Brackets are out...

Basketball:

• The ACC tournament is over, with possibly the worst possible outcome, at least on the surface. Because who really wanted dook to take home another one? Anyone but dook. But in the end, this could be the best thing that could have happened to this Heels team. “I think we got fat and happy. We won the conference regular season." - Sean May. The Heels had practice when they got off the bus yesterday. Here's where we refocus.
• Congratulations to the Lady Tar Heels, who also took home a #1 seed. On top of that, the we get to host the first two games, so if you are in Chapel Hill on Sunday or Tuesday, get down to the Dean Smith Center and check out the game.
• Jay Bilas from ESPN think the Syracuse region is the most difficult ("without a doubt") this year. I disagree. I think the committee did a pretty good job getting three of the four regions (Syracuse, Chicago, and Austin) very even. As a #1 seed, would you rather have a 4/5 of Florida/Villanova or Michigan State/Syracuse? The lower half of the Syracuse bracket is loaded. UConn, Kansas, and Wisconsin...The good news is that as the 1, you only can face at most one of those teams, and if you are hoping for an easy game in the elite eight, you are most likely going to be disappointed.
• My final four picks from August 2004 were: UNC, Illinois, Kentucky, and Kansas. Well it isn't going to happen, since UNC and KU are in the same region. Still, I'm feeling relatively intelligent for those picks. Props to me :)

March. There is no greater month:

• a home victory over dook
• the first 70 degree day of 2005
• the ACC tournament
• my birthday
• the NCAA tournament
• spring break
• spending three to four days in a row on the couch watching basketball, at least 3 times