Moni's 2009 NCAA Men's B-Ball Brackets

The 65 teams that made the NCAA tournament have been selected and placed in their various regions, they've been seeded, and the fun will begin tonight in Dayton with the opening round game between the Alabama State Hornets and Morehead State Eagles.

The winner gets the formidable task of taking on the overall number one seeded Louisville Cardinals.

I'm extremely happy to see Tubby Smith take the Minnesota Golden Gophers to the NCAA tournament after the way he was screwed by Kentucky. I'm not surprised that the karmic wheel issued some payback and Kentucky missed the NCAA tournament for the first time in 17 years.

To all those Kentucky fans who disingenuously claimed they would hold a white coach to the same impossibly high standard you held Tubby to while subjecting him to abuse, have y'all put the 'For Sale' signs on Billy Clyde's lawn yet since he's failed to win an NCAA, much less an SEC title yet?

Well, now that I've commented on a few things, it's time for me to quit stalling and reveal who I think will end up in the Men's Final Final Four in Detroit.

For those of you who question my b-ball acumen, here's how I fared in the 2007 and 2008 seasons. I'll be posting my picks on who I think will win on the NCAA women's side as well.

Opening Round Game
Morehead St.

Midwest Region

1st Round
Louisville, Ohio State, Utah, West Virginia, Kansas, Southern Cal, Michigan State

Sweet 16
Louisville, Wake Forest, Kansas, Michigan State

Elite 8
Louisville, Michigan State

Midwest Champion
Louisville


West Region

1st Round
Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Marquette, Missouri, Maryland, Memphis

Sweet 16
Connecticut, Washington, Marquette, Memphis

Elite 8
Connecticut, Memphis

West Champions
Connecticut


East Region

1st Round
Pittsburgh, Oklahoma St., Florida St., Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas, Duke

Sweet 16
Pittsburgh, Xavier, Villanova, Duke

Elite 8
Pittsburgh, Duke

East Champions
Pittsburgh


South Region

1st Round
North Carolina, LSU, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona St., Syracuse, Clemson, Oklahoma

Sweet 16
North Carolina, Illinois, Syracuse, Oklahoma

Elite 8
North Carolina, Oklahoma

South Champion
North Carolina


Final Four Teams
Louisville, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, North Carolina

Championship Game
Louisville, Pittsburgh

2009 NCAA Champion
Louisville