The first weekend of the NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournament is over and some of the teams left standing are surprising. Yes, all four top seeds have advanced, but some of the lower seeds including Duke and Georgetown have hung up their shoes for the season.

The teams able to survive this weekend’s games will advance to the Final Four, a heady proposition for four teams not expected to still be playing this late in the season. Let’s take a look at the Fab Four and their chances for extending their seasons:

Davidson — Beating Gonzaga in the first round was a nice achievement, not an entirely unexpected feat for the Davidson Wildcats. Led by Stephen Curry who scored 40 points against the Zags, Curry dumped in another 30 points when the Cats shocked Georgetown in the second round. Next up: Wisconsin, a Big Ten team that coasted in its first two contests — look for a strong battle with the Badgers gaining the upper hand down the stretch.

Western Kentucky — The Sun Belt Conference champs are probably more of a surprise than Davidson for getting this far. Tyrone Brazelton led WK with 33 points, but if you’ve been watching ESPN then you’ve seen Ty Rogers 3-pointer in overtime which pulled out the opening round victory over Drake. Next up: #1 UCLA — WK season over!

West Virginia - One of two Big East surprises still standing, the Mountaineers dispatched of Arizona, then Duke to reach the Sweet 16. Although not as dominate as Georgetown, Marquette, or Louisville in conference play, WVU has the talent and the size to go deep this year. Next up: Xavier, the class of the Atlantic 10. I’m going with the Mountaineers who would then face-off with UCLA for the West Regional championship.

Villanova — Barely making it to the tournament as a the final of eight Big East teams selected, the Wildcats have shown their mettle and are once again in the Sweet 16. A dramatic come-from-behind win over #4 Clemson underscored that Villanova is always a threat, a team that has survived the test of Big East play. Next up: Kansas, the #1 seed for the Midwest regional. I see a dogfight down to the very end, with Kansas barely escaping.

Of the four teams, I see West Virginia with having the best chances of advancing to the Final Four, but with UCLA in the way, a Final Eight showing may be it.

Tags: Davidson, Villanova, West Virginia, Western Kentucky

March Madness is in full swing with the conference tournaments completed, Selection Sunday behind us, and the first game of the 65-team tournament scheduled for today.

What a weird set of circumstances behind this year’s selections — the University of Georgia, which came into the tournament with just four league wins and a 13-16 record — managed to sweep four games and make it to the Big Dance.

A Rare Downtown Atlanta Tornado

Perhaps the oddest part of the Bulldog’s feat was having to play two games on Saturday to make up for the game postponed Friday evening, thanks to an EF2 tornado that ripped through downtown Atlanta, damaging the Georgia Dome where the SEC tournament was being held. The conference moved the remaining games to Georgia Tech’s arena, where the Bulldogs ran off an improbable three straight wins in under 36 hours.

University of North Carolina Tarheels: Top Pick

As expected, the University of North Carolina snagged a #1 seed and has been rated as the team to beat for this year’s tournament. Memphis, UCLA and Kansas earned the three other #1 seeds and will begin to protect their regions later this week.

Georgetown, Wisconsin, Tennessee, and Texas each gained #2 seeds, with Duke, Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Xavier all pulling down #3 seeds.

Perhaps as surprising as the Atlanta Tornado, last year’s finalists - Ohio State and champion Florida — are not in this year’s tourney. Instead, they are the top two seeds in the NIT which is the “also-ran” tournament for NCAA wannabes.

And The Winner Is…

Most years I try to pick the winner, but this year I think it is going to be tough. Although the Tarheels are the favorite, I see enough obstacles enroute to the Final Four to realize that this won’t be easy for them. Although I would personally like to see UNC win it all, if they can’t then I wouldn’t mind seeing a surprise team crowned national champion.

Further Reading

ESPN Bracketology

It Is College Hoops Crunchtime

Financial Aid Road Map

Tags: Atlanta Tornado, Georgia Bulldogs, Georgia Dome, Georgia Tech, March Madness, NCAA, North Carolina Tarheels, SEC