And to think this is what I wanted to do as a kid...

I just spent the last six hours researching the top 63 teams in the NCAA Tournament this season (I don't want to waste any time on the riveting Alabama State-Morehead St. contest). The reasoning for this is because I know less than I thought I did and, going with my gut on my Facebook bracket, ended up picking Villanova to win it all. I love Nova, but I'm not entirely sure they are championship material ... at least not yet.

I just broke down the teams in the following categories: road/neutral court record, leading scorer and the position they play, teams in the tournament they defeated, teams not in the tournament they lost to and tournament teams in the top 30 or bottom 80 of 341 Division 1 teams in steals, field goal percentage defense, 3-point defense, blocks, free-throw percentage, scoring, points allowed, rebounds, field goal percentage offense, 3-point offense, personal fouls and turnover margin.

This information helped me figure out why I hate Michigan State so much. They are in the top 30 in none of the aforementioned categories, but are also not in the bottom 80 in any. So I guess I figured out that I can't figure them out.

The only other two teams in the tournament that pull a Michigan State and aren't top 30 or bottom 80 material are Boston College and USC and, of course, they play each other in the first round. Coin flip, anyone?

So let's play a fun game. Hopefully, more than zero people read this. Here are the stats for six NCAA tournament teams. Decide which profile looks most impressive to you, and don't cheat. Answers at the end of the blog.

Team A: Scoring (#27), steals (#16), personal fouls (#4), turnover margin (#16) --- free throw percentage (#252)

Team B: Scoring (#15), three-point offense (#20), field goal offense (#7), field goal defense (#2), blocks (#25), turnover margin (#14) --- not bottom 80 in any category

Team C: Steals (#8), field goal defense (#19), three-point defense (#16), blocks (#5) --- free throw percentage (#298)

Team D: Rebounds (#1), field-goal defense (#4), personal fouls (#1), three-point defense (#29), blocks (#1) --- steals (#254)

Team E: Scoring (#5), rebounds (#6), field goal offense (#4), steals (#29), field goal defense (#21), three-point defense (#11), blocks (#14) --- three-point offense (#267)

Team F: Scoring (#2), free throw percentage (#11), rebounds (#2), field goal offense (#19), steals (#28), personal fouls (#25), blocks (#15) --- points allowed (#287)


Anyway, tomorrow, I get a chance to actually analyze this information, look up common opponents, figure out which games my gut still likes and maybe fill out a couple of real brackets. Thursday can't get here fast enough - I've never enjoyed waking up at 9 in the morning more than I do on the first Thursday and Friday of the tournament.

Tuesday will be awesome, as well, though. St. Mary's, whose snubbing just about caused Dick Vitale to yell obscenities about Jay Bilas' mother, gets rewarded with a hot Washington St. team in the first round of the NIT. The game is in Moraga, starting at 8 p.m. on ESPN2. If you want to see one of the best NIT games of the tournament, tune in. The Gaels have something to prove to the committee and shellacking a team who defeated Arizona once in two meetings might send a message. Both teams played the Zags, with neither team pulling out a win. Wazzu failed miserably on their own home court, while St. Mary's was a broken hand away from upsetting Gonzaga in the Kennel before dropping a nailbiter in California and being blown out in Vegas in the WCC Championship Game.

On Wednesday, I'll be back with first-round upsets to keep an eye out for. Yes, UCLA, you'll be front and center for that piece. Go Rams!


Trivia Answers:

Team A: Siena Saints
Team B: Gonzaga Bulldogs
Team C: Louisville Cardinals
Team D: Connecticut Huskies
Team E: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Team F: North Carolina Tar Heels