BasketballMarch Madness predictions art, not science

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Head coach Thad Matta and his Ohio State Buckeyes were named the top overall seed in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, but can they fend off all the Cinderellas. (Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Once, every couple of years, the stars magically align. The last time St. Patrick's Day fell on the first Thursday of the NCAA Basketball Tournament was 2005. I can't recall with any veracity everything I did that day, although I know it did involve beer and all-day basketball viewing.

Now I must urge responsible consumption here: You don't want to be running cartoons in your head when Utah State tips with Kansas State at 9:57 p.m. in Thursday's final game. But the combination of the first round of the tourney - possibly the most exciting two days of sports in North America every year - and the observance of the patron saint of Ireland is a heady one.

As far the tournament itself goes, this year it appears to be wide open.

Last week, Charles Barkley took issue with former CBS broadcaster Billy Packer's complaint that some of the games moving to the Turner Networks would rob the coverage of so-called expertise. Turner's Charles Barkley immediately refuted that, calling the historically ornery Packer a "jackass." Chuck brought up an excellent point - that while he might not know everybody on the Wofford Terriers, it's certainly not going to take away from the excitement.

From a fan's perspective, that's what makes the tournament so special. Aside from a handful of media types, nobody can ring off all 68 of these teams top-to-bottom. Every year there's a good chance that somebody will claim to know more about Patriot League champ Bucknell than you do, but there's a very good chance that's a lie.

With that in mind, here are some picks. Take them with a half-kilo of salt. I have an atrocious betting record and a laughable history in fantasy sports.

One thing you can virtually always count on is at least one 12-seed upsetting a five-seed. So why not take two - Richmond over Vanderbilt (the Spiders have a history of upsets in the tournament) and Utah State over Kansas State. The other 12-5's feature the winners of the play-in games - UAB/Clemson Tuesday and VCU/USC Wednesday. Clemson is a real possibility too - they took North Carolina to overtime in the ACC semifinal. While I've always enjoyed the insane antics of former Raptors coach Kevin O'Neill, I'm not as high on his Trojan squad.

CBS's Peter Tiernan is calling major upsets in the form of Belmont over Wisconsin and Oakland over Texas. I'm obviously pulling for Canadians Tristan Thompson and Cory Joseph, but I'm more jacked about the possibility of seeing a "Team Canada South" juggernaut tear up Austin next year when two more Ontarians are added - Myck Kabongo, and last week's signing, Brampton's Kevin Thomas. That said, this current Longhorns team rebounds very well and can't be counted out.

Other lower seeds to seriously consider in the first round: Marquette, Old Dominion and Florida State.

St. John's vs. Gonzaga is an intriguing matchup Thursday night. Vancouver's Robert Sacre mans the middle for perennial WCC champ Gonzaga against the Red Storm, who looked borderline dominant in the Big East for a stretch this season, with routs of Duke, Connecticut and Villanova. Take St. John's.

A lot of eyes will be on Jimmer Fredette and Brigham Young, including drooling scouts from the Utah Jazz. Despite the loss of third-leading scorer and top rebounder Brandon Davies (kicked off the team for breaking BYU's honour code of not engaging in sexual activity), many are seeing the Elite Eight for the Cougars. I don't want to bet the house on it.

Final Four picks: Kansas, Pittsburgh, Ohio State and Connecticut. The knock on Ohio State is lack of depth. But that's also the knock on Kentucky, who also sits in the East bracket. I would pick Syracuse, and I love them, but when I pick them they don't win (In '03 I didn't pick them and they won it all). In the West, Duke - with or without Kyrie Irving - is dangerous, but I hate them. I'm willing to bet one of Michigan, Arizona or Texas can bump them off. Louisville meanwhile is also a trendy pick out of the Southwest.

For now I'll take Kansas to win it all. But as I said, I'm not a licensed bracketologist. Take with salt. And enjoy the Guinness or the Keith's with green food colouring in it on Thursday.

Kobe vs. LeBron

Hearing about Kobe Bryant taking in some extra practice time after last Thursday's Lakers loss in Miami reminded many of the difference between Kobe and LeBron James.

I don't believe for a second that keeping reporters spellbound while he took shots for 75 minutes well after the game ended wasn't a little gamesmanship on Kobe's part -- but there's more truth than poetry in it.

Last July, while LeBron was producing the public relations disaster that was called "The Decision," you could probably bet that Bryant was doing something basketball-related.

I can't say whether LeBron was out on South Beach after the game Thursday, but it was evident Bryant wasn't.

Rings: Kobe 5, LeBron 0.

Go figure though that after a tough stretch, Miami posts big wins over the Lakers and the Spurs. Chris Bosh especially deserves note for rebounding the past two games. After being outplayed by the supposed poor-man's version of himself, LaMarcus Aldridge, in a seven point, 3-for-11 shooting performance against Portland, he averages 24 and 11 boards in wins over Memphis and San Antonio.

Finally, in the spirit of predictions, the NBA Finals: Celtics over Mavericks.

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