I’ll admit it; I’m a football guy. I eat, sleep and breathe pigskin. So every year when this week rolls around, I pretend I know NCAA basketball outside of the Mountain West Conference and inevitably look stupid when it’s all said and done. (I really had Wake Forest and Gonzaga in my Final Four last year.)

But this year, when I had first crack at picking the region I wanted to write about, talking about the No. 1 overall seed Kansas Jayhawks and the team I’ve been covering for nearly three years, the San Diego State men’s basketball team, seemed like a can’t-miss opportunity. Surely I can’t mess this up this year. Right?

FINALFOURPREDICTIONS

FINAL FOUR: Kansas, Syracuse, Kentucky, Baylor

CHAMPION: Kansas

QUOTABLE: “Really selection committee? Rhode Island? Seriously?”

EARLY UPSET:
It’s suddenly become the sexiest pick in the nation: No. 11 seed SDSU to beat No. 6 seed Tennessee. The Aztecs are hot right now. They’ve beaten the No. 8 team in the country (New Mexico) and smashed a top 30 team on its own home floor (UNLV) in back-to-back nights. They have the talent to hang with just about anybody. Plus, an 11 seed almost always upsets a 6 seed. So mark it down: SDSU’s winning this game.

BRACKET BUSTER:
It’s hard not to pick the gutty, little Aztecs here. SDSU’s strength is its athleticism. The only teams it gets beat by are really, really well-coached basketball squads that play complete team basketball. Fortunately for the Aztecs, Tennessee and Georgetown (their likely second round opponent) aren’t exactly Duke or BYU. Expect SDSU’s athletes to do something special this season. Perhaps even something Sweet.

PLAYER TO WATCH:
There are boatloads of good players in this bracket. Kansas’ Sherron Collins, UNLV’s Tre’Von Willis, Michigan State’s Kalin Lucas, Georgetown’s Greg Monroe and Ohio State’s Evan Turner all call the Midwest region their home this weekend. However, the player to watch has to be Maryland’s Greivis Vasquez. He’s the Stephen Curry-like guy who can put a team on his back and carry them to an Elite Eight appearance.

MATCHUP TO WATCH:
Aside from the biggest game in Aztec basketball history, the matchup to watch in this bracket is Michigan State vs. Maryland in round two. Tom Izzo, Raymar Morgan, Lucas and Vasquez make this game must-see TV. It’s a shame the winner will get romped by Kansas in the Sweet 16.