Anyway, enjoy the preseason, way too early top 25. It is what I thought it was.

[Rivals]

The Tar Heels jumped off to an early lead, and had 55 points posted by halftime, a NCAA Finals record. Ty Lawson had 21 points to lead the Tar Heels, dishing 6 dimes and getting a Finals record 8 steals. All in all, it was a game dominated by UNC, with MSU occasionally looking as if it was going to make a run in the second half, only to have those hopes dampered by another UNC three pointer or some second chance points off the board.

I’d have to go look to give a prediction for next year, but an early favorite of mine is Kansas. I’ll have a pre-season top 10 out at some point this week.

UNC and Michigan State tip off at 9:22 tonight in a game not many picked — I personally had UNC, but Louisville, who lost to MSU in the Elite 8, was the team I tabbed to play them. Vegas says UNC by 8, and given that UNC hasn’t had anyone play them within double digits, it may be a good bet.

I’m just hoping for a good game. It’s the last sporting event I’ll care about until the NFL Draft, so my hope is that it’s one that lingers for a while. I may chime in from time to time during the game, but will more than likely be drunk. Sorry.

UNC advances to play for in its second Final Four in as many years, where it will meet the feisty Villanova Wildcats, who needed a last second driving basket to sink Pitt in the waning moments.

In the first game this afternoon, Michigan State beatdown Louisville, who couldn’t dribble, couldn’t rebound, and couldn’t shoot. MSU hit big shot after big shot, and when they did happen to miss, one of their guys was there to grab the board.

Don’t be surprised to see UCONN and UNC in the finals. Right now, both teams just look too good to lose.

The spread is UNC -11. I can tell you this: If he doesn’t play, UNC may win, but won’t cover. If he does play, that spread still seems a bit high. We’ll see Friday night.

[ESPN]

The best game waiting in the flats? Mizzou and Memphis sure looks tasty, and I think watching guards play guards in Duke and Villanova will be fun. My original Final Four was Villanova, Mizzou, Louisville and UNC. If I had to go back and change it, I’d swap Mizzou out and insert Uconn, who’s been beating teams like they’re a high school Texas all girls team (it’s a hundred point reference, people).

The rest should be entertaining. The tournament resumes this Thursday.

Tomorrow marks the madness, and it begins at 12:20, sharp, with Butler and LSU, then five minutes later kicks off the beating that will be Memphis and CS Northridge, and then five minutes after that we’ve got BYU and Texas A&M.

At 2:30 Purdue and Northern Iowa tip off, which should prove to be a very good game; UCLA and Virginia Commonwealth, thought to be another good one in the hopper, isn’t until after 9:00 p.m., same with Illinois and Western Kentucky, which might very well finish with an upset (if you can call W. Kentucky winning an upset).

All in all, it’ll be a good day. Call in sick to work, sit back, drink some beers (the doctor’s told me it’s a good way to cure the flu), and enjoy the first couple days of March Madness, which are surely two of the best days of sports. My Final Four: Missouri, Villanova, Louisville, UNC, with UNC beating Louisville in the title game. Enjoy the madness, everybody.

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.