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UCLA fine March Ms _____ r~B ff- I RYpN w;lson - - It's that time of year again, sports fans! Everyone has that wide-eyed look of anticipation for the greatest three weeks of college basketball. To put it another way, March Madness is upon us. The weekend of April 1 will pit the remaining four teams in Division I against each other in the King Dome in Seattle e?vp a a m, ?mni AnoViin ana ine team mat controls me paint wm go the deepest into the tournament. Let's take a look at the brackets. West Final Four Entry: UCLA The West is clearly the strongest bracket, with two former No. l's, UCLA and Connecticut, holding the 1 and 2 seeds. The Bruins are a strong team led by Ed CBannon and should make travel plans for Seattle. UConn has faltered in the last few weeks and doesn't look as dominant as it was at the beginning of the season. The Top 25 in the Associated Press college basketball poll. Teams are listed with their ranking in previous poN. z. ^eniucKy \3) 3. Wake Forest (?) 4. North Carolina (4) 5. Kansas (2) 6. A^ahsasp) ;V?f;:::iMa?sachusetts'(# 8. Connecticut (6) :^Yianove(13) > i 0. Maryland (i oj 12. Purdue (14) 1& Virginia (11) 14. Oklahoma State (19) 15. Arizona (12) 16. Arizona State (18) , \ 17. Qldabofra(1 ) ' w>18, MississiwiState (15) 12. Utah {22} 20. Alabama (20) . . .. :::I/1!*-**?* ?AlA+1 ? 1 . * ? t?l*W I ;V?"S*/ 22. Georgetown (24) ; 23, Missouri (1?) 24. Iowa State (nr) 25. Syracuse (21) Gamecock Graphics Gamecock Spoi When 1rV% ui^ita Doctor's Care ] handle everythii from la :Mon.-Ft [Always s 4416 10% < IUI Liio nurui vnaiu^iuiioiu^. As the season began to wind down, the bubble teams tried to scratch and claw their way into the field, with some teams finishing strong to improve their standing. The conference tournaments helped some teams ? Florida International jumps to mind ? while hurting others: Georgia and Georgia Tech both failed to make the field. This year's 64-team field holds some surprises in the four brackets, while other teams are conspicuously absent from the field. I can't concieve of any major upsets in the opening round, but I don't consider 8-9,7-10 or 6-11 upset games because those teams are usually evenly matched. Its time to get those office pools going, and Fm sure everyone knows which teams they think will lead them to the promised land. It seems everyone becomes basketball experts this time of year, with their own angle on picking the games. Well, Fm also going to play that role of basketball expert and wade my way through each bracket in an attempt to find the remaining four teams. I think the chances of most of the teams in the field hinge on the play of their big men, v ii i iL.i a 1_ a1 Is cure for idness The real strength of this bracket comes from the presence of Mississippi | State and Maryland, my pick for UCLA's I ana uuonn s regional opponents, mese i two teams are led, respectively, by strong | big men Errick Dampier and Joe Smith, both of whom can dominate games. The marquee first-round match-up is definitely Missouri-Indiana. Both teams are strong, but Bob Knight knows how to win tournament games, and the Tigers struggled at the end of the season. East Final Four Entry: UMass The East bracket is the second | strongest of the field. Wake Forrest used | a strong ACC Tournament, or should I say a strong performance from Randolph ; Childress, to solidify a No. 1 seed UMass 1 is a very good 2 seed that can dominate I the field if it plays to its potential, which ? it hasn't shown a penchant for doing con sistently. Big Country Bryant Reeves should carry Oklahoma State to a regional against Wake, while Villanova takes huge momentum into a face-off with UMass. Look for Stanford to knock off UNCCharlotte in the only semi-upset in the bracket: Midwest Final Four Entry: Arkansas Kansas is a shaky No. 1 seed in a fairly weak bracket that screams Arkansas. The Razorbacks are still the team with the best 10-man rotation in the nation. And they should knock off Cro-Magnon man Greg Ostertag and the Jayhawks. Virginia stands in the way of Kansas' showdown with the Razorbacks. The Wahoos could beat the Jayhawks if the game wasn't in Kansas City. Purdue will ride the momentum of its second-straight Big 10 Championship to a regional with Arkansas. Louisville has the team to beat Memphis in the opening round for a small upset, but will face the Boilermakers in the second round. Southeast Final Four Entry: Kentucky Even thought this bracket has two of the best teams in the nation, ifs still the weakest bracket overall. The regional final has an incredible Kentucky-North Carolina written all over it. Michigan State should ride the shoulders of Shawn Respert into a regional with the Tar Heels, while Oklahoma will be the Wildcats' regional victim. The only interesting first-round game is Iowa State against a highly overrated Florida team. Final Four Seattle NCAA Champion: UCLA The Final Four will be highlighted by the third meeting of the season o" Kentucky and Arkansas. Kentucky ha3 the Razorbacks' number this year and snouia aemoiisn ArKansas irom outsiae, but the game will be physical and take its toll on the Wildcats. UCLA should win a yawner with UMass. The Bruins are just too athletic for the Minutemen as Ed O'Bannon makes his bid for NCAA Tournament MVP. The final will pit a beat-up Kentucky team aganst the destiny-minded Bruins. UCLA will win a highly competitive final and take the title out west for the first time in the '90s. rts: A step ahead. Mom's not *? rr fli nrnviHpc n wiHp. varip.tv ( V ? AV*VU M IT AV?V ? ^ ng from general illness t< cerations to fractures & : > appointment n^Nt i . 8am-6pm and Sat Forest Drive, Suite A Colu 738-9522 liscount for students wit! n March . . . JMMMMMMMMMHMMI VTrrnTTPn^f RfllTWOttE/*1 f ft flY- MY BBf 1 Wake Fnmst ic wr aat I 8 Minnesota Q st I nn is 5 Alabama 12 Penn 4 Oklahoma State 13 Drexel fi Tulsa 111 Illinois 3 Villanova 14 Old Dominion 7 UNC-fiharloltfl 10 Stanford 2 Massachusetts 15 St. Peters I UCLA ^fif 16 Fla. International 8 Missouri 9 Indiana 5 Mississippi State 12 Santa Clara 4 Utah 13 Long Beach St. 6 Oregon II Texas 3 Maryland 14 Gonzaga 7 Cincinatti 10 Temple z uonnecucui i? 15 UT-Chattanooga rf services. We 3 minor surgery, sprains. JL 948111 sedliDv'fl mbia h ID Bp J *"9 !^Bi Madness WlfiMTtlttMtitlM datum, OI^IHSTOM, TX Kansas 1 I Colgate 16 W Kentucky 8 Michigan Q Arizona 5 1 Miami (Ohio) 12 i Virginia 4 "1 Mirhrtllc Qtato 1 ^ I i ^?wi IVIIW yytmv v Memphis 6 Louisville 11 Purdue 3 Wis-Green Bay 14 " Syracuse 7 S. Illinois 10 Texas Southern 15 Kentucky 1 Ttj/ ( Ml St Mary's 16 I I I BYU 8 I Tulane 9 Arizona State 5 Ball State 12 Oklahoma 4 Manhattan 13 Georgetown 6 Xavier(Ohio) 11 Michigan State 3 1 Wehfir State 14 ^ Iowa State 7 Florida 10 UNC 2 Murray State 15 Ii live on m\ campus ? ?>