NCAA Basketball Tournament Brackets Announced

McCoy doesn't think North Carolina is the best team despite its number one ranking.

The seedings and matchups for the 2008 NCAA Basketball Tournament have been released as of today, and a gambling frenzy is about to ensue. Las Vegas figures the upcoming long weekend, from Thursday to Sunday, is its busiest of the year, even more so than Superbowl Weekend.

Each person is sure he has a chance to pick the game winners of enough of the sixty-three games to win his bracket pool, whether it be at work, a neighborhood bar, or amongst friends.

This year's pairings have several interesting matchups, both in the initial round and potential games in later rounds. Marty McCoy, Online Casino Advisory's sports gambling consultant, has thoughts about each region of this year's March Madness.

Although McCoy doesn't think North Carolina is the best team despite its number one ranking, he did say the committee seeding the tourney did the Tar Heels a big favor. Several of the other high seeds in this East Regional look set up for upsets, like Tennessee to the winner of the great first-round game between Butler and South Alabama. Louisville, if they get by St. Joseph's, might be the biggest obstacle between UNC and the Final Four.

In the Midwest, Kansas is top-seeded, but historically finds a way to play down to the competition. Wisconsin may be a surprise team beaking out of this region. There's a great first-round game between two freshmen who will be picked near the top of this year's NBA draft, O.J. Mayo of USC and Michael Beasley of Kansas State.

The South Region might go true to form and go to Memphis, a team that has lost once and then only barely. But this region is filled with potential surprises, as the talent runs as deep as the seventh seed, Miami, and includes all the teams above it. If Memphis is upset, the prognosticators who figure out which team will advance from the South will have a huge advantage.

McCoy finds the West by far the most talented region; he says there are four teams he considered potential Final Four favorites, depending on where they landed in the brackets, all grouped in one regional. Xavier was McCoy's sleeper, til they won so many games they earned a 3-slot. Duke is playing up to its rep for the first time in years, and UConn is dangerous. But they all had the misfortune to be placed in the regional with this year's National Champion, UCLA, featuring MVP Darren Collison.