UNC would’ve been the clear-cut favorite for preseason No. 1 seed had Ellington, Lawson and Hansbrough all returned, but that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Though Tyler Hansbrough has decided to return to UNC for his senior season, Ty Lawson, the super-quick point guard, and Wayne Ellington, the sharp shooter with all-around game.

Neither Lawson nor Ellington will hire an agent, leaving them a window to return to school. Though unlikely — I’d guess Ellington could crack the top 10, and Lawson’s a sure first rounder — they do have the option to return and team up with Hansbrough in what would be a ridiculous Fab Three.

I was pretty amped about last night’s games; the idea of seeing Calipari lose again and Roy Williams vs. his old team was an exciting concept to me. I figured both games would be nail-biters, the type where you have lead change after lead change after lead change, and it ends on some crazy shot that somehow finds the bottom of the net as time expires.

In all actuality, we got none of that.

The Memphis/UCLA game featured one team that jumped all over the other team’s back, and another team that just couldn’t score for the life of them. I’d heard about Kevin Love all year and, living on the East coast, hadn’t really had much of a chance to see the guy play. What I saw was a fat white guy that hardly resembled someone ready for the NBA. On the flip side of that, Derrick Rose, who I’ve criticized often as being overhyped, looked absolutely ridiculous. Neither Westbrook nor Collison could guard him, and UCLA’s staunch defense looked rather flimsy.

And for those of you who watched the UNC/Kansas game, well, I’m sorry. I was drunk, thankfully, so what I remember is only bits and pieces, but enough to know that 10 minutes though I’d lost all interest.

The end result is Kansas and Memphis (I’d called Kansas in the finals, but had Memphis losing in the Elite 8), and we can only hope there’s a little more tension and excitement in that game than in the previous two. My pick’s Kansas, but I’m a bit nervous; Memphis has looked absolutely unstoppable, and having to watch Calipari lift the trophy may be completely nauseating.

My prediction: Kansas 77, Memphis 72.

The odds are out for the Final Four, and it’s not very surprising to see that everyone is rated pretty equally; they are, after all, number one seeds, and saying which one is really the best is a guess and nothing else.

If I had to take a stab, my bet would be on UNC. I picked UCLA in my bracket, love their defense, but just feel they play every game a little closer than they should, and it’s going to bite them in the ass eventually. Memphis hit their free throws, but how many times will that really happen, and Kansas, well. . . they’re Kansas, and they never win anything big.

Which leaves UNC, Psycho T, and a lot of pro talent. The odds for UNC are 8:5, the rest at a solid 3:1. I’ll probably throw 50 bucks at UNC, and given how the rest of my bracket has gone, I’ll show nothing for it in the end.

With Memphis romping Texas today like Texas hasn’t been romped, we’ve got our Final Three. Davidson and Kansas are in action right now, and Kansas has a two point lead at the half. It’s hard for me to root for Davidson, as much as I love upsets: Kansas/UNC will be an awesome game to watch, and either of those taking on UCLA or Memphis will make for a really, really fun final. Davidson is a good story, and Stephen Curry is great, but c’mon — can you really see these guys beating Georgetown, Wisconsin, Kansas, and then UNC? At this point, I’m rooting for entertainment. So go, Kansas, go.

In progress right now is the UNC/Arkansas game, which is pretty much over (UNC has doubled Arkansas’ score at the half), the Louisville/Oklahoma game, which also can be considered over (Louisville is killing them), and the only game that’s worth watching, the Memphis/MSU game, where Memphis is up eight points with 13 minutes remaning. Here’s scores of the games that went final today.

Siena 72, Villanova 84: Props to Villanova for making the Sweet 16 for the third time in four years, and this year no one really expected it. The ‘Cats shot 53 percent from the field, and held Siena to 35 percent for the game.

Miami 72, Texas 75: If you watched this game, you probably thought the same thing I did: How in the hell is Miami still hanging around? Texas coasted through most the game, went cold in the final four minutes, and before you knew it, there was a ball game to be played. AJ Abrams had 26 points for Texas, and was 6-10 from beyond the arch.

Butler 71, Tennessee 76: It took overtime, and there were moments in the game when UT looked like they were trying to let Butler win, but the Bruce Pearls move on to the next round, where they’ll either play Louisville or Oklahoma; and based on how that game is going right now, probbaly Louisville.

Davidson 74, Georgetown 70: Stephen Curry was quiet most the game, but poured it on in the final 10 minutes, causing arguably the biggest upset thus far in the tournament. Roy Hibbert, in his last collegiate game, fouled out and finished with six points.

San Diego 63, Western Kentucky 72: Hilltoppers to the Final Four!

It’s a pointless study, and because of how pointless it is, I thought I should point it out. ESPN did a study of the Academic Elites, and found that the No. 1 seeds in this year’s tourney aren’t anywhere near the top.

North Carolina was the only school among the four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA men’s tournament to graduate at least 50 percent of its players.

A report released Monday found 86 percent of Tar Heels men’s players earned diplomas during a six-year period. The other top seeds were far worse: 45 percent at Kansas and 40 percent at UCLA and Memphis.

Thankfully, no one cares about academics. And anytime these schools brag about being smarter, we’ll be quick to remind them we kicked their ass in bball and football. Unless, of course, you’re Memphis, and then you only won in basketball.

As everyone suspected the moment UNC beat Clemson, the Tar Heels took over the No. 1 overall seed for this year’s tourney. The other three No. 1 seeds were Memphis, Kansas, and UCLA. To see the entire bracket, go here.

Thoughts on each bracket:

-East

• Carolina’s No. 1, which was the obvious pick. That said, does UT, who was thought to possibly be a No. 1 seed earlier in the day, really deserve to be thrown in the same bracket as UNC and Louisville? It makes for a tough region, and if the Sweet 16 pans out as anticipated, Louisville vs. UT could be a game that reaches 200 combined points.
• It may be a long shot, but don’t be surprised if Winthrop sneaks past Washington State.
• Indiana and Arkansas may be one of the best first round games, and Indiana/UNC could quite possibly be the best second round game.

-Midwest

• After beating Texas, Kansas seemed like the obvious pick. Even as a UT fan, I won’t argue that.
• Siena will upset Vanderbilt.
• Georgetown will make the Final Four.
• It’s crazy, but I think Kansas could lose to Kent State in the second round, doing what Kansas does best, exiting the tournament early.

-South

• Memphis won’t make the Final Four again. While everyone is bent on them playing the best out of conference schedule, their in conference schedule was terrible; and beyond that, their two best out of conference opponents, Tennessee and Georgetown, were both home games, and they only came away with a W in one of them.
• Michigan State will make a nice run, but Texas will win a close one in the Elite 8 to represent the region.
• People love the run Kentucky’s made to close the season, but I don’t see them getting past Marquette in Round 1.

-West

• To me, this is the easiest region. UCLA should be able to run through it. Duke is overrated, Xavier’s an untested, weak No. 3, and Uconn isn’t quick enough to hang with the Bruins.
• Don’t be surprised if West Virginia pulls one out against Duke in Round 2. The Blue Devils are fundamentally sound, but they’re not super athletic.

The Selection Committee hasn’t made any announcements yet, and won’t until later this evening, but UNC pretty much clinched the No. 1 overall seed with their win over Clemson today.

Texas is currently down by one at halftime against Kansas, and Georgia is pasting the Razorbacks, something every fan of any bubble team doesn’t want to see. The only way UGA sneaks into the tourney is if they win this game, and with a 30-13 lead in the first half, shooting over 50 percent, and only having one turnover in 13 minutes of play, they’re well on their way to getting that spot.

I’ll have updates later on in the day when the brackets come out, but my four No. 1 seeds are:

UNC
Memphis
Tennessee
UCLA

We’ll see.

It was a convtroversial ending for anyone who watched — there was what seemed to be a pretty blatant charge against a Georgia player, and it went uncalled — but the game is over, nonetheless, and UGA walked out the victor over the Wildcats.

UGA will face Mississippi State tonight, just six short hours after their win today. As a Georgia Tech (and Tennessee) fan, it’s hard for me to actually root for Georgia, but let’s be real: UT vs. UGA is a lot more appealing than anything else; Felton’s squad is just above a high school squad, an though they’ve played great the last couple of days, I can’t see them keeping this kind of pace up against a Top 5 team.

In other College Basketball news, UNC is trailing VT right now by 6 points with 13:00 left in the second half; Wisconsin is down to Michigan State by three in the first half, Texas is up seven at halftime against Oklahoma, and Memphis beat the hell out of Division II Tulsa to win the Conference USA Championship, as if anyone really cares to win the Conference USA Championship.

Tyler Hansbrough, who’s been a combination of terrific and irritating during his three-year tenure at North Carolina, will have his jersey hung in the rafters and retired forever.

“It truly is something special to have accomplished,” said Hansbrough, who wears No. 50. “In fact, it’s kind of hard to sit here and talk about how it feels to be put in the same category as the players who are up there already.”

The last player at UNC to have his jersey retired was Antwan Jamison, who was the 1998 Player of the Year. So while Hansbrough may not be the best player to ever has his jersey retired, he’ll always be the most annoying one that everyone wants to just shut up, already.