Who do YOU think will win this year's NCAA men's basketball tourney?

Like a lot of people on Monday I went through the annual ritual of filling out a NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket, and I was left wondering just how long it would hold up before an upset or two would render it a worthless document.

By the time the paper comes out next week, the tournament will be entering the regional semifinals, and for what it’s worth here are the teams that I’ve got making it that far. I like Louisville, Saint Louis, Memphis and Duke in the Midwest Regional in Indianapolis. In the West Regional in Los Angeles, I like Gonzaga, Kansas State, New Mexico and Ohio State. In the South Regional, I like Kansas, Michigan, Florida and Georgetown. In the East Regional in Washington, D.C., I like Indiana, Syracuse, Marquette and Miami.

I’ve got Louisville and Memphis meeting in the Midwest Regional finals with Memphis winning that game. I’ve got Gonzaga and New Mexico playing in the West Regional finals with Gonzaga winning that game. I’ve got Kansas and Georgetown meeting in the South Regional with Kansas winning that game. I’ve got Indiana and Miami meeting in the East Regional with Indiana winning that game.

I look for Memphis and Gonzaga to meet in the national semifinals on April 6 in Atlanta with Gonzaga winning that game. That same night in Atlanta, I predict Kansas and Indiana will meet with Kansas winning that contest. If that comes to pass, Gonzaga and Kansas will meet in the national championship game on April 8 in Atlanta.

In the end, for what it’s worth, I look for Gonzaga to win the national title. With that said, I’ve likely put the kiss of death on Gonzaga, so if you’re filling out a bracket, you might want to avoid picking them to win it all.

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Since last week’s column, the United States has been put out of the World Baseball Classic. Puerto Rico, which went on to win a spot in the finals, eliminated Team USA from contention last week and eventually beat Japan in the semifinals. As of Monday, the only teams left were Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the Netherlands. Puerto Rico will play one of those two teams in the finals this week.

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Once the World Baseball Classic comes to an end, the start of the Major League Baseball season will be just around the corner. The opening game of the season will be held on Sun., March 31, when the Texas Rangers visit the Houston Astros. A full slate of Opening Day games are scheduled for the following day, Mon., April 1. The Braves will open their season on that day when they play the Philadelphia Phillies in Atlanta.

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From the weird news file this week, I read in Ripley’s Believe It or Not! last Thursday that there’s a new sport out there. It’s called “Footgolf,” a new sport where players kick a soccer ball into soccer ball-sized holes on a golf course. As in regular golf, the idea is to kick the ball into the hole in as few shots as possible. Footgolf is a growing sport and has helped a lot of golf courses in Europe, who’ve run into hard financial times due to the global economic downturn.