Adam Morrison's game and moustache has people talking

Gonzaga
Their conference was weak this year, but they still ran through it with only a few close games there at the end. Adam Morrison – love him or hate him – is one of the nation’s best players, but will need to keep his emotions in check if his Zags want to reach the Oakland final. The Bulldogs haven’t reached the round of 16 since ’01, but Mark Few will have his dogs ready to bark and make some noise.

UCLA
I have much respect for Ben Howland’s club, but not 2-seed respect. The Bruins should have obtained a 3 or a 4 seed.

Pittsburgh
Yes, you can make a case for Gonzaga, but face it: the Zags have to be happy with the competition they have in this bracket. Pittsburgh reached the Big East final and lost in the final seconds. The Panthers also remained in the Top 15 since Week 10 and how do they get rewarded? With a 5 seed? Pitt deserved a 3.

Carl Krauser will look to lead his Panthers down a tough road to the Elite 8

Pittsburgh
I’m going to have to go with the Panthers. Pitt is 12-7 in their run since being in the Top 15. Six of those losses came to teams that made it to the ‘Big Dance’ and that are seeded 10 or better. Yes, we all know about the 5 vs. 12 game and the regularity it has of being the big upset game, but this Panthers team will move on.

San Diego State over Indiana
This could be the year of the 11 seeds over the 6 seeds. The Aztecs strength of schedule is dry, but their talent and bench runs deep. They have three guys capable of matching up with Indiana stud Marco Killingsworth, which will force fellow forward Hoosier Robert Vaden to step up and stray from his inconsistent tendencies. It all depends on how the Hoosiers come out in respect to head coach Mike Davis who is leaving the program after this season.

Xavier's Justin Cage was named A-10 tourney Most Outstanding Player

Xavier over Gonzaga
Why did Xavier have to get stuck in this situation? After such a valiant run through the Atlantic 10 I was going to pick Xavier as a sleeper team to reach the Sweet 16. The Musketeers deserved much better, but head coach Sean Miller and his X-men like adversity so much that if they just pulled off four wins in four days to win their conference tourney (2nd time Xavier has done it: the only team in Division 1 history to do so) they won’t mind giving Gonzaga a close game. The young Xavier squad matches up very well with the Bulldogs and keep an eye on guard Stanley Burrell (14.1 ppg) and forwards Josh Duncan (9.1 ppg), Justin Doellman (11 ppg) and one of the nation’s most underrated players Justin Cage (pictured, 10.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg).

Kent State over Pittsburgh
Sure the Golden Flashes upset the Panthers back in 2002 to reach the Elite Eight, but Pitt head coach Jamie Dixon won’t let his Panthers make the same mistake. Aaron Gray is too good inside and the Panthers have too many weapons outside.

Marquette vs. Alabama
This game pits two of the nation’s best forwards in Marquette’s Steve Novak and Alabama’s Jermareo Davidson. They are different breed of big men which should make for interesting TV. Neither team is very good on the road (Marquette 4-8, Alabama 3-7) but somebody’s got to win. Interesting note: both teams played #15 seed of the D.C. bracket Winthrop with Marquette losing by 6 and Alabama pulling out a ‘W’ by 3.

Memphis vs. Arkansas
Arkansas will have to escape from a talented Charles Lee and his Bucknell Bison, but 6’7 Razorback guard Ronnie Brewer should be able to do that. Brewer - just a junior - averages 18.5 ppg, almost 5 boards a game and around 3 steals a game. He’ll then have the daunting task of playing against the nation’s most athletic team in Memphis. A Brewer vs. Memphis’ Darius Washington, Jr. will be one of the greatest battle of guards of the tourney. And while Memphis did beat 3 SEC teams (Alabama, Ole Miss and Tennessee) by a combined 43 points, look for the Razorbacks to make it a good game.

Pitt vs. UCLA in Elite 8
Panthers would face their old coach Ben Howland who bolted for the West Coast. Then assistant coach Jamie Dixon didn’t complain as he got to take over the Pitt program and has done a tremendous job in doing so. Interesting note: rumors are swirling around that Dixon might repeat the steps of Howland and bolt for the left coast to fill the vacancy at Arizona State. Teacher do, student do.

Gonzaga vs. Pittsburgh
Both teams have a tremendously hard road to go through, but both have the intense leaders that can get them there in Carl Krauser and Adam Morrison. Both are very different players with very different backgrounds. Krauser (Bronx, NY) and Morrison (Spokane, Wash.) are two of the most emotional players in the game and with this game you can expect to see a lot of bodies on the ground diving for the ball. After all you have to get on the floor because it’s March.