There was the early buzz that Kevin Love, stud freshman from UCLA, was going to enter the NBA Draft after just one short season at UCLA. His mom said it wasn’t true, the school said it wasn’t true, but c’mon: We know it’s true.

Love will announce today what his future plans are, but don’t be too shocked if the guy decides to turn pro. He seems like nothing more than a fat white guy to me — kinda reminds me of Big Country — but that shouldn’t stop some NBA team from taking him seven picks too high thinking about all the “potential” he has.

Listen closely, and you’ll hear freshman Derrick Rose dropping expletives when Joey Dorsey was asked about him being a freshman, and what it’s been like playing with him. I don’t know what Derrick thought Joey was going to say, but he seemed a bit nervous about a rather routine question with what one would think would be a routine answer.

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.

I have UCLA winning it all, so you can imagine my joy seeing them win, but again: Sweating. Really, really bad. I hope the rest of the tourney isn’t this close.

What a day it was. I would hvae written this a bit earlier, but a bit earlier I was a bit drunker. Anyway, here’s the recap of yesterday’s action, minus the Duke game (see below).

Kansas State 55, Wisconsin 72: When I filled out my bracket, I was this close to picking Wisconsin to the Final Four, and then backed out. Watching them dominate K-State the entire game yesterday, and watching Kansas struggle a bit, I’m wishing I went with my gut.

Purdue 78, Xavier 85: Purdue started strong, and Xavier started sloppy. The Boilermakers mounted a comeback in the end, but Drew Lavender and C.J. Anderson’s 18-point performances were too much to overcome.

Notre Dame 41, Washington State 61: I picked Notre Dame, falling for the Big East Irish hype. After a 19 point first half and 22 point second half, I was left scratching my head.

Marquette 81, Stanford 82: I was sweating watching this one. My bracket was falling apart before my eyes. The lanky guy for Stanford that sunk the game winning shot? Well, he’s my hero now. Really.

UNLV 56, Kansas 75: This game was actually kinda close, but Kansas has just got too much offense for the Runnin’ Rebels.

Michigan State 65, Pitt 54: Don’t be surprised if MSU makes it to the Final Four. I have them beating Memphis in the Sweet 16, and then losing to Texas in the Elite Eight, but if they made it, I wouldn’t be at all surprised.

Texas A&M 49, UCLA 53: I’m still sweating from this one. . . .

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.