March Madness Begins

March Madness got underway today, so I thought I would toss out my selections for today's games.

I will update later with a brief synopsis and the winner. The higher seed is listed first.

LSU/Butler - Butler.

LSU 75, Butler 71. And I am 0-1 to start the tournament, a nice start. Butler was actually down a lot in this game, including falling behind 9-0 to start the game. They came back to take the lead on a few occasions, but couldn't hold that lead at all.

Memphis/Cal State-Northridge - Memphis

Memphis 81, Cal State-Northridge 70. I am back to .500 for the tournament, although this game had to have had many people scratching their heads and hyperventilating. Cal-State Northridge put up a heck of a fight against the No. 2 seeded Tigers from Memphis - which some believed to have been good enough for a No. 1 seed.

BYU/Texas A&M - Texas A&M

Texas A&M 79, BYU 66. 2-1 for the tournament. There wasn't much doubt in this one as Texas A&M hit their first 10 shots of the game and got out to an 18 point lead at one point. BYU did its best to post a comeback, but the damage had been done. It's the second consecutive year the Aggies have bounced BYU from the tournament.

Purdue/Northern Iowa - Purdue

Purdue 61, Norhtern Iowa 56. 3-1 for the tournament. This one had me scared as Purdue got out to a good sized lead in the first half, but Northern Iowa hung around the entire contest. I have the Boilermakers making a long run in this tournament, so a loss here could have hurt my bracket a lot.

North Carolina/Raford - North Carolina

North Carolina 101, Radford 58. 4-1 for the tournament. This one was never close. Despite the fact that the Tar Heels played the game without possibly its best all-around player in Ty Lawson.

California/Maryland - Maryland

Maryland 84, California 71. 5-1 for the tournament. A small upset as Maryland was a No. 10 seed to California's No. 7. Maryland held the lead for most of the game and never relinquished it despite a close contest near the middle of the second half.

Connecticut/Chatanooga - Connecticut

Connecticut 103, Chatanooga 47. 6-1 for the tournament. The most lop-sided first day game goes to the Huskies. Connecticut was without its coach for this game as he was stricken ill. So the Huskies unleashed a 'win one for the Gipper' type game against the poor Mocs.

Washington/Mississippi State - Mississippi State

Washington 71, Mississippi State 58. 6-2 for the tournament. This was one of my large upset picks. I felt Mississippi State was rolling after winning the SEC tournament while Washington fell early in the Pac-10 tournament. I guess the SEC truly is as down as it looks.

Texas/Minnesota - Texas

Texas 76, Minnesota 62. 7-2 for the tournament. This was another game I had to keep a close eye on as I have felt Texas could do some damage in the tournament, but was worried with a Minnesota team led by Tubby Smith, but the Longhorns prevailed.

Clemson/Michigan - Michigan

Michigan 62, Clemson 59. 8-2 for the tournament. Another 10 over a 7 which I was unaware I actually selected. I was back-and-forth on this game and in the end wasn't aware who I took. But, I am happy I went with the Wolverines who got their first tournament victory in 11 years.

Villanova/American - Villanova

Villanova 80, American 67. 9-2 for the tournament. Much like the Memphis game this one had to have many scratching their heads. A lot of people have Villanova going far in this tournament, and for American to not only play them well, but hold a 10-point lead at the half was phenomenal. In the end, the Wildcats just had too much depth and fire-power for the Eagles to hold on.

Gonzaga/Akron - Gonzaga

Gonzaga 77, Akron 64. 10-2 for the tournament. I was actually up in the air with this pick as I felt Akron could give Gonzaga a very good game - and they did. But, the Bulldogs proved their worth and their tournament experience in the end to hold of the Zips.

Duke/Binghamton - Duke

Duke 86, Binghamton 62. 11-2 for the tournament. Binghamton came out like gangbusters, but it was only a matter of time before the Dukies took control of the game. I am not a huge fan of this Blue Devils team, but no way Coach K goes out to Binghamton.

Oklahoma/Morgan State - Oklahoma

Oklahoma 82, Morgan State 54. 12-2 for the tournament. Too much Blake Griffen (28 points, 13 rebounds) for Morgan State to handle. The Sooners coast past the Bears.

UCLA/VCU - VCU

UCLA 65, VCU 64. 12-3 for the tournament. This was many people's glaring upset bid for the first round as VCU had knocked out Duke two years prior - and returned a very mature senior point guard in Eric Maynor. It almost came to fruition, but a Maynor jumper at the buzzer fell short and the Bruins live another day.

Illinois/Western Kentucky - Western Kentucky

Western Kentucky 76, Illinois 72. First day record: 13-3. This was another upset with the No. 12 seed knocking off the No. 5. Most people were seeing this as well, but were still thinking Illinois could pull it off - even with an important injured player. But, I felt Western Kentucky had enough to get by and they were just able to pull it off.

Second Day picks sometime afternoon.