The men’s (and women’s) college basketball season is just getting underway, a season that starts early, but really doesn’t start to get going until after the New Year.

Men’s basketball is a strange beast with strong teams scheduling weak teams in a bid to pad their win totals going into league play. By the time January rolls around, many teams already have at least ten wins with just another ten or twelve needed to qualify for the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. But beating up on the little guys is no proof of later success — how many times have we seen a team start off with a 10-2 record only to end up with a losing season or falling short of a post season berth? Plenty!

This year the odds on favorite is the UNC Tarheels, one of three terrific teams in my area (Duke and NC State being the other two). North Carolina is the unanimous choice in both the AP and ESPN/USA Today Polls, a testament to just how good the team is this year. After losing to the Kansas Jayhawks 84-66 in the last championship game, Carolina is ready to rebound and take it all. And, thanks to ongoing great recruiting, future teams look to be topflight as well.

As dominating as the Tarheels appear on paper, the conference with the strongest teams appears to be the Big East. This year, the conference has four pre-season Top Ten picks with UCONN and Louisville #2 and #3 respectively followed by Pittsburgh at #5 and Notre Dame coming in at #9 (AP poll). Marquette, Georgetown, and Villanova are three more Big East teams in the Top 25, reflecting just how deep the conference is.

Davidson, which was the Cinderella team the last season won’t be surprising anyone this year. Pollsters have pegged the Wildcats to finish #20 which would guarantee a fairly high seed in the tournament. Credit Stephen Curry with the Wildcats success, a team that nearly knocked off eventual champion Kansas in the Final 8 last year.

Early season games are often played within tournaments which are created to stir up fan interest and give fans a warm place to travel to. A noticeable exception to a warm place is the annual Great Alaska Shootout, a one-time big time contest that got a lot of attention and brought in teams from all over the country. Alas, cold temperatures and difficulty getting to Alaska has taken its toll on the tournament and this year ESPN has decided not to show the tournament. Give it one more year and it’ll be R.I.P.

By the beginning of the year, you’ll start to see endless ads touting the “Road to the Final Four” which will be played in Detroit in April. Games will be played on a court plunked down in the middle of Ford Field (home to the NFL Lions) which will allow a record 70,000 people to watch all three games. Naturally, viewing any game from the nosebleed section will require binoculars but for rabid sportsmen, they’ll take all of that in stride.

Tags: Big East Conference, Davidson, Detroit, Final Four, Great Alaska Shootout, Kansas Jayhawks, men's basketball, NCAA, NFL, UNC Tarheels, University of North Carolina

The NCAA Men’s Division 1 Basketball Tournament has been narrowed down once again, to the final group of teams who will now meet next weekend in San Antonio for the national championship. The Road to the Final Four is set, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that all four #1 seeds made it this far.

Although today is April Fool’s Day there isn’t anything tricky (or foolish) about this weekend’s three games. Let’s take a look at the last four teams standing and what the pairings will bring to the court.

North Carolina — The prohibitive favorite, the Tarheels coasted to victories in their first three games before being challenged by the Louisville Cardinals. Once the Heels snapped a 59-all tie by running off 7 consecutive points, UNC took control of the game and eventually won by 10 points. Juniors Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson have carried UNC thus far, but with the Jayhawks up next, the Heels will need their best game yet in order to advance to the championship game.

Kansas — The Jayhawks had the dubious distinction of having to meet the Davidson Wildcats for their regional championship, a team with destiny written on their backs. Led by guard Stephen Curry’s 25 points, it took a missed last second shot to send the Jayhawks to San Antonio. Brandon Rush and Darrell Arthur loom large for Kansas, but do they have what it takes to knock off UNC?

Prediction: North Carolina 82, Kansas 74

Memphis — John Calipari is one of the best coaches in the business, but his Tigers have swooned in their last two Elite Eight appearances. This year, Memphis looks very strong despite not being able to put away Mississippi State in the second round. In the ensuing two rounds, Memphis dominated two very good teams, Michigan State and Texas, to reach the Final Four. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose have what it takes to carry Memphis to the championship game, perhaps to the national title.

UCLA — Rich in basketball history (football, too) the Bruins are coming off back-to-back Final Four appearances where they just weren’t able to get it done. If “three is a charm” then this is the year when the Bruins will be crowned. An opening round yawner against Mississippi Valley State almost cost them against Texas A&M in the second round, but their domination of Xavier in the regional championship underscored that the Bruins are strong. Expect UCLA to need season-best performances from Kevin Love and Darren Collison if they are to beat Memphis

Prediction: Memphis 87, UCLA 78

Championship — A UNC match up would pit the two top teams in the country against each other for a game that should go down to the wire. A clear toss up, but I’ll be rooting for the Tarheels who should win it all, 84-82.

If you have a better idea how this tournament will unfold, feel free to hit the reply button and leave your comments too. Enjoy the games!

Tags: Final Four, Louisville, NCAA Men's Basketball, North Carolina, UCLA