…. everyone called in sick to work, even a mouse (yeah, couldn’t think of anything better than rhymed with house).

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.

Duke 78, Boston College 70: They were up 20 at one point, and BC put on a nice comeback, but it was all for not in the end. Josh McRoberts had 18 points and 12 rebounds in a game Duke desperately needed. It’s always nice to know that Duke is heating up just before they play Georgia Tech. *sigh*

Ohio State 64, Penn State 62: The Buckeyes led this one 40-19 at halftime, but apparently a Nittany Lion is a pesky lion. Greg Oden had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and in the ESPN day of Greg Oden Goodness, nothing else matters. He shoots left handed, right handed, blocks shots, wins games, and occasionally saves a life. My question: Is this guy really only 18, or is this like the little league world series where you find out these kids aren’t 11 at all, but really 30?

Alabama 67, Florida 76: It’s going to be hard for me to not pick this team to win it all. I hate going with everybody’s favorite, but they’re just too deep: Four of their five starters had double digits, and they outscored ‘Bama 45-25 in the second half when they really had to turn it on.

Wisconsin 75, Minnesota 62: It’s been official for a while, but I’ll go ahead and announce it now: Alando Tucker is a badass. He had 29 points and 9 boards, but I still think that Wisconsin is going to get hurt in The Dance, because they simply don’t have guards that can shoot.

Memphis 69, Tulsa 52: Memphis held Tulsa to 16-50 from the field. You don’t need to see a score to know Memphis won (but I provided you with one, anyway; it’s called being generous). I hate to harp on something I’ve already mentioned 250 times, but one of Memphis’ three losses was to Georgia Tech. . . just hoping the committee is reading.

Utah 43, Air Force 69: This might be a popular sleeper come March. They control the ball, they shoot threes, and they have solid big men. Their one problem: No guards, much like Wisconsin.