By Jackson Atoyebi

Finally, the tourney is upon us.  And as usual, everyone is running around trying to create the perfect bracket, or at least win their office pool; the one Kelly from accounting has been dominating for the past 3 years (picking school colors and mascots mind you).    While to me, this is the greatest postseason tournament in sports, the first couple of days can be a little drawn out.  This is why I have chosen a couple of intriguing first round games that everyone should keep their eyes on.

We interrupt this thought to bring you this blog public service announcement:

THERE WILL BE NO “5 vs. 12” GAME ANALYSIS.  I AM TIRED OF THIS CLICHÉ. WE ALL KNOW THAT ONE OF THESE 4 GAMES WILL RESULT IN AN UPSET (BY THE WAY WISCONSIN IS THIS YEAR’S UPSET FOR MY MONEY). 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled article:

UCLA 6 vs. VCU 11:

Everyone wants to pick this upset because everything is going for VCU and against UCLA.  UCLA has to travel east, VCU has Maynor, who we all remember beating Duke with that floater in 2007, and UCLA is not as good this year as they have been in the past.  These are all reasons for an intriguing game that will be fun to watch, however I would not pull the trigger on picking this upset. 

Southern California 10 vs. Boston College 7:

This game will be fun to watch, mainly because of the youthful athleticism of SC and senior forward Taj Gibson, and the brilliant play of a one Tyrese Rice, the crafty veteran guard from BC.  You really don’t know what you’re going to get, especially when BC has come into the tournament limping, losing 5 of their last 9, and SC’s roster filled with youth can be inconsistence at times to say the least.  This game is a tossup, which will make it very entertaining.

Arizona State 6 vs. Temple 11

This game will be interesting because of two players: Harden (ASU) and Christmas (Tem). The best part is the two things they have in common; they’re both special college players who will be playing in NBA next year, and both can take their teams to victory single-handedly on any given night.  Both teams know these facts and allow both players free reign.  That, in my opinion, is enough a reason to tune in. 

These games were some of the matchups that stood out to me.  They may not stand out to you.  But that is what makes this tournament so special – the storyline.  The hardest part, however, is picking who the protagonist is going to be.  Goodluck.