It signals the start of Spring Training with regular-season baseball not far behind.
And perhaps most importantly its the time for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
While the National Championship technically takes place in April (April 2nd this year), the best part of the tournament is the first weekend.
By now if you follow college basketball you've been bombarded with information and stats.
You're told what the upsets will be or what high seed not to go with.
Well here's my take on what to look for, what teams to keep an eye on and how I have my bracket that will surely bust by the time the dust settles Sunday.
MIDWEST
-Florida is the best team in this region (Hence the No.1 seed). Joakim Noah, Al Horford and Corey Brewer were all on last year's National Championship team and are better than they were last year.
-Three of the four Indiana teams are in this region. Purdue has the toughest test against a talented but streaky Arizona team. Butler is taking on Old Dominion while Notre Dame is taking on Winthrop. OD and Winthrop are media darlings thus I have both the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish to advance.
-ND is getting no love despite the leading three-point shooter in Big East history (Colin Falls) and a pair of talented freshmen. Tory Jackson and Luke Harangody are a poor man's version of Mike Conley Jr. and Greg Oden but they can play. Jackson's speed is second to none and Harangody is like Karl Malone trapped in the body of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves.
-Everyone will tell you how great Oregon is and how they could make a deep run. This won't happen. Despite playing its first two games in Spokane, WA, the Ducks won't be going to St. Louis.
- The team to root for is Texas A & M Corpus Christi. The Islanders are less than a decade old as a program and in their first year out of the Southland Conference. This is what March Madness is all about. And this could be IPFW in a couple of years.
My prediction: Florida beats Butler to advance to the Elite Eight where they take on Notre Dame who knocked off UNLV in the round of 16. The Irish run ends.Florida rolls past the Irish.
WEST
- Kansas has struggled in the tournament as of late and with the likes of Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright the Jayhawks should turn things around.
-Kentucky coach Tubby Smith may or not be on the hot seat in Lexington. Things will only get hotter if they lose to Villanova.
- This is the bracket where the most upsets could happen. No. 12 Illinois may take down No. 5 Virginia Tech. No. 13 Holy Cross could topple No. 4 Southern Illinois and No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth is the trendy pick against No. 6 Duke. No. 4 Pitt and especially Aaron Gray better show up against No. 14 Wright State or else the Panthers could make an early exit.
- The best name in the tournament comes out of this bracket and belongs to UCLA's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.
My prediction: Kansas tops Illinois while UCLA takes down Pitt in the Sweet 16. UCLA runs Illinois out of the gym for a spot in the final four.
EAST
- North Carolina is the deepest team in the tournament but will coach Roy Williams be able to use his bench wisely?
- IU fans can watch Marquette's Dominic James take on Michigan State Thursday night. James, a Richmond product, was never offered by the Hoosiers. James averages nearly 15 points per game and five assists for the Golden Eagles.
- The best player in the country (Sorry, Greg Oden) is Texas' Kevin Durant. Kansas coach Bill Self said he's the best college player he's ever seen. By the time Durant fills out and learns to play defense he could be one of the all-time greats.
My Prediction: Durant will put on a show with wins over North Carolina and Georgetown to reach the Final Four. Georgetown will advance to the Elite Eight with a win over Washington State.
SOUTH
- Should Ohio State and Xavier meet it'd be the matchup of some of Indianapolis' finest former prep stars. The Buckeyes have Oden and Conley Jr. from Lawrence North while Pike has former Pike standout Justin Cage and former Ben Davis star Stanley Burrell.
- No. 12 Long Beach State and No. 13 Albany are potential upsets.
- Louisville opens against Stanford in Lexington, Kentucky where current Louisville coach Rick Pitino led the Wildcats in in the 90s.
My Prediction: Ohio State tops Tennessee while Texas A&M gets past Memphis in the Sweet 16.
Ohio State is too deep, too fast and too good for the Aggies.
FINAL FOUR
In the first semifinal it's Florida vs. UCLA in a rematch of last year's national championship game while it's Texas and Ohio St. in the other. A hungry Bruins squad will squeak past the Gators while Texas (namely Durant) is too much for Oden and Conley.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
The Longhorns remind me of the Syracuse team a couple of years ago with Carmello Anthony that topped an older and more experienced Kansas squad led by Kirk Hinrich. While Durant will be the best player in the game, UCLA will win the school's 12th national title.
Of course I'll be ripping up my sheets by about 7 p.m. Friday night.
What are your predictions or thoughts about the tournament? Send them to sports@timesuniononline.com or put them in the comment form below and we'll publish them on our online edition.
