SOURCE: The Times Online

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Me, I've always been partial to UCLA, Ohio State, Cincinnati, other teams from the West Coast and campuses I have visited during my 40 years as a sportswriter. This could be my year. As Selection Sunday approaches, Ohio State is ranked No 1 in the land and UCLA is No 4. Both should be regional No 1 seeds. Half of my Final Four is complete. Plus, my feet have actually walked across the campuses of seven of the nation's top ten teams. Destiny favors me.

All I need now is a copy of that flow sheet, which should roll off the office copier less than ten minutes after the final team is announced Sunday.

In case you haven't played this dodge before, here's how it works:

The flow sheet lists the 32 first-round pairings - actually, there is a 33rd "play-in" game that precedes the actual tournament, but no one expects the likes of Belmont to actually beat Ohio State.

You start by picking the winners of those first 32 games. That gives you your second-round match-ups. Pick the winner of those and then the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, and the Final Four until you have your ultimate champion.

It all sounds so simple. But all picks are made before the first game is played. Last year, I lost almost a quarter of my teams before the first round was completed and I was still among the leaders. But by the time the Final Four weekend rolled around, I was down to one team.

The George Mason lady had two. One of those was Florida because she thought it was Florida State and she had a sister-in-law who she thought attended Florida State only to learn it was South Florida after she filed her sheet. She won because she picked a team - the national champion, mind you - based on two errors of recollection. And it's that type of logic that makes the NCAA basketball pools so much fun.

I am eagerly awaiting Sunday's selection program. I know the identity of the 2007 national champion. UCLA will upset Ohio State to win the title. The other half of the Final Four will be Kansas and Florida. There is no doubt in my mind that North Carolina, Nevada, Wisconsin and Texas will be the losing teams come the Elite Eight. But I will have all eight. I can feel it. Just send me the check - for the first time ever.

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