If you told me there would only one Jesuit school left in the the NCAA Tourney, I would have wagered it would be Georgetown or Marquette. In fact, I did wager it would have been Georgetown, so that should give you a clue on how to apply your trusted Assistant Editor's predictions for tonight's games:

North Carolina over Washington State – The Cougars have too many foreigners for my liking. Plus I believe Tyler Hansbrough is in cahoots with my bookie.

Louisville over Tennessee - Who will be more sharply dressed, Rick Pitino or Bruce Pearl? Those fine gentlemen always look so nice. Why don't I ever see any of those suits when I'm shopping at Goodwill? 

West Virginia over Xavier – Will my disdain for Jesuit schools be enough for me to root for a Bob Huggins-coached team? Yes, yes it will.

UCLA over Western Kentucky – I'd really like to predict a Hilltoppers win, but the doctor says he can't fit any more pins into my femur. I'd also like to see one more weekend of the Bruins' cheer squad.  -KD

I have a close friend whose die-hard Cincinnati-area homerism leads me to favor Xavier every March, so — because I have no information or opinions of my own about the NCAAs — I have them going to the Elite 8 in the only pool I have money on.  So things at Chez Leather were tense while 14-seed Georgia enjoyed a double-digit lead for a good portion of one of the early games.  Thankfully, the Bulldogs' crippling lack of athleticism was their undoing, as the Muskies rallied to win 73-61.

Other early games: Kansas sleepwalks past Portland State, Michigan State handles Temple, and we haven't seen an upset yet.  Except my stomach.  Beer before noon and Chicago dogs?  Oof.

Right now: Marquette has a slim lead over Kentucky, with Oral Roberts-Pittsburgh on the way.   Mmmm… hot Oral-Pitt action.

Ohio State narrowly escaped elimination by defeating #9 seed Xavier 78-71 in overtime in the South Region of the NCAA Tournament today.  If you're like me, you were rooting for the underdog, hoping Thad Motta would receive his comeuppance, wondering how old Greg Oden really is, and wishing Gus Johnson encounters a slow, painful death.  If there is a basketball god, he (she?) clearly does not believe that St. Francis Xavier should have been beatified like the Catholic God does.  Also, this hoops deity clearly favors a certain bookie in Chicago and harbors a grudge against your Assistant Editor.  O, great and powerful Naismithovah, I beseech thou to tell thee how I've offended thou's grace.

Alas, this year's tournament has produced a dearth of underdogs to applaud, and if Virginia Commonwealth and Winthrop fall in the round of 32, this tourney could become boring.  Almost, not quite.  It's still a thousand times better than spring training baseball and regular season NBA (except this).   Two Jesuit institutions face each other in Winston-Salem at 5:45 EDT when Georgetown meets Boston College.  If my hypothesis is correct, expect a natural disaster at Wake Forest. -KD