The table is set. Office pools are brewing. But only four teams in the field of 65 can boast of their respective No. 1 seeds in this year's NCAA tournament.
Maryland (15-1 ACC, 15-1 overall), Kansas (16-0 Big 12, 29-3), Duke (13-3 ACC, 29-3), and Cincinnati (14-2 Conference USA, 30-3) all have deservedly earned No. 1 status in postseason play.
The Terrapins, led by senior guard Juan Dixon's scoring attack, are set to take on any team they may face in their quest for a national championship.
Maryland's dominant regular-season play in a conference that includes teams like Duke, Wake Forest and North Carolina State provides justification in their ability to win important games.
The motivated Terps are excited to play in nearby Washington, D.C., in the opening round of the East Region. Maryland is determined to reach its second Final Four in as many years.
But the path will not be easy as Connecticut and Kentucky present formidable match ups to the Terps. Even lower seeds such as Wisconsin, Michigan State and Marquette can play well and knock off Maryland on a bad day.
After their perfect Big 12 regular season campaign, winning 16 of 16 conference games, the Kansas Jayhawks have proclaimed themselves the giants of the Midwest Region.
Recently upset by Oklahoma in the Big 12 Tournament, KU will be ready and motivated to maintain the school's reputation of basketball excellence that Head Coach Roy Williams has worked so hard to establish.
However, their drive towards a championship is paved with potholes that could include Western Kentucky and center Chris Marcus in a possible second round matchup as well as likely opponents Illinois or Oregon in the Midwest Regionals at the Kohl Center.
Out in the West, the Cincinnati Bearcats are excited for their first No. 1 seed during Head Coach Bob Huggins' regime. His intense coaching style has proved to be the right formula for a team that began the season unranked and with low expectations.
The success of the Bearcat's season should also be credited to the exceptional play of senior guard Steve Logan. Logan has established himself as one of the elite point guards in the country while simultaneously becoming the backbone of Cincinnati's basketball program.
With teams like Oklahoma, Arizona and Gonzaga all set to tip-off in the West, Cincinnati finds itself in the most competitive region and will find the going difficult in a possible Final Four run.
The Blue Devils are ready, as their time of year has arrived. In the past decade, March Madness has become synonymous with Duke University and its basketball program.
Though finishing second in the ACC to Maryland, Duke finished its season by winning the ACC Tournament in commanding fashion.
Junior guard Jason Williams may be physically ready for the NBA but will not be satisfied with anything less than a second straight National Championship to add to his list of collegiate accomplishments. His ability to take over games is almost impossible for opposing teams to suppress.
The Blue Devils may have the easiest bracket as only USC's athletic ability can match up favorably with Duke. Alabama and Pittsburgh are out there, but neither poses a true threat.
The NCAA Tourney is set. The No. 1 seeds are ready. The question is: How many will make it to Georgia for the Final Four?
