Let the Madness Begin

Get your brackets ready! At noon today every office dweller will struggle to be productive. Every student in school will eagerly watch the clock in anticipation of the final bell. Cell phones will be converted into score checking devices. It's March, and the Madness is about to begin.

Soon we will all become acquainted with schools we have never heard of -- Portland St., North Dakota St., Radford -- as they take on the giants of college basketball. Stephen F. Austin. This is not a player or a coach. This is a team, and they are gearing up for the game of their lives against Syracuse. All of these small schools are ready to vie for the annual somewhat awkward comparison to Disney's Cinderella.

I too have a bracket, one sheet of integrity. And today I reveal it, because, well, even President Obama has revealed his picks. Here we go:

MIDWEST:
Louisville
Ohio State
Utah
Wake Forest
West Virginia
Kansas
USC
Michigan State

Louisville
Wake Forest
West Virginia
Michigan State

Louisville
Michigan State

Louisville

WEST:
UConn
A&M
Purdue
Washington
Utah St.
Mizzou
Cal
Memphis

UConn
Purdue
Mizzou
Memphis

UConn
Memphis

Memphis

EAST:
Pitt
Oklahoma St.
Florida St.
Portland St.
VCU
Villanova
Texas
Duke

Pitt
Florida St.
Villanova
Duke

Pitt
Duke

Pitt

SOUTH:
North Carolina
Butler
Illinois
Gonzaga
Arizona St.
Syracuse
Clemson
Oklahoma

North Carolina
Gonzaga
Syracuse
Oklahoma

North Carolina
Syracuse

Syracuse

FINAL FOUR:
Louisville
Memphis
Pitt
Syracuse

CHAMPIONSHIP:
Louisville
Pitt

CHAMPION:
Louisville

Let the tournament begin!