Finally, November Madness is upon us. Tuesday's selection show revealed whose bubble had burst, who slid in under the radar and the path to the Final Four for the top teams in the country.
Brackets are pouring out of office printers across the county and pools are quickly circulating among friends and co-workers.
This time-honored tradition is particularly special to me.
I can remember when I was in high school. My friends and I would skip class and watch the opening rounds of the women's NCAA Tournament being played during the day. The thrill of skipping school coupled with the rush of soccer on a school day was, at times, almost too much to handle.
This year, I decided to provide my insight on the tournament's outcome before Vitale and Bilas chimed in with their opinion. Here's how The Daily Cardinal's premier soccer analyst thinks this years competition will pan out.
Some potential first-round upsets to ponder:
Look for Bucknell (11-8-1) to upset No. 1 seed Penn State (19-0-1) in the first round. The Nittany Lions are coming off an early exit from the Big Ten Conference Tournament and are vulnerable. Junior Jennifer Margolis leads the Bison in goals (22) and is simply clutch down the stretch. Look for a header in the 89th minute to give the top seed an early exit.
Also, don't look past Virginia Commonwealth (12-4-3). Any team representing the prestigious Colonial Athletic Association has to be taken seriously. The Rams have and ideal shot to play the spoiler role in the opening round against Clemson (9-8-2).
In the 'something has to give games':
A potential match-up of Blue Devils is brewing in the West. In a clash of rival mascots and team nicknames, Duke (13-5-1) and Central Connecticut State (17-3-0) could meet in the round of 32. For the good of modern devil worshipers on campus, something has to give.
Along the same lines, a religious battle is in the making. Notre Dame (19-2-0) is on a crash course to face Brigham Young (15-2-3) in the Elite Eight, presenting an epic battle of good versus evil, depending on your denomination. This has EPSN instant classic or PAX TV classic written all over it.
My final four predictions:
In the dirty South, can you really bet against Samford (15-3-3) at this point in the season? ... Well, I'm glad you asked. Samford is located in Birmingham, AL for those not familiar with their illustrious program. Look for them to take out No. 1 seed North Carolina'??a team that has captured the title 16 times in the last 22 years'in the Sweet Sixteen and ride the momentum all the way to College Station, Texas.
I'm also beginning to jump on the Wisconsin (13-8-2) bandwagon. Senior leadership and the inside scoop from one of Katy Lindenmuth's roommates lands the Badgers as my team coming out of the Midwest.
In the West, I like Yale (13-5-1). High GPA always translate into high G.P.G.'s (goals per game).
Finally, in the East, I have to go with Santa Clara (14-2-2) and the Malibu campus in general. Beautiful school + beautiful girls = beautiful soccer. (F.O.I.L. that equation and you might find the meaning of life.)
Championship game:
UW vs. Santa Clara. After a scoreless first half, look for the two teams to explode for 17 goals in the next 45 minutes. Final score 9-8 ... Santa Clara. The Cinderella run will come to an end at the hands of the Broncos, but not before the Wisconsin makes it's most successful run in school history.
But as all die-hard women's soccer fans know, anything can happen come tourney time. We all remember Duke's turn around goal as time expired against Kentucky in 1992 and the midfield shot by little known Valparaiso to knock out Mississippi in 1998.
Some critics say that watching soccer is like watching paint dry. With a smile on my face, I tell them I won't be attending class on Thursday.
