Bracketville, Population: Not Me, Soon

The NCAA men's basketball bracket is out, so as you do when you haven't paid one damn bit of attention all season, you immediately act as if you're some sort of expert and try to predict the outcome of 67 consecutive games. How hard could it be?

The only thing I really know about this season is that the season's been topsy-turvy enough, with top teams falling so often and so regularly, that the mystical 16-over-1 seems much more possible than usual. I'm not bold enough to put it on my bracket, but getting rudimentary reads on the teams, if I was to pick, Southern over Gonzaga appears to be the likeliest candidate of the group.

PLAY-IN ROUND
(11) St. Mary's over (11) Middle Tennessee St.
(13) Boise St. over (13) La Salle
(16) North Carolina A&T over (16) Liberty
(16) LIU-Brooklyn over (16) James Madison

ROUND OF 64

MIDWEST
(1) Louisville over (16) North Carolina A&T
(9) Missouri over (8) Colorado St.
(12) Oregon over (5) Oklahoma St.
(4) St. Louis over (13) New Mexico St.
(6) Memphis over (11) St. Mary's
(3) Michigan St. over (14) Valparaiso
(10) Cincinnati over (7) Creighton
(2) Duke over (15) Albany

WEST
(1) Gonzaga over (16) Southern
(9) Wichita St. over (8) Pittsburgh
(5) Wisconsin over (12) Mississippi
(13) Boise St. over (4) Kansas St.
(6) Arizona over (11) Belmont
(3) New Mexico over (14) Harvard
(10) Iowa St. over (7) Notre Dame
(2) Ohio St. over (15) Iona

SOUTH
(1) Kansas over (16) Western Kentucky
(8) North Carolina over (9) Villanova
(5) Virginia Commonwealth over (12) Akron
(4) Michigan over (13) South Dakota St.
(6) UCLA over (11) Minnesota
(3) Florida over (14) Northwestern St.
(7) San Diego St. over (10) Oklahona
(15) Florida Gulf Coast over (2) Georgetown

EAST
(1) Indiana over (16) LIU-Brooklyn
(8) North Carolina St. over (9) Temple
(5) UNLV over (12) California
(4) Syracuse over (13) Montana
(11) Bucknell over (6) Butler
(3) Marquette over (14) Davidson
(10) Colorado over (7) Illinois
(2) Miami (FL) over (15) Pacific

ROUND OF 32

MIDWEST
(1) Louisville over (9) Missouri
(12) Oregon over (4) St. Louis
(3) Michigan St. over (6) Memphis
(10) Cincinnati over (2) Duke

WEST
(1) Gonzaga over (9) Wichita St.
(5) Wisconsin over (13) Boise St.
(6) Arizona over (3) New Mexico
(2) Ohio St. over (10) Iowa St.

SOUTH
(8) North Carolina over (1) Kansas
(5) Virginia Commonwealth over (4) Michigan
(3) Florida over (6) UCLA
(7) San Diego St. over (15) Florida Gulf Coast

EAST
(1) Indiana over (8) North Carolina St.
(4) Syracuse over (5) UNLV
(11) Bucknell over (3) Marquette
(2) Miami (FL) over (10) Colorado

SWEET 16
(1) Louisville over (12) Oregon
(3) Michigan St. over (10) Cincinnati
(1) Gonzaga over (5) Wisconsin
(6) Arizona over (2) Ohio St.
(5) Virginia Commonwealth over (8) North Carolina
(3) Florida over (7) San Diego St.
(1) Indiana over (4) Syracuse
(2) Miami (FL) over (11) Bucknell

ELITE EIGHT
(3) Michigan St. over (1) Louisville
(1) Gonzaga over (6) Arizona
(5) Virginia Commonwealth over (3) Florida
(1) Indiana over (2) Miami (FL)

FINAL FOUR
(3) Michigan St. over (1) Gonzaga
(1) Indiana over (5) Virginia Commonwealth

FINAL
(1) Indiana 78, (3) Michigan St. 63