March 12
Now that all the annual crying, moaning and complaining is done -- about seeding and about the little guy like Butler and Bowling Green not getting a chance -- it's time to look ahead to the matchups.

Enough talk about schedule strength and mid-majors and the teams not in the Big Dance. Selection committee chairman Lee Fowler and his gang have put together an outstanding 65-team field.

Here are some of the games that really intrigue me in the first round (seeds in parentheses):

Notre Dame (8) vs. Charlotte (9) | South Region | Thursday
The winner of this game will get a chance to face Duke.

Bobby Lutz's club is tough mentally, and the Charlotte coach knows how to prepare his team come tournament time. Irish coach Mike Brey has a dynamite inside-outside combo in senior forward Ryan Humphrey and freshman point guard Chris Thomas. I'm looking forward to seeing which Thomas comes through, the Irish diaper dandy or Charlotte's own star, senior guard Jobey Thomas.

The 49ers could have problems neutralizing Humphrey on the interior. He has been huge in the paint.

Stanford (8) vs. Western Kentucky (9) | Midwest Region | Thursday
What a matchup! The Hilltoppers didn't get any breaks with their seeding after going 28-3 and winning 18 in a row. Drawing a team like Stanford is tough, baby!

There are some outstanding big men in this game. Stanford's 7-foot center, Curtis Borchardt, has the ability to neutralize the great strength of 7-1 Chris Marcus on the interior.

Western Kentucky jumps out as a sleeper, a good Rip Van Winkle pick. The winner of this game could present big-time problems for top-seeded Kansas.

UCLA (8) vs. Mississippi (9) | West Region | Friday
Rod Barnes' Rebels know how to defend; Mississippi made it to the Sweet 16 last season. As for the Bruins, we just don't know what to expect. This is America's choice for Jekyll and Hyde, baby!

The Bruins can be brilliant one day, then turn around and can't beat anyone the next, including Dickie V's All-Star five pulled out of the studios in Bristol! But when UCLA is on, it's capable of making music. If coach Steve Lavin's Bruins get some decent point-guard play, watch out!

UCLA needs to get into its offense against the tenacious Mississippi defense. Imagine if the Bruins march on for a matchup against top-seeded Cincinnati -- talk about tenacious defense! The suffocating Bearcats' D can make any opponent look bad, but there are times when Cincinnati struggles on offense. Coach Bob Huggins' Bearcats could have a tough matchup against the UCLA-Mississippi winner.

Kentucky (4) vs. Valparaiso (13) | East Region | Thursday
Coach Homer Drew knows a bit about tournament play -- just ask Mississippi and Florida State about what happened in 1998, when Valparaiso made it to the Sweet 16 before falling in a close one to coach Jim Harrick and Rhode Island.

Valparaiso, the Mid-Continent champion, won 25 games and gave both Arizona and Kansas scares on the road this season.

Can Kentucky redeem itself after struggling through Soap Opera city? Can the Wildcats bounce back and perhaps make it to a Sweet 16 matchup against Maryland? First of all, Kentucky has to take care of business against a team that can flat-out play. Valparaiso can score and present problems for coach Tubby Smith's team.

The 'Cats can't afford to struggle from behind the arc as they did against South Carolina, hitting just once in 19 tries versus the Gamecocks.