Your 2009 Guide to the NCAA Tournament is everything you need to know about the 64-team field, how to root for a mid-major that has no chance of ever winning a national championship and how to change your allegiances when your favorite team is sent home by Siena in the Sweet 16.
First up, what you need to know about the 64 teams in the tournament (don't try to tell me it's 65, the play-in game doesn't count to real fans). Two of the biggest lessons are that a 12 seed is going to beat a five seed and only one time ever (2008) have four No. 1 seeds reached the Final Four.
So what does that mean to you? Well, if you're going to root for an underdog, start with the 12 seeds: Arizona, Northern Iowa, Western Kentucky and Wisconsin. Arizona may not be the team to follow because they're not much of an underdog considering they're a Pac-10 school and the selection committee gave them the gift of extending their now 24-year tournament appearance streak. Western Kentucky on the other hand was a Sweet 16 team last year after upsetting Drake and San Diego as a 12 seed.
While upsets are bound to happen as early as the first round, don't look for anything too big. No 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed " ever. And with the pairing in this year's bracket, don't expect for any of the 1-3 seeds to fall in the first round. Beyond that, anything can happen.
The award for the mid-major team to root for that has no chance of winning the title but is worth rooting for, goes to ... Cleveland State. Who? You ask. The Vikings already knocked off ninth seeded Butler to win the Horizon Conference title and could pose a matchup problem for Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are a transition team led by hotshot sophomore Jeff Teague, but the Vikings are led by defense. If they can cool down Teague, who despite averaging 19.1 points for the season has shot above 37.5 percent just once since Feb. 22, they could open the door for another upset.
If rooting for underdogs isn't your thing here is a look at the No. 1 seeds you don't want to put all your money on:
North Carolina: The Tar Heels have been hampered by Ty Lawson's (no relation) big toe. The senior and one of the highest rated guards in the upcoming NBA Draft, is the heart of this team. If he doesn't go, the Tar Heels don't either " unless they can just play Radford and be awarded the championship.
Pittsburgh: The Panthers have perhaps the hardest road of any No. 1 seed in the tourney. They could face Oklahoma State, Tennessee, Florida State, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova or Duke before reaching the Final Four. All of those teams are capable of knocking off a top-flight opponent on any given day. But if they make it through without injury, they would be the team to beat.
When your favorite team loses, and for most of you it will, you will need a backup plan. Thankfully, Nevada is already out after it showed it couldn't even win a CBI game for the second-consecutive year. That means your minds won't be clouded by visions of grandeur. So unless you've got money on Morehead State winning the title, you shouldn't have to find a Plan B until the Elite 8 or Final Four. In that case, your options are narrowed down considerably and you're less likely to have to move to Plan C: Resort to watching Major League Soccer.
Plan B is simple: Choose the No. 1 seed that has played the best up until that point " and pray.
There it is, you're 2009 Guide to the NCAA Tournament. Look for other publications like, "Why the NHL should only be played in Canada," and "How David Tyree ruined my life," on a bookshelf near you.