Let's Continue With The Madness, Eh?

We've moved the Cheap Seats in front of my TV for this weekend, and we'll be watching The Madness intensely tonight. We have some pretty intriguing matchups to look forward to for the next two days, so let's take a look at what we've got.

Florida vs. Butler: Sure, Butler has some magic to them and they will provide Florida a tough test, but let's look at the facts. Butler has one major star player, AJ Graves. On the other hand, Florida's roster could give many NBA teams a run. It's a simple matter of ratios -- namely the ratio of five amazing starters for the Gators, and one star for Butler. Game goes to the Gators.

Oregon vs. UNLV: This one is one of the more interesting ones. Oregon has been an excellent team this year, and it would be easy to pick them over the Runnin' Rebels. The problem here is that UNLV seems to have found a spark that they haven't had since Tark the Shark was patrolling the sidelines in Vegas. They played good games against Georgia Tech and Wisconsin, neither of whom are pushovers. If the four day break didn't hurt them in any way, I see UNLV getting the upset (again) and playing Florida on Sunday.

Kansas vs. Southern Illinois: The Salukis are strong, but not that strong. Kansas plays such an amazing brand of basketball and has such great talent that it's very hard to imagine them losing this game. True, SIU played strong in their victory over Virginia Tech, but Kansas is on a whole new level from everyone else they've played this season.

Pittsburgh vs. UCLA: Having seen UCLA play twice in person, I'm not one-hundred percent sure they can roll with a team that plays consistent offense. Pitt's Aaron Gray will be looking out for the same moving double-team that frustrated Indiana's DJ White so much last Saturday. Unlike White, Gray will have more options for getting the ball out when the UCLA defense crashes on him. I think Pitt will have the upper hand in this one.

North Carolina vs. Southern Cal: The Trojans are one of the surprises of this season, rising up to contend with cross-town rivals UCLA in the Pac-10. North Carolina surprised no one, using their strong inside presence to dominate their ACC rivals. I think the Tyler Hansborough-Rayshawn Terry connection will propel the #1-seeded Tar Heels past the Trojans and into the Elite Eight.

Vanderbilt vs. Georgetown: Vanderbilt has a lot of heart, and that heart propelled them past a strong Washington St. team after two overtimes in Sacramento. That same heart will give Georgetown a tough run in the Sweet Sixteen. However, I still think Georgetown is one of the strongest teams in this tournament, with big man Roy Hibbert and sharpshooter Jeff Green leading the charge. Vanderbilt will be close, but not close enough. Georgetown moves on to meet UNC.

Ohio St. vs. Tennessee: Both of these teams have surprised people in this tournament, but for different reasons. Many people had Long Beach St. over Tennessee as their first round 5-12 upset. The Vols responded to that by posting a 121-86 beating. Ohio St., on the other hand, needed a missed flagrant foul call and a missed free throw just to force overtime against Xavier. I think now that Bruce Pearl understands that he can frustrate OSU's Greg Oden, he'll try his best to get the freshman fouled out. If Oden is riding the bench for most of the game, I don't know if Othello Hunter can pick up the slack. I know it goes against my original bracket, but I'm going to go with Tennessee in this one.

Texas A&M vs. Memphis: Memphis is a strong team with a great coach and a stellar record. They're also in Conference-USA. Texas A&M is the second-strongest team in a strong Big Twelve, and they have one of the best shooters in the country. The key, as it has been all season, will be Acie Law IV. If he's shooting like he normally does, this game is over. Texas A&M goes to the Elite Eight.

Well, there you go. The Sweet Sixteen begins tonight with Ohio St.-Tennessee, Texas A&M-Memphis, Kansas-SIU, and Pitt-UCLA. See you 'round, folks.