. Henson, know all about POY Anthony Davis and his out-of-this-world shot-blocking ability. So, yes, defense will decide this title game down the stretch, and the Wildcats have just a little bit more of it than the 'Heels. 

Enjoy the Madness.