The (second) most wonderful time of the year

After Christmas, of course, is March Madness. The field of 65 teams is set, with play beginning Tuesday night. Surprises? Louisville is a No. 4 seed; they expected higher, and given that they won both the regular season Conference USA championship and the conference tournament, that was probably not an unrealistic expectation. Washington flew under the radar to grab a No. 1 seed. They fell out of the top ten last week, but won their conference tournament by defeating Arizona. Boston College continues a late-season slide, from fifth in the polls two weeks ago, to seventh last week, to a No. 4 seed in Illinois' bracket. The SEC placed five teams in the big dance, with only Mississippi State seeded lower than No. 6 (they are a No. 9).

Disappointment? Kentucky played away a No. 1 seed by losing in the SEC tournament championship yesterday to Florida, opening the door for Washington to grab the fourth No. 1. In theory, that could mean that the committee sees Kentucky as the strongest No. 2 seed among Connecticut, Wake Forest and Oklahoma State. Kentucky now faces Eastern Kentucky in the opening round game, scheduled to tip-off at 12:20 p.m. on Thursday. Looks like a long lunch hour.