October is my favorite time of year when it comes to sports, but March has got to be a close second. Baseball season is around the corner, NFL free agency is jam packed with news, the race to the NBA and NHL playoffs is in full swing, and best off all, the day of the Big Dance has arrived.

March Madness is here. After one of the craziest years of college basketball ever, I’m expecting this tournament to redefine madness. Most brackets will be busted in a matter of hours, but that doesn’t stop me or anyone else from trying to decipher this 68 team (now 64 team after the recent First Four games) matrix.

If you would like to compete against my bracket, today is your chance. Donate $10 or more to flutiefoundation.org, send me your receipt, and you will have the chance to enter your bracket into a competition for prizes including Jersey Mike’s catering boxes and signed Flutie Flakes.

If you would like to see how my bracket is looking, today is also your chance. Read below to see my picks for the Final Four and championship as well as some potential Cinderellas. At the end, I’ll reveal my full bracket for everyone to voice their opinion about. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride.

East Region

Final 4: #1 UConn

The Huskies proved the doubters wrong last year when they won it all as a #4 seed. Now, the pressure is on for them to repeat as they come in as the #1 overall seed. However, their season has been near spotless, something that could not have been said about any team last year. Their only bad loss was to Seton Hall when they were banged up and they split the season series with them by beating them in March. Further improvement by Tristen Newton as well as breakouts by sophomores Alex Karaban and Donovan Clingan plus freshman Stephon Castle has created the perfect storm for a UConn repeat, or at least a Final Four appearance. They do have a tougher road to the Final Four than last year, but I think they’re up to the test.

Others in the Mix: Auburn, San Diego State, BYU

Cinderella: #10 Drake

The father-son, coach-player duo of Darian and Tucker DeVries have the chance to make some real noise in this tournament. Playing fairly close to home in Omaha, DeVries will arguably be the best player in the Omaha quadrant of the East Region. The Washington State game could be a tough one, as Wazzu has exceeded expectations all year and doesn’t plan to stop now. However, the location advantage should help there, and Iowa State’s lack of offensive firepower could make it hard to keep up with DeVries should they be matched up with Drake. Give me the Bulldogs for a Sweet 16 run with potential for more. 

South Region

Final 4: #4 Duke

You can hate on Duke all you want but this year’s team seems to have a different vibe than most years. Duke is typically led by one and done freshmen that often lack the experience to lead the team on March runs. However, this year’s team contains multiple older notable players including Kyle Filipowski, Jeremy Roach, and Tyrese Proctor. Jon Scheyer may not quite be Coach K, but he’s a respectable coach capable of leading this talented team to the Final Four. Houston could be a roadblock, but this team shoots much sharper than the defense-first Cougars.

Others in the Mix: Houston, Marquette, Kentucky

Cinderella: #15 Western Kentucky

I would imagine this will be among the chalkier regions in the tourney, but I’m starting to become convinced on #15 WKU over #2 Marquette as a potential upset. Marquette’s Tyler Kolek and Oso Ighodaro are not 100%, and that will have an impact here. This is a Western Kentucky team that has been competitive in the C-USA over the past several seasons under head coach Rick Stainsbury and will take full advantage of their first chance at the Big Dance in over 10 years. This isn’t exactly a popular pick, but I could absolutely see an upset here. I also have #10 Colorado advancing to face them in the Round of 32, which could open a golden opportunity for a WKU Cinderella run.

Midwest Region

Final 4: #2 Tennessee

Tennessee has been a strong defensive team throughout the past few seasons, but to add to it they have finally found an offensive superstar in 20+ PPG scorer Dalton Knecht. I like this more balanced Vols team to make a run. A sweet 16 matchup with a strong Creighton team could pose a challenge, but I’m not exactly scared by any team on the other side of this region. Purdue, Kansas, and Gonzaga could all be prone to upsets this year. Beat Creighton, and Tennessee should be in favorable position to make the Final Four.

Others in the Mix: Purdue, Creighton, Gonzaga

Cinderella: #12 McNeese

I don’t know many people who had heard of McNeese before this season. However, former LSU coach Will Wade has quietly led this McNeese team to a 30-3 record. This team just gives off the vibe of a Cinderella. After a very limited program history, the Cowboys had one of the best records and best offenses in all of college basketball. While they haven’t exactly gone up against elite teams just yet, they beat VCU, UAB, and Michigan by double digits. It would be quite the story if they went on a run. In addition, I’d like to think they received a pretty good draw. #5 Gonzaga could possibly a challenge in the Round of 64, but the Bulldogs only really have one quality win outside the WCC (Kentucky). If McNeese can pull that one off, the highest seeds they’d potentially face are Kansas (who will be without Kevin McCullar) and Purdue (do I need to say anything else?) In my bracket, this is all creating the perfect storm for a McNeese Elite Eight run. 

West Region

Final 4: #9 Michigan State

January. February. Izzo. The Spartans, as usual, stumbled their way into the tournament at 19-14, yet I’m still not counting out a run in March as this has happened many times before under coach Tom Izzo. To add to it, this team has a lot of talent despite its rough patches. Tyson Walker is one of the best guards in the Big Ten, and he’s joined by A.J. Hoggard and Malik Hall to provide Michigan State with a strong veteran trio. If they can pull off the upset over #1 North Carolina, the door is open for a Final Four run. While Saint Mary’s has had their moments they have been rather inconsistent as well. Arizona lost to #15 Princeton in last year’s tourney, and they have had their fair share of rough nights in Pac-12 play this year as well. Alabama and Baylor don’t scare me either, they lack the defense to make it far in this tourney.

Others in Consideration: North Carolina, Arizona, Saint Mary’s, Clemson

Cinderella: #11 New Mexico

It was hard to pick a sleeper here as I have most of the upsets in this region happening after the Round of 64 by single digit seeds. However, if I had to bet on any team to pull off a first round upset and make a run, it would be the Lobos. I’m a believer that P.J. Hall will lead Clemson to the Second Weekend of the tournament, but if the Tigers have a rough night, that could open things up for New Mexico to make a similar run. The winner of that game should be in pretty good position for at least a Sweet 16 run, as I see Baylor exiting early no matter what in this tough quadrant of games.

My Champion: #1 UConn

It’s fairly rare I pick the favorite to win March Madness, and even rarer that the favorite actually wins, let alone any team that won the previous year. However, if there’s any team that’s known for defying the odds, it’s UConn. The Huskies have won multiple times as a serious underdog. This year, they’ll have to defy the odds by surviving an amount of pressure that few teams are capable of. I feel Dan Hurley and this star-studded starting 5 are up to the challenge though. This team hasn’t even shown signs of slowing down. They faced a close game with St. John’s in the Big East semifinals but comfortably won in the end. They went on to beat Marquette for the third time this year in the Big East Championship, the second time they had done it by double digits. Do not be shocked if they cruise through the tourney the way they did a year ago.

My Full Bracket

Feel free to comment with your thoughts and/or debate my reasoning for any of these picks. In the meantime, let the madness begin!