Collegiate Times

The NCAA Tournament is all about the first two days. The most intriguing match-up in the first round has to be the 'Zags and Indiana. Gonzaga got in because it won the West Coast Conference title, while Indiana hung on for a not-so stellar first season under new head coach Kelvin Sampson. Both of these teams met last year in the tourney, with the Bulldogs advancing to the Sweet 16. That's one of the last games on Thursday night.

Clearly the game to watch in the region around here is the Virginia Tech/Illinois game on Friday night. Illinois is no pushover coming from the low-scoring Big Ten conference.

Potential second-round match-ups include a Kansas/Kentucky game, UCLA/Indiana, and Duke/Pittsburgh. None of those teams met in the regular season, but Virginia Tech and Southern Illinois did.

I'm not guaranteeing a win for Tech, but the prospect of playing a team that you've already played this season is tremendous. The Hokies played poor in the Old Spice Classic and still only lost to the Salukis by five. Greenberg and his coaching staff won't have to worry about scouting Southern Illinois like a new team, which could lead to a possible trip to San Jose.

Regardless of who comes out of this region, the team will be battle-tested like no other. But once you get to the Final Four, you could possibly play defending champion Florida.

I've never been in the position where I have to pick with my head and not my heart. Obviously I want the Hokies to win, but getting to San Jose is a tough task to likely take on Kansas. It's going to be a fun time watching Tech be included in the bracket-talk even if it is one-and-done.

If you were to push me up against the wall and hold a gun to my head, I'll pick UCLA. They won big games all season and played a tough schedule.

I said it. Tech's not going to go to the Final Four. Those dreams are just too lofty for a team that has been as schizophrenic as Sybil. It is tourney time now, and the regular season should be forgotten.

That CBS March Madness theme song has been repeating in my head like a Justin Timberlake song repeats every half-hour on a pop music station. Da-Da-Da Dum-Dum-Dum-Dum. It's the best sporting event of the year.

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