Let the madness begin.  Let every "expert" from across the internet fill out a bracket.  We must whittle 65 teams down to one ultimate fighting champion, and I would pick the Florida Gators, but they weren't allowed to play with the big kids this year.  I would pick the Vanderbilt Commodores, but each time I think about that I get a little bit sick to my stomach.  I would pick the Stanford Cardinal, but it is written somewhere that a tree can never be a champion.  I think that's in the New Testament, maybe the book of Revelations.  Maybe Corinthians.  I don't know.

So, as I embark on my exacting science of bracketology, I must admit to myself that I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing.  Of course, ignorance has never stopped me from blogging before, and it won't burden me now.  (see: Kiss of Death)

SWEET SIXTEEN  (whatever happened to Molly Ringwald?)

East Region = North Carolina, Notre Dame, Louisville, Tennessee.  The Tar Heels will have little trouble making it to Charlotte, while Notre Dame upsets Wazzou to punch a ticket to the sweetness that is sixteen.  Louisville survives the surprising Oklahoma Sooners, and the Vols are erratic but talented enough to get past American University and Butler.

Midwest Region = Kansas, Clemson, USC, Georgetown.  UNLV is very capable of putting a scare into the Jayhawks, but the Rock Chalkers still advance to Detroit.  Clemson is quietly lurking as a dangerous team, while USC runs past the plodding Wisconsin Badgers.  Georgetown could fall victim to a feisty Davidson team, but I'm going with the Hoyas in a close one.  (Upset watch: Siena over Vandy)

South Region = Memphis, Pittsburgh, Stanford, Texas.  Oregon should make Memphis fans nervous, and a close game begs the question, will free throw shooting doom the Tigers?  Nah, Memphis will make it to Houston unscathed, but stay tuned.  Pitt is a very resilient team, and I like the way they compete at the defensive end.  My upset pick for this bracket is Temple over Michigan State, but the Owls then fall to Pitt.  Marquette is a streaky team, and given the right circumstances could chop down the Stanford Tree, but I'll go with the Cardinal.  The Texas Longhorns quietly go about their business.

West Region = UCLA, Connecticut, Purdue, Arizona.  The UCLA Bruins seem to be the trendy pick to win it all, and they will hold serve for the first two rounds.  UConn is too athletic for Drake, while Georgia shocks Xavier but then falls to Purdue.  In a complete and utter disregard for logic and reasoning, I'm picking my Arizona Wildcats to upset West Virginia and then the Blue Devils of Duke for the chance to play in Phoenix.  You were expecting me to pick Duke?  Not gonna happen.

ELITE EIGHT  (orange whip?  orange whip?  three orange whips)

East Region = Notre Dame vs Louisville.  Upsets, upsets, as the Fighting Irish knock out the UNC Tar Heels and the Cardinals eliminate the Tenn Volunteers.  How can this be?  I don't know, but it be.  For the honor of traveling to San Antonio, the Irish go cold and the Louisville Cardinals get hot.  Rick Pitino returns to the Final Four, and the Big East is recognized.

Midwest Region = Kansas vs USC.  The Clemson Tigers scare the beejeebies out of Kansas, and yet the Jayhawks won't die.  The Trojans return to the Elite Eight by upsetting the half court minded Hoyas.  Hoya Paranoia and Roy Hibbert get a real bad case of the yips at a real bad time.  USC is just too quick, and that OJ Mayo is for real.  But the Men From Troy just don't have an answer for the Jayhawks as Kansas advances to San Antonio and Bill Self guides them to the Final Four.

South Region = Pittsburgh vs Texas.  The bubble will burst for the Memphis Tigers.  The Pitt Panthers are battle tested, they are gritty, and they are not intimidated.  Free throw shooting has nothing to do with the Memphis defeat, the Panthers are the tougher team.  Texas dispatches Stanford in what promises to be a very slow and boring game, and then the Longhorns squeak past the emotionally spent Panthers from Pitt in a real meatgrinder o####ame.  Burnt Orange returns to the LoneStar state, and the Big XII spots two teams in the Final Fearsome Foursome.

West Region = UCLA vs Purdue.  The UCLA Bruins emerged as champs of the toughest conference (kids, that would be the Pac-10 for those that have been paying attention), and while injuries may yet spoil things, they're a relatively deep team.  UCLA vs UConn promises to be very entertaining, while Purdue vs Arizona promises to be very messy.  The Boilermakers end the joyride for my beloved 'Cats, but then get steamrolled by the juggernaut that is Bruin Basketball.

FINAL FOUR  (you can't handle the truth!)

Louisville vs Kansas.  All we are is dust in the wind, and yet somehow the Jayhawks keep surviving.  Is Bill Self really a good coach?  Maybe, maybe not.  What is it about these Jayhawks then?  It's gotta be the shoes!  (Carry on wayward son ~ if I claim to be a wise man, it surely means that I don't know)  Whatever it is, Kansas finds a way to take the air out of Pitino-ball and advance to the title game.  Is there a Danny Manning in the house?

Texas vs UCLA.  You know, if you look at burnt orange long enough, you start to get dizzy, even a little hallucinatory.  I'm not sure why.  The eyes of Texas are upon the Longhorns and  .... and the Longhorns proceed to choke.  UCLA shows no mercy, and the Bruins are on a mission from God.

THE GAME  (we represent the Lollipop Guild .. the Lollipop Guild .. the Lollipop Guild)

Kansas vs UCLA.  It all comes down to this.  The Bruins face their second consecutive Big Dozen opponent, and the result is the same as before.  The Wizard of Westwood himself, Coach Wooden, couldn't have drawn it up any better, and all is joyful throughout La-La Land.  Bruins have better coaching, better tournament experience, and better guard play.

UCLA cuts down the nets.

....  or not.

The trio of Jerryd Bayless, Chase Budinger, and Jordan Hill are an incredible nucleus for the 07-08 Wildcats, but beyond that ....  well, things get a little bit cloudy when you look beyond those dudes.

Senior Jawann McClellan is just not having the type of senior season that many of us thought (and hoped) that he would.  On Saturday against Stanford, he really struggled to find any type of a role in the offense, and quite honestly, he almost completely disappeared.  Thankfully, late in the game he came up with a very big three pointer that was part of a run that allowed the UofA to take the game down to the wire.  Ultimately, things didn't work out, and Stanford squeaked out a 67-66 victory at the McKale Center.

Sophomore Nic Wise has shown alot of improvement this season, and he's been valuable at the point guard position.  With the UA lineup so thin (they practically have no bench to speak of), his recent injury has put even more pressure on Jerryd Bayless.  Based on what I've read, Wise may be back in time for the NCAA tourney or possibly even the Pac-10 tourney.  He dropped alot of weight during the offseason, which I've got to believe will help him get back to the court relatively quickly.

Freshman Jamelle Horne has really contributed in his first season, and his immediate future looks very bright as he continues to improve.  Bret Brielmaier has had a nagging injury (shoulder?) that just won't seem to heal for some reason.  Since the 'Cats are so thin along the frontline, his absence has also had a major impact.

I'm an Arizona grad living in the midwest, and so naturally whenever the 'Cats are on tv here and I get to watch the team with my own eyes, I treat it as a blessing.  And last Saturday, the Arizona vs Stanford game was televised nationally, so I got to watch every minute of that one.

Some thoughts about the Stanford game and the season thus far ....

What does Coach O'Neill have against a zone?  Look, I'm a true believer in man-to-man as the base defense so I love that part, but I also like to see the team mix up their defenses.  Don't let an offense get comfortable (i.e. don't let Stanford get comfortable just posting up the Lopez twins!).  Foul trouble is the Achilles Heel of a thin team, and a good way to hide someone in foul trouble is to spend some time in a zone.  To go one step further, if the player in foul trouble is a power forward or a center, a zone press can even protect them further (provided you've got guards that can apply pressure).  With Nic Wise out, I can fully understand not pressing, heck, Bayless pretty much has to play every minute of each game.  But mix up defenses a bit and maybe Jordan Hill's foul trouble might have been avoided or at least played thru - instead, he fouled out and really was never a factor in the game.

I'm just shaking my head why Coach doesn't mix in some 1-3-1 halfcourt traps or even a matchup 2-3 zone every now and then.

Jerryd Bayless can become an outstanding point guard.  If he chooses to.  I've read and heard many people claiming that JB is a SG and not a PG, and I disagree with that.  He's really a point guard that looks for his shot first, and yeah that's not good but it ain't all bad either.  Am I the only one noticing that Jerryd just doesn't seem to look like his listed 6'3" height?  I've never met the kid in person, but he sure as heck looks like 6'0" maybe 6'1".  Against Stanford he ran the point quite well I thought.  But on occasion Arizona's offense became a Mickey-Mouse high pick and roll with the big guys not even understanding how to set a real pick, but that's a blog for another day I think.

I've always played point guard so I was watching JB very closely to see how he handled things as the "quarterback".  He has scoring talent, without a doubt, but he certainly could get his teammates more involved.  Look at Jawann McClellan, JB almost nearly alienated poor Jawann.  Sure, Jawann is struggling, but a good point guard will get a player involved in the offense, and if I'm not mistaken, the big three ball that McClellan nailed was all set up by a dribble drive and dish by Bayless.

No doubt, I'm biased.  I think the most important player on the court for a team is the point guard.  In many ways I believe that a team will take on the personality of its coach, and I think the same can be said that a team will follow the lead of its point guard.

The interesting thing here is that the UofA has another top point guard recruit coming in next season (Brandon Jennings), and if Bayless decides to stay in school (which I hope he does), they could make up a very lethal backcourt.  I've always liked having a lineup in which the two guard could also work as the point guard.  I think that's such a huge advantage (particularly breaking a press or in the transition game).  As an Arizona fan, I certainly hope to see those two in the same backcourt next season, but many of the so-called "experts" project that Bayless will jump to the NBA.

We'll see.

Chase Budinger is tough to figure out.  I really want to write positive stuff about Chase here, but in all honesty I really am just confused.  The dude shows flashes of brilliance, and then mysteriously he just disappears for long stretches of the game.  At times he drives strong and rebounds strong, and then mysteriously he'll play soft for long stretches of the game.  What the heck?  Chase has all the talent in the world (every bit as much talent as Jerryd), but for whatever reason he just doesn't seem to have a killer instinct.  I don't want to bash Chase because I'm always pulling for him to play to his potential, but honestly if I was his teammate I'd probably really get in his face and try to fire him up.  Or strangle him.

Chase should return to school for another year, but again, I've read that he's likely to turn pro.  I think that would be a mistake.  I don't deny that he has the talent and the size to play in the NBA, but he just doesn't seem ready from a mental toughness aspect.  Oh well, I played intramural basketball and pick-up games during my stay at the UofA, so it's not like I can really talk about being ready for the NBA.

This week the 'Cats are up in Seattle for a clash with the surging Huskies, and then an important face-off with the Wash St Cougars.  Every game becomes more and more important as the season winds down, and that magical "20 win" season looms out there.  If the 'Cats win 20, they're a lock for the NCAA tourney  ....  but if they don't finish strong, well, the Pac-10 is not a pleasant place to be this year if you don't bring your "A" game every game.

All is not well in Arizona Basketball at the moment.  Hall of Fame Coach Lute Olson has taken a leave of absence for the entire 2007-2008 season, and Kevin O'Neill has since stepped in as substitute teacher for the young Wildcat hoopsters.  Going one step further, Mr O'Neill has been named as Lute's successor when the living legend decides to retire.

Coach Olson has expressed the desire to return for the 2008-2009 season, but it looks very su####iously like a fairwell tour more than anything - particularly with AD Jim Livengood having already removed the interim tag from O'Neill and slapped him with the "head coach in waiting" title.

That smells of Lute's impending retirement after next season, which in all honesty, most of us UofA fans and alumni realized was in the very near future anyways.  Eventually at some point there will be a transition to a new era of Arizona basketball, and that transition will probably be a bumpy ride.

All of that aside, the current team has fallen on tough times as of late.  Early in the season, the 'Cats handled all of the uncertainty surrounding Coach Olson's sudden departure and the subsequent shift required to adapt to Coach O'Neill's style of game with amazing resolve.  The early season was marked by some gritty wins and a valiant effort against the Kansas Jayhawks at Phogg-Allen Fieldhouse.

Then came the injury to point guard Jerryd Bayless.

It doesn't seem like much when written as a line item like that, but in reality that injury truly changed the dynamic of this team.  Swingman Chase Budinger is a tremendous player with loads of talent, but he just doesn't seem to be a team leader.  We wondered about his toughness last year, and we're still wondering this year.  That's not an accusation, that's just an observation.

Some dudes are comfortable being "the man", while others don't possess that sort of personality.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of Chase, and he most definitely comes across as a "team comes first" type of player.  For a team to win consistently and build valuable team chemistry, it's pretty much a requirement that the players are unselfish.

To some extent playing point guard makes Jerryd Bayless a team leader by default, it's just the nature of the position, but there's more to it than that.  Even as a freshman, in critical situations, Jerryd has shown incredible toughness.  Arizona is a different team with JB on the court, and while Nic Wise has filled in admirably at the point, again, he's just not quite on the same level as JB.

And it shows.

The Pac-10 is loaded this season, from top to bottom.  There will be no easy games at all during the conference schedule, and with back to back losses to Oregon and ASU, the 'Cats have stumbled out to a 1-2 start in Pac-10 play.  Now, it's not time to push the panic button just yet, but there's certainly alot of cause for concern.  Washington State, UCLA, USC, Cal, Stanford, and Oregon are all capable of making a Sweet Sixteen run in the NCAA tourney, and ASU, Oregon State, and Washington have also proven that they will make noise if a spot in the Big Dance is in their future.

That's my point.

From what I've seen so far, every team in the Pac-10 is actually capable of getting into the NCAA tournament, although of course that won't happen.  Teams will knock each other off as the season goes along, and only the strong will survive.

But that's a good thing.  The teams that do emerge will definitely be battle tested.

Here's our history lesson for the day: Back in the 1996-97 season, Arizona struggled mightily with inconsistency and key injuries and limped to a fifth place finish in the Pac-10.  Then (at the right time) everything seemed to come together.  A blitzkrieg thru the tail end of the Pac-10 schedule was followed by one of the most impressive marches thru the NCAA tournament as Arizona defeated Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky (all No.1 seeds) to claim the National Championship.

There are some similarities between this current team and that '97 squad, such as a tough freshman point guard and an undermanned frontline and the struggles with injuries.  It's early in conference play, and only time will tell if this version of Arizona basketball has what it takes to regroup.