The brackets were revealed on Sunday night, kicking off the least productive week of the year in offices around the country. Between filling out brackets and watching the opening games, distractions are at an all time high this week. From the time of the announcement through Thursday morning, millions of brackets will be completed and people will guess and second-guess on what will happen. By the time the first game tips off, both sports fans and casual observers will be watching to see how their picks stack up. If for money, pride or otherwise – everyone want to get the most picks right and reign supreme, regardless if they watched a single regular season game. This is the epitome of NCAA March Madness and it’s finally upon us!

How does one decide which teams to pick on their bracket? Some people are completely random while others choose based on colors, mascots, nicknames, famous alums, you name it. Often, those who know less about the teams actually do better with their picks – cruel irony for those of us who have watched up to hundreds of games since November. Although most of it ultimately comes down to luck, there are some trends that take place each year (or frequently at least). From Thursday until the National Championship game, 63 games will be played to decide who cuts down the nets to “One Shining Moment.” So, before you put the final touches on your bracket, here’s my breakdown of each region and some friendly reminders for you…

Tourney Trends
– A 16 seed has never beaten a 1 seed.
– A 12 seed almost always upsets a 5 seed.
– An 11 over a 6 is also very possible based on recent history.
– The 9 seed comes out the winner of the 8/9 matchups more often than the 8 seed.
– At least 1 number 2 seed won’t make it out of the first weekend.
– At least 1 number 1 seed will make it to the Final Four.
– At least 1 upset will be something you never expected to happen. Last year, a 15 seed took down a 2 seed twice. Not saying it will be that extreme, but something that seems uncomfortable to pick will happen. Only four times since 1985 have the top four seeds in each region survived the round of 64 (1994, 2000, 2004, 2007).
– No team has won a national title after losing the opening game of their conference tournament.
– The last 3 Final Fours have included a team with a dog as the mascot – will that continue?

Midwest Region
It was the first region to be revealed (with Louisville as the overall #1 seed) and the toughest according to many. Between the top 3 seeds, the current head coaches (Rick Pitino, Mike Krzyzewski, and Tom Izzo) have been to a total of 23 Final Fours.
Favorite: Louisville has to be the favorite here; after all, they are the top overall seed. They have been on a tear lately and the team that won the Big East Tournament has made the Final Four the past few years. The lack of travel bodes well for them (also convenient for Michigan State) en route to Atlanta and they’re likely biggest hurdle will be MSU or Duke (who would battle each other to play the Cardinals) in the Elite Eight. They are deep with a talented backcourt, so it’s hard not to go chalk in this region.
Dark Horse: Many would say St Louis since they’re from the A-10, but I have a hard time calling a 4 seed a sleeper. The Billikens should have probably been ranked lower but could still make a run; they play physical and with a heavy heart, in honor of their late coach Rick Majerus. Also watch out for the 7 seed Creighton Bluejays – lead by Doug McDermott. They could push Duke to the brink in the round of 32.
What the? From the time it was announced, the 5/12 matchup here baffles me. Oregon has battled some injuries but won the Pac-12 Tournament and finished second in the regular season – they’re reward: a 12 seed. On the other hand, Oklahoma State, lead by freshman of the year Marcus Smart, probably deserved a 6 or 7 seed and will have their hands full on Thursday afternoon.
Upset to watch for: #11 St Mary’s over #6 Memphis

West Region
Considered the softest of regions by many and features 2 Big Ten teams who just met for their conference tournament title. Although Gonzaga is the 1 seed in the region, they aren’t getting much love and people have questioned if they should actually be a top seed. Ultimately, they did what they were asked to do – went undefeated in their conference and won the tournament, but haven’t faced much competition. Such competition will come in droves in the coming weeks and we’ll all see if the former Cinderella has what it takes to be a champion.
Side note – if you’re planning to watch Notre Dame take on Iowa State, you might want some sunglasses handy because their highlighter green uniforms are awful! If they Cyclones have their way, we won’t have to see much more if it too.
Favorite: Everyone will agree that the Big Ten was the toughest conference this season and Ohio State is coming off winning the tournament and riding an 8 game winning streak. Thad Matta is used to being a 2 seed and made it to the Final Four last year. For that to happen again, they will need someone to help Deshaun Thomas carry the scoring load and Aaron Craft will need to keep up is pesky defense (and not get called for hand check fouls, which he’s gotten away with all year).
Dark Horse: Can you call a 5 seed a dark horse? Wisconsin could easily make some noise in this region. Although they struggle to score at times, they are very danger when they find their groove. They force you to play ugly and capitalize on mistakes. Bo Ryan has been a good tournament coach – will this be the year he gets to a Final Four? Also keep an eye on 3 seed New Mexico. Yes, they are a 3 seed, but also an unknown quantity to most.
What the? Ole Miss went from a team outside the bubble to a lock in the last couple weeks. Beating Florida in the SEC title game capped off a strong run. Guard Marshall Henderson is dangerous, and has a swagger – one that lead to him “gator chomping” at the UF fans after hitting a big shot. If they manage to upset Wisconsin, watch for more antics while the Rebels try to make a run.
Upset to watch for: #11 Belmont over #6 Arizona

South Region
This region seems to be a proving ground for teams that have been up and down this season. We will find out which of them are real and those who are pretenders. A potential second round matchup between Roy Williams and is his former team is one of many storylines in this region. Florida Gulf Coast University is making their 1^st appearance in the big dance and would love to shock the world by knocking off Georgetown. South Dakota State is hoping to play the role of Davidson (circa 2008) behind start point guard Nate Wolters. He’s a big-time scorer and could be the next face we’ll remember for Cinderella. Although the game is in Michigan, the Jackrabbits might not feel too out of place since many Michigan State fans are purchasing SDSU gear to wear as they cheer against their rival. So much for conference loyalty!
Favorite: In the land of misfit toys, Kansas enters this region with the most momentum. They have the coaching, talent and experience to again make a run this year. Bill Self is very comfortable this time of year and his team has size that will make for tough matchups for their opponents. Jeff Withey is a force on both ends of the court and Ben McLemore could be the breakout star of the tournament.
Dark Horse: I expect Minnesota to upset UCLA while both those coaches are battling to keep their jobs, but don’t see them getting too far after that. The VCU Rams are known for creating havoc, and I wouldn’t be surprised for them to wreak havoc on brackets around the country as they make a run. They’re a very scary 5 seed with experience in the tournament and can go far as long as they keep scoring.
What the? Teams from the MAC have been known to make some noise and provide us with upsets to watch in the tournament. Although the Akron Zips were ranked at one time this season and won their conference and tourney, I wouldn’t expect them to rattle VCU. Not only are the Rams a tough opponent, but Akron will be playing without their starting point guard – who is suspended after being charged for drug trafficking. Pretty bizarre for something like that to happen during the season and is a tough break for Akron.
Upset to watch for: #11 Minnesota over #6 UCLA

East Region
Indiana expected to be a 1 seed, just not in this region. Will they be too worn out to make a run now after a grueling Big Ten season? At this point in the year, fatigue can be an issue for many teams, and is a big question with IU. At the same time, Miami became the first team from the ACC to win both the regular season crown and conference tourney and not receive a 1 seed. I would expect them to play with a chip on their shoulder. The regional is held at the Verizon Center in Washington DC and the last time the big dance visited that venue, we saw George Mason advance to the Final Four.  Back then, the Patriots were coached by Jim Larranaga, who would love to accomplish the same feat with his Hurricanes.
Favorite: Indiana was the favorite team when the season started and is built for the Final Four. When the Hoosiers are clicking, they’re virtually unbeatable. You have to try to slow them down since you simply can’t beat them at their own game. There are at least 4 future NBA players on this squad and they can beat you from anywhere on the court. Victor Oladipo, who went from an unknown to start the year to a Wooden finalist will be the MVP if IU cuts down the nets.
Dark Horse: Bucknell would like to give Butler a taste of their own medicine, and become this years “Butler.” Their big man, Mike Muscala, is 7 foot tall and will make things tough for Brad Stevens and company. Butler has also been grossly over-rated most of this season and will likely fall early.
What the? The selection committee prides itself on not having any matching in the first round that also took place in the regular season. Yet, we have California and UNLV facing off on Thursday in a rematch of the instant classic they played in December. I would expect it to be another good game, but is this what we would call a section committee fail?
Upset to watch for: #14 Davidson over #3 Marquette

Regardless of how it all shakes out, there’s one thing we learned this past season of hoops: Expect the Unexpected. There are very few upsets that would even surprise me at this point with how much parody there was this season, so it should be exciting.

Hope you enjoy the madness as much as I do!