Time is running short to study your bracket. You are fielding calls in hushed tones and doing the "Alt-Tab" shuffle between instant-message screens and dummy spreadsheets (psst -- your boss is doing it, too). You are wrapping up hours upon hours of preparing your NCAA Tournament picks.
Why would you approach this process with anything less than the most current conventional wisdom? Check out the list below for who and what is hot (and what's not) in the 2003 NCAA Tournament, from cheerleaders to Cinderellas, from players to watch to coaches to avoid.
Your ability to be out front on this will cement your celebrity status within the office, at the bar and on dates for the rest of the year.
| WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT FOR NCAA TOURNEY |
| Category |
Hot |
Not Hot |
| Fan |
Ashley Judd |
Juan Dixon |
| Bandwagon Final Four pick |
Kentucky |
Duke (for once) |
| Sleeper |
Louisville (No. 4 in East) |
Creighton (No. 6 in West) |
| Cheerleaders |
Texas |
(We're not that mean) |
| Premature MOP favorite |
Keith Bogans (Kentucky) |
Steve Blake (Maryland) |
| Directional school |
Southern Illinois |
East Tennessee State |
| Forget our academics |
Penn |
Notre Dame |
| This year's Kent State |
UW-Milwaukee |
Kent State |
| Venerable coach |
Jim Boeheim (Syracuse) |
Eddie Sutton (Okla. St.) |
| Young coach |
Dereck Whittenburg (Wagner) |
Quin Snyder (Missouri) |
| Really-needs-a-win coach |
Rick Barnes (Texas) |
Rick Majerus (Utah) |
| "He's Due" coach |
Ben Howland (Pitt) |
Kelvin Sampson (Oklahoma) |
| Perennial overachiever |
Tulsa |
Cincinnati |
| Nickname |
Jaspers (Manhattan) |
Tigers (Pick any) |
| Small conference |
Horizon |
Patriot |
| Mid-major conference |
WAC |
Mizzou Valley |
| Power conference |
Big 12 |
ACC |
| Carry-the-team big man |
Mario Austin (Miss. St.) |
David Harrison (Colorado) |
| Go-to scorer |
Brett Blizzard (UNC-Wilmington) |
Hollis Price (Oklahoma) |
| First-round upset special |
UW-Milwaukee over Notre Dame |
Butler over Mississippi State |
| Lock to choke |
Memphis |
Pitt |
| Sartorial style (coach) |
Suit stays on (until first TV timeout) |
Mock turtlenecks |
| Sartorial style (player) |
Retro college jerseys |
Warm-up suits |
| Celebratory move |
Tugging on jersey's school name |
Pointing to own name on jersey's back |
| Bench superstition |
Timed feet stomp |
Holding hands |
| Kicks |
Air Jordan IIIs |
Air Force Is |
| "Sound-smarter" buzz phrase for water cooler |
"Record vs. RPI Top 50" |
"Um, I like Kentucky!" |
| 3-point shooter |
Luke Ridnour (Oregon) |
Jason Gardner (Arizona) |
| First-round matchup |
Dayton-Tulsa |
St. Joe's-Auburn |
| Get over it already |
Syracuse in Albany regional |
West is overloaded |
| "OH-ver-RAY-ted!" |
Florida as a No. 2 |
Maryland as a No. 6 |
| Will kill your pool sheet |
Cincinnati |
Big Ten |
| Pity for burst bubble |
Texas Tech |
Tennessee |
| Least like to be underexposed |
Luke Walton (Arizona) |
Josh Howard (Wake Forest) |
| Human highlight reel |
Ricky Paulding (Missouri) |
Ryan Randle (Maryland) |
| Juicy potential second round matchup |
Maryland-Xavier |
Indiana-Pitt |
Everyone out there thinks they know the hot sleeper or favorite that can't miss. Well, Page 2 already has heard it all, and here's what we think of the conventional wisdom oon picking this year's bracket
big winners:
| PAGE 2'S BRACKET PICKS |
| Category |
We Like |
We Don't Like |
| East fave |
Syracuse |
Wake Forest |
| East sleeper |
Louisville |
Butler |
| West fave |
Duke |
Arizona |
| West sleeper |
Wisconsin-Milwaukee |
W. Kentucky |
| Midwest fave |
Kentucky |
Pitt |
| Midwest sleeper |
Marquette |
Dayton |
| South fave |
Maryland |
Texas |
| South sleeper |
LSU |
Colorado |
| Has it easy |
Kentucky |
Duke |
| Got hosed |
Kansas |
Illinois |
| Final pick |
Kentucky over Syracuse |
Anyone over Kentucky |
Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "Daily Quickie" commentary appears every weekday morning. Be sure to check out the
special-edition live "Tourney Quickie" on Thursday and Friday afternoons.
