Let the Madness Begin

March Madness does not officially begin for another 31 days (29 days if you include the play-in game in Dayton), and there is still LOTS of basketball yet to be played, but it is never too early to nominate and eliminate some Final Four contenders.

The NCAA tournament this season has the makings of being one of the wackiest in recent years as Florida, Ohio State, North Carolina and UCLA have already taken turns as the top-ranked team in the land with Wisconsin, Pittsburgh and Texas A&M laying in the weeds.

Not to mention surprise teams such as Nevada, Washington State, Butler and Air Force who could be tough outs come mid-March.

Add all that up, and it is anybody’s guess as to which team will be cutting down the nets on April 2 at the Georgia Dome.

Several teams already appear to be potential locks as No. 1 seeds, but that does not always guarantee a free trip to the Final Four. Last year, none of the No. 1 seeds advanced to Indianapolis as a surprise 3-seed Florida knocked off a 2-seed UCLA team.

This year, expect much of the same. Perhaps more.

If the season were to end today, Florida, Ohio State, Wisconsin and North Carolina would appear as the front-runners for the coveted top seeds.

Florida has perhaps the best starting lineup in the country – and possibly the best of the past decade – but rarely does the favorite in February cut down the nets in April.

Just ask UCONN as they lost to Cinderella George Mason in the regional final last season.

Florida has virtually the same core of playmakers that claimed the school’s first basketball crown last year, but some things have changed.

Last year, the Gators crawled in under the radar. This season, they will be the hunted.

Prediction: It will be hard for Florida to withstand every team’s best punch for six rounds, which is why the defending champs will be ousted in the regional.

In the NFL, offense wins games but defense wins championships. Wisconsin has one of the more stellar defenses, but they will need to score more than 50 points to cut down the nets.

Despite national player of the year candidate in Alando Tucker, the Badgers just do not have the horses to hang with the higher scoring teams in the country.

Prediction: Wisconsin will struggle mightily and will not even advance to the Sweet Sixteen.

UCLA, last year’s national runner-up, seems like a shoe-in to be playing in Atlanta on the last weekend of March, but it is very difficult to advance to the Final Four year-after-year unless your school rhymes with Luke.

UCLA head coach Ben Howland has been a winner every place he has coached, but these are not the Bruins of the 60’s and 70’s that produced multiple titles under the Wizard of Westwood.

Prediction: The surprising success and depth of the Pac-10 conference this season will take too much out of the Bruins, who will fall in the regional final.

That leaves 2005 champion North Carolina. After an 83-79 loss at NC State on Feb. 3, the Tar Heels have looked like a championship caliber team in their past two outings. First, a win at Cameron Indoor Stadium over heated rival Duke, and then the dismantling of Wake Forest, 104-67.

Roy Williams has championship and Final Four experience that spans over 15 seasons, which gives him the edge over any other coach in the country with a contender.

Prediction: The Heels will falter in the ACC conference tournament, but will bounce back in a big way with a tournament run that will culminate in Atlanta.

As for who will join UNC, the list continues to grow. Some teams to be aware of are Texas A&M and Pitt, even though they are cruising through a pair of watered-down power conferences in the Big-12 and Big East, respectively.

Who will be this year’s George Mason? Beware of the Texas Longhorns. Kevin Durant – not only the best freshman, but the best player in the country – could easily become the next Carmello Anthony and shock the world by cutting down the nets on April 2.

So many favorites. So many underdogs. So many upsets await.

That is why they call it Madness.