This will officially be the first year that I watch my brackets get annihilated in person.

And strangely, I can't wait.

Today marks the start of what's sure to be an eventful weekend.  With three friends, I'm bound for the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, a little over an hour away from my house and the home of first and second round action for this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. 

Did I mention that my laptop and digital camera are also coming along for the trip? 

For the second straight year, I'll be hitting the road and keeping a blog on the first weekend of March Madness - last year from Vegas, this year from Philly.  Along the way you'll get all the witty details.  I figure it's the least I can do to entertain the blogosphere and remain single.  You can plan on me posting at least once a day from now until Monday morning, when the dust settles and I unofficially change the name of my all my brackets to "Sinking Like Lead."

I can't shake the feeling that this year's tournament is more wide open than most, probably because every team in the top five has a major downside - UConn can be inconsistent; Duke and Gonzaga are too reliant on star players and lack depth; Nova lives and dies by the three; Memphis isn't battle-tested.  Factor in what I feel is a weak bunch of two-seeds, and the possibility exists for six-, seven-, or eight-seeds to sneak their way into the Final Four.

I mention the top teams because I'll get to see two of them - UConn and Villanova - which inherently means that a MAJOR upset could await either squad after they tattoo unsuspecting 16-seeds in the first round.  I'm not saying it's going to happen (I have both in my Final Four), but there's certainly a possibility.  With match ups against veteran tournament coaches (Lute Olson, Bo Ryan, Tubby Smith) lurking in the weeds, the potential for a bracket-busting upset exists for two of America's top teams.

In total, I'll get to see six games - four today and two on Sunday.  Friday's schedule looks something like:

12:30 PM - (9) Wisconsin vs. (8) Arizona

Two perennial tournament powers, two dynamite coaches, and plenty of prevailing jokes about Hassan Adams.

2:50 PM - (16) Monmouth vs. (1) Villanova

Everyone is talking about the home-court advantage for Villanova, but what about Monmouth, a campus only 80 miles from the Wachovia Center?  Could this be the year that...  never mind, this is going to be an absolute blood-letting. 

7:25 PM - (16) Albany vs. (1) Connecticut

It's as if the Vegas oddsmakers got together and said, "Look, we need a real reason to make people think that UConn won't win by 60 points."  Yadda, yadda, yadda...  bomb scares and rumors of terrorist subplots...  the line is only 21. 

9:45 - (9) UAB vs. (8) Kentucky

The token 8-9 match up that nobody would care about if not for office pools and Ashley Judd.

...

So, stay tuned to Quick Slants over the next few days for a unique first-person look at the City of Brotherly Love and all the basketball action. 

Random Thoughts from Thursday

-- I feel like I owe my first born to the person that came up with "March Madness On Demand," a service powered by CBS Sportsline that makes it possible to watch all the games over the internet... while at work.  And, it's FREE.  Someone could easily make a billion dollars if they charged a fee, but shhhhhh.  Heck, I'd pay money just for the "Boss Button," which is perhaps more brilliant than both pasteurized milk and the wheel.  Basically, the developers knew that people would be watching from the office, so they built a button that kills the audio and superimposes a picture of an Excel spreadsheet on your screen - it's so perfect it hurts.  I felt like I unlocked the secret to cold fusion when I figured out what it did. 

-- Add Syracuse's loss last night to the "I told you so" list.  Just a cunning exhibition of sloppy, uninspired basketball with guys falling down like dominoes.  McNamara didn't even look like he wanted to be there.  Thanks for proving my point, guys.  Helluva run, though.

-- The sad part is that the media cares more about Montana beating Nevada than Mexico beating the United States. 

-- If it's not too late, I'd like to add an extra bracket killer to my list on Monday:  Drastically changing your picks on Thursday morning.  Inexplicably, I decided to pick Oklahoma over Wisconsin-Milwaukee and San Diego State over Indiana and into the Sweet Sixteen, contrary to my own initial instincts.  I have no idea what I was thinking, I felt like Reggie Bush making that ill-conceived lateral in the Rose Bowl.  Wisconsin-Milwaukee was a virtual lock in this game and I blew it.  Shame on me.

-- It should be noted that of all my brackets, I am doing the WORST in the FOXSports.com pool that many of you joined to compete against me.  I am in 53^rd place after a poor 11-for-16 showing... just miserable.  Currently "Stealths" (i.e. my cousin Tony) is in first place, successfully guessing 15 of 16 games correctly.