Well, the brackets are out....

...and the Wildcats made the tournament! Hell yes! Final Four here we come!!!

Better look over the brackets first...

uh, we open with Kentucky. Wildcats haven't lost a first round game since 1991. Actually they didn't lose that year, either; they were banned from the tournament due to recruiting violations. And Tubby Smith may be coaching to keep his job (no small motivation). Oh, boy.

If they win: Kansas. Probably the best team in the country right now (outside of Georgetown). Were getting clobbered by Texas recently in the first half, then poured it on in the second to win (of course, Durant turning his ankle didn't hurt). Yikes.

AND Villanova has never made the sweet 16 in three consecutive seasons (they made the Sweet 16 two years ago and the Regional Finals last year).

Well, perhaps the Final Four is a little ambitious. I'll be happy with a first round win.

On a high note, Deadspin is running previews of each game on their website. Yours truly penned the Villanova preview - so look for it. I'll post the two items I cut from my submission here after it runs over there.

I'm still a little surprised Syracuse and West Virginia didn't make the NCAA field. After Nova lost to Georgetown at home and Marquette in Milwaukee, I felt they had to win their remaining 3 regular season games and 1 Big East tournament game to get in. I also had a sneaking suspicion that, because there are upsets in conference tournaments and the team that is supposed to win doesn't always, Syracuse at Villanova was an NCAA elimination game. It really helped Nova's cause that they, the Orangemen, and the Mountaineers all went out in the same round of the Big East tourney. If WVU wins against Louisville, they're probably the 9 seed playing Kentucky instead of Nova. If Syracuse completes the 7-point play against the Wildcats, they might be in the tourney instead of Villanova.

I'd rather be lucky than good.