March Should be Mad as Ever

Joakim Noah and the Florida Gators are back to try and defend their title. Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are here because they had no choice.

The NCAA Tournament has arrived and don't expect quite as many Cinderella stories because there just aren't as many mid-major teams dancing this year.

However, expect that there will be plenty of upsets as usual and even more star power with guys like Oden, Durant, Brandan Wright, Thaddeus Young and others who aren't expected to be around a year from now.

Billy Donovan's team returned everyone — even its student managers — and the Gators are the favorites entering the tournament despite the fact that no one has been able to repeat since Duke did it in the early 1990s.

But the Gators aren't the only team with a realistic chance of reeling off six straight wins. All four No. 1 seeds — Florida, Ohio State, Kansas and North Carolina — were considered by most as four of the top five teams in the preseason as well.

UCLA slipped up late, but the Bruins are right in that class as well. Ben Howland has his players' attention after two straight losses last week.

After that, it's a crap-shoot.

Sure, Wisconsin has a chance. So do the top two teams from the Big East — Georgetown and Pittsburgh. You never know if Memphis (a.k.a. Team Mystery) is for real or not.

But let's face it: It would be a major shock if someone came out of nowhere this year and won the national title.

Only six mid-majors received at-large bids — two fewer than last year — as they attempt to reprise George Mason's amazing run to the Final Four.

"Last year, the impression was that the tournament committee had gone overboard in selecting mid-majors," selection committee chairman Gary Walters said. "But when we start the process, we throw conference affiliation out the window ... and it shakes out where it shakes out."

The Duke Blue Devils are a No. 6 seed and it wouldn't be surprising to see Coach K on the golf course after the first round, but it also wouldn't be shocking to see the Dookies go as far as they did a year ago when they reached the Sweet 16 with J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams.

Tubby Smith could sorely use a win against Villanova to quiet the Kentucky faithful. Actually, a win over ‘Nova won't do much. He might be run out of Lexington, anyway.

Oden and Durant will take center stage. Both players excelled in their conference tournaments and now they will each have an opportunity to state their case for being the No. 1 overall pick in June's NBA Draft.

For a while there, it looked as though the tournament would be missing some of its high-profile coaches. However, Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo, Rick Pitino, Bobby Knight, Gary Williams, Lute Olson, Tubby and Mark Few will all be roaming the sidelines.

But for how long?

Nothing is for certain this time of year.

Not too many pegged Florida as a Final Four team a year ago (although yours truly did). That's why they call it March Madness.