First things first, have you signed up to take on the experts? 24 hours left to get your bracket filled out and compare (likely beat) the likes of Gregg Doyel, Dick Vitale and now Bobby Knight. The General picked Pittsburgh.
 
I realize you don't care, but here are my thoughts on the South Region:

1 Memphis vs 16 Texas-Arlington (Fri, 9:55) Here's all you really need to know about the Mavericks: they have possibly the best name in the tournament, Rog'er Guignard. That's right, an apostrophe in the name Roger. This means I'm officially changing my name from JasOn to Jas'on. Outstanding. He's actually a solid player, but was injured in the conference tourney and his status is day-to-day (just like his name). Either way, he'd get abused by Derrick Rose. Pick: Tigers 101-64

8 Mississippi St. vs 9 Oregon (Fri, 7:25) Doesn't it seem as though the last team in or the placement that surprises always goes on to impress and win their first game? That was my initial though when decided who to pick here in favoring the Ducks. However, I really like the Bulldogs defense who does a great job of forcing opponents into bad shots and thus are ranked #1 in 2-pt FG% defense. A lot of that has to do with Jarvis Varnado blocking most of those attempts. But it's a good, if not potentially great offense on the other side. Oregon has the potential to go on a huge run and stroke it from outside with Tajuan Porter, Malik Hairston and even Maarty Leunen. Tough call. As much as like MSU's D and Jamont Gordon, conference strength is the deciding factor. Pick: Ducks 72-69

5 Michigan St. vs 12 Temple (Thurs, 12:30) I have a feeling a lot of you are primed to pick the upset here. It is a 5-12 and MSU has clearly forgotten to play in a few contests. I'm not worried about this one. Tom Izzo's NCAA Tournament record speaks for itself and he'll have the Owls figured out. I am concerned about Dionte Floyd Christmas but the matchups favor the Green and White. If Drew Neitzel and Raymar Morgan can have a good day at the same time for once, it would bode well for a Sweet 16 run. Pick: Spartans 73-65

4 Pittsburgh vs 13 Oral Roberts (Thurs, 2:50) No team has more momentum than Bob Knight's national title pick, Pittsburgh. The Golden Eagles will be completely out-manned at every position, but they possess the one factor that causes all big upsets: the ability to go lights out from three-point range. Best chance for ORU and Scott Sutton is Moses Ehambe and Robert Jarvis hitting 12+ 3's together. Pick: Panthers 67-58

6 Marquette vs 11 Kentucky (Thurs, 2:30) Here's a game where I instantly made my decision and I can't figure out why. Teachers always said go with your first answer, so I'll stick with it here. Is Kentucky better without Patrick Patterson? Sure has seemed like it with a more free flowing offense that has benefited Ramel Bradley and Joe Crawford. There aren't any numbers I can give you that would favor the Wildcats, I like Tom Crean and Marquette very much, just going with a team that I think will have a good day. Pick: Wildcats 65-63

3 Stanford vs 14 Cornell (Thurs, 4:50) I love this stat being thrown around like it means a lot: Cornell hasn't lost since January 6th!!! They also haven't played anyone. 35+ other NCAA tournament teams would also have won 16 straight. That said, they're your classically solid Ivy League team. Cornell does have a 7-footer of their own, but he's not exactly a Lopez brother. Assuming Brook and Robin get involved early this shouldn't be a game. Pick: Cardinal 70-52

7 Miami (FL) vs 10 St. Mary's (CA) (Fri, 12:30) As much as I have an affinity for the Galloping Gaels, I'm afraid they've been vastly overrated, hanging around the Top 25 most of the year. I'm not sure St. Mary's matches up well with Jack McClinton and Dwayne Collins. McClinton vs Augustin/Adams three-point contest should be a fun second round game. Pick: Hurricanes 83-73

2 Texas vs 15 Austin Peay (Fri, 2:50) 6'5 is the tallest starter for the Governors. Let's Go Little Peay!! This will be a blood bath. No need to break it down further. Pick: Longhorns 93-56

Best Game: Besides cheering on the Spartans, none of these games intrigue me all that much but Marquette and Kentucky should come down to the final buzzer.

Team that could ruin my bracket: Memphis. Fun to watch, but not buying them again this year as a legit threat. Wouldn't be surprised to see them fall in the second round.

Rest of the Bracket:

Memphis over Oregon
Pittsburgh over Michigan State
Stanford over Kentucky
Texas over Miami (FL)

Pittsburgh over Memphis
Texas over Stanford

Texas over Pitt