2008 NCAA Tournament Spectacular - Day 1

Jeremy's Status Message presents the NCAA Tournament Spectacular! Full NCAA Tournament Coverage! Take an inside look into this expert's thought process in picking today's games!

Let the Post-February Chaos begin!

Explanation: Well, that other phrase is copywritten left and right, so I'm stuck making up my own term. I chose this over "Third Month Mahem."

OK, let's get to the good stuff. Here are my picks for today's games, listed in order of start time. Read my predictions carefully, as you will certainly have an opportunity to mock them at a later time.

No. 14 Georgia vs. No. 3 Xavier:
Does anyone have any idea of what to make of Georgia? They went 4-12 in the SEC and then won 4 games in 4 days to win the SEC tournament. Of course, this is a weak SEC and they didn't beat either Vanderbilt or Tennessee in the tournament. Plus, the SEC Tournament was in Atlanta. I have to go with Xavier as the higher seed here - the "X" makes it sound cool.

No. 16 Portland State vs. No. 1 Kansas:
I didn't know Portland State was a real life actual school until I started typing this. Therefore, I will pick Kansas. I am, however, rooting for K.U. to lose just so I don't have to hear anything about rocks or chalk.

No. 12 Temple vs. No. 5 Michigan State:
This is the first of the dreaded 5-12 matchups, but an easy pick: Michigan State always plays well in the tournament. Temple does have John Chaney and Bill Cosby going for them, but neither will be on the court. I do like those Jello Pudding Pops, though.

No. 11 Kentucky vs. No. 6 Marquette:
Kentucky started off the season horribly, but finished strongly in the SEC. Their only losses since January 22 were at Tennessee and at Vanderbilt, and then to Georgia in the SEC tournament. The key word here is "SEC." Meanwhile, Marquette is a Big East team. I have to remind myself, because I forget that every year. In spite of the Ashley Judd factor, I have to go with the better conference here.

No. 11 Baylor vs. No. 6 Purdue:
I could say that the Big Twelve is a better conference than the Big Ten this year, or I could note that Purdue has done much better against ranked opponents, though. Really, though, I'm pulling for Baylor because they're a "feel good" story.

No. 9 Kent State vs. No. 8 UNLV:
I don't care how many years it's been since 1990, I can't pick against UNLV.

No. 13 Oral Roberts vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh:
If the mascots were battling, I'd pick Oral Roberts. Unfortunately for them, they're not. Go Panthers!

No. 14 Cornell vs. No. 3 Stanford:
I'm guessing this is the best academic matchup in the tournament. Unfortunately for Cornell, this South Bracket game will be played in Anaheim, California.

No. 11 Kansas State vs. No. 6 USC:
Michael Beasley vs. O.J. Mayo. I don't like O.J. Mayo because of his last play as a high school player so I'm picking K-State.

No. 15 Belmont vs. No. 2 Duke:
The bad news for Belmont is that they're facing Duke. The good news is that they're not facing Secretariat.

No. 13 Winthrop vs. No. 4 Washington State:
Sure, Winthrop has made noise in the tournament, but more importantly, Dan Akroyd played him in Trading Places.

No. 9 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Brigham Young:
Aggies vs. Mormons. I'm picking the Mormons. Why? With Romney out, they have to win something this year.

No. 14 Cal State Fullerton vs. No. 3 Wisconsin:
Just for the record, let me say that I always mess up my Wisconsin picks. Every single freakin' year. With that disclaimer, I think they'll roll in this game.

No. 10 Arizona vs. No. 7 West Virginia:
Everyone is saying that Arizona shouldn't be in the tournament. That's reason enough for me to pick them. Plus, they have a very low probability of getting Pittsnogled in this game.

No. 12 George Mason vs. No. 5 Notre Dame:
Every idiot in the country will see "George Mason" and assume that they're going to pull an upset. They're like the new Gonzaga. Plus, this is a 5-12 game, so there HAS to be an upset, right? I have a secret weapon, though. I hate Notre Dame and they always screw me over in my pool. Therefore, I'm picking them. You're welcome, George Mason fans.

No. 16 Mississippi Valley State vs. No. 1 UCLA:
I read "Mississippi Valley State" and remembered that Jerry Rice went there. Good for them. They're going to get slaughtered.