March Madness: Round of 64 (Day 1)

9 Butler vs. 8 LSU [12:20 ET]
The Pick: LSU
-LSU should have received a lower seed and will takes its frustration out on an inexperienced Butler squad. Chris Johnson's defense may be the x-factor in this one. Butler has no one that can match his athleticism in the paint.

15 CS Northridge vs. 2 Memphis [12:25 ET]
The Pick: Memphis
-The Matadors should have been a 16 seed. Calipari's Tigers roll in this one-sided affair.

9 Texas A&M vs. 8 BYU [12:30 ET]
The Pick: Texas A&M
-A&M's frontline of Josh Carter, Bryan Davis, and Chinemelu Elongu are too long, too athletic, and too physical for the Cougars. Look for Elongu to rip Lee Cummard's arms off at about the eleven-minute mark in the second half.

12 Northern Iowa vs. 5 Purdue [2:30 ET]
The Pick: Purdue
-Purdue played well in the Big Ten tourney but had an inconsistent season. Expect this one to be close in the first-half. An upset is certainly possible here.

16 Radford vs. 1 North Carolina [2:50 ET]
The Pick: North Carolina
-Ty Lawson's injured toe actually makes this an interesting 1-16 game. And I'm being serious. Plus, I'm looking forward to the matchup between Psycho T and The Kurgan.

10 Maryland vs. 7 California [2:55 ET]
The Pick: California
-With their 7-9 conference record, it's a joke that the Terps even got a bid (let alone a 10 seed). Cal has excellent talent at the 1-4 spots, and that will be enough to get past Greivis Vasquez and company.

16 Chattanooga vs. 1 Connecticut [3:00 ET]
The Pick: Connecticut
-Still trying to figure out how Chattanooga won the Southern Conference tourney. College of Charleston with former Georgia Tech head coach Bobby Cremins at the helm or Davidson with March's favorite son, Stephen Curry, would have made the madness more interesting. Huskies win in a blowout.

13 Mississippi State vs. 4 Washington [5:00 ET]
The Pick: Washington
-Mississippi State is a trendy pick in this one. And while it's true that the Bulldogs' 13 seed is far too high, I wonder if the people picking against Washington have even seen Lorenzo Romar's squad play a full game. Jarvis Varnado doesn't like physical contact, and Jon Brockman loves it. I like the Huskies in this one, but, if the Bulldogs are hitting from behind the arc, an upset is possible.

10 Minnesota vs. 7 Texas [7:10 ET]
The Pick: Texas
-Minnesota simply doesn't have the athletes to match up with the Longhorns. It will be interesting to see how Tubby plays this one, as Rick Barnes' squad is more athletic at 4 of 5 positions.

10 Michigan vs. 7 Clemson [7:10 ET]
The Pick: Clemson
-Michigan's two-man show of Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims is no match for Clemson's get-everyone-involved approach. I look forward to seeing how Oliver Purnell attacks John Beilein's 1-3-1 defense.

14 American U vs. 3 Villanova [7:20 ET]
The Pick: Villanova
-Yes, this is pretty much a home game for the Wildcats, but this one has the potential to be close. The Eagles (yes, that's right, the American Eagles) loss to Tennessee in the first round last year by 15 and won't be shell-shocked by the bright lights of March Madness.

13 Akron vs. 4 Gonzaga [7:25 ET]
The Pick: Gonzaga
-Gonzaga simply has too much talent for the Zips. While Akron has a balanced scoring attack (5 players average between 8 and 12 points per game), I don't think they have anyone capable of the huge performance they will need to get past Mark Few's squad.

15 Binghamton vs. 2 Duke [9:40 ET]
The Pick: Duke
-I know it has become quite popular to write off the Blue Devils in March, but this really could be a competitive game. The “renegade” Binghamton Bearcats have been raked over the coals by the national media for a variety of offenses (a current player was busted for stealing condoms, an ex-player fled to Serbia after allegedly beating a student into a coma, etc.), and they're going to be playing to prove all of their detractors wrong. I ultimately think the Blue Devils win by double-digits, but expect Tony Kornheiser U to play with Coach K's Dukies for a half.

15 Morgan State vs. 2 Oklahoma [9:40 ET]
The Pick: Oklahoma
-Morgan State has a pretty decent squad, but they simply have no answer for Blake Griffin. Jeff Capel would be wise to get his bench some tourney reps.

11 VCU vs. 6 UCLA [9:50 ET]
The Pick: UCLA
-VCU is the favorite upset pick of the college basketball experts. Well, I don't buy it. Eric Maynor is a fantastic point guard and Larry Sanders does have extraordinarily long arms. By the way, what's the over/under on the number of times Sanders' 17-foot wingspan is referenced on Thursday night? Anyway, UCLA is just too experienced for Anthony Grant's team, having been to the Final Four the last three years.

12 Western Kentucky vs. 5 Illinois [9:55 ET]
The Pick: Western Kentucky
-Finally an upset. I'm a regular Barack Obama with all this front-running. The loss of Chester Frazier dooms Bruce Weber and his Fighting Illini. Look for Sun Belt Player of the Year Orlando Mendez-Valdez and his Hilltoppers to pull off a first-round upset for the second consecutive year. If the Hilltoppers pull of the upset, does that mean that WKU has officially taken the University of Kentucky's position as the second most dominant program in the Bluegrass state?