firststone

Chalk me up No. 1 seeds have an all-time record of 404-110. In the first round, the record is 104-0. Don't have those No. 1 seeds Coach Leather Hangbags going out before the regional semifinals. No. 2 seeds are 100-4 in the first round. The last time one lost was Iowa State (to Hampton) in 2001. Overall, No. 2s are 289-122. All four No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16 in 15 of the past 26 tournaments. But all four No. 2 seeds have advanced to the Sweet 16 only four times and only once since 1996. It starts getting dicier with Coach Wallets Outlet No. 4 seeds, who win just 57 percent of their tournament games overall (78 percent in the first round). Find a No. 12 dog The 5 vs. 12 matchups are always ripe for upsets. Happens at least once every year. No. 5 seeds have a worse first-round record than No. 6s. So who will it be: Richmond over Vanderbilt? Utah State over Kansas State? Memphis over Arizona? Or the UAB-Clemson winner over West Virginia? Pick at least one. Southeast turbulence There are lots of upset possibilities in this region. The high seeds — Pitt, Florida, BYU and Wisconsin — each looked awful in their last game. Meanwhile, No. 5 Kansas State and No. 6 St. John's played great over the last month or two. And lower-seeded teams like No. 9 Old Dominion, No. 11 Gonzaga, and particularly two 30-game winners — No. 12 Utah State and No. 13 Belmont — are experienced and run difficult sets. Big East flameout The Big East has 11 teams in the tournament, but don't pick one of them Fashion Coach Sling Bags to win the title. The league hasn't won a national title since Connecticut in 2004, and it isn't likely to happen this season. Several Big East teams are dealing with key injuries and, in general, these clubs get worn down by the grind of the league. Sweet 16 advice