Put on your dancing shoes

It's not the prom. It ain't homecoming. It's the Big Dance! The NCAA basketball tournament is here! The field has been chosen, the pairings have been announced, and the crash course in bracketology is under way.

So, are you wondering which region is the toughest? Looking for some thoughts on who will advance to Atlanta? I'll provide my ideas (okay, guesses) as to which region will be the most grueling to survive, and who will have the talent to reach the Final Four. Of course, I'll also predict who will be cutting down the nets on April Fool's Night.

The West region certainly looks the strongest. The top four seeds – Cincinnati, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Ohio State – all won their conference tournaments. Oklahoma could argue it's the fifth No. 1 seed in the tournament. They went into the final week before the tournament ranked No. 4, ahead of No. 5 UC, and all they did was knock off top-ranked Kansas in the Big Twelve final. What more could they do? This region also features Miami-FL and a still-unappreciated Gonzaga. Across the board, the West is the best.

The South appears to be the weakest region. The only team that should give Duke much of a battle will be fourth-seeded USC. No. 2 seed Alabama is stumbling at the wrong time, and I'm never fond of upstarts in the tournament, and that's what Pittsburgh is. Indiana and California are decent fifth and sixth seeds, but the Blue Devils have a fairly clear path to the Georgia Dome.

It's a tough call between the East and Midwest. Both regions feature powerful top seeds – Maryland in the East and Kansas in the Midwest. Connecticut as the number two team in the East and Oregon at the same spot in the Midwest are very good, if not overly intimidating, squads. Each region has two solid SEC teams among the top five seeds, No. 3 Georgia and No. 4 Kentucky in the East, and No. 3 Mississippi State and No. 5 Florida in the Midwest. The East's fifth seed, Marquette, and fourth-seeded Illinois in the Midwest are about equal. Two Texas teams, Bobby Knight's Texas Tech in the East and UT in the Midwest, round out the top six in each region. It's close, but I'll give the slight edge to the Midwest.

Okay, now let's get down to the nitty gritty. Who's advancing from each region to the Final Four?

As I mentioned before, Duke appears to have an easy go of it in the South. After a struggle against USC, Duke will manhandle the Pitt Panthers. Pittsburgh will use its hometown edge to reach the regional semifinals, where it will knock off the Crimson Tide. However, a date with the Devils will leave Pittsburgh feeling blue.

In the West, Oklahoma and Arizona will hook up in a classic confrontation in their regional semifinal. The Wildcats will escape with a narrow victory. In the other semi, Miami will face off against UCLA, which will knock off Cincinnati in the second round. (Bob Huggins must be cursed.) Expect the Hurricanes to advance to the final against Arizona. In this contest, Arizona will prove too much for the 'Canes, as the Wildcats get back to the familiar round of four.

Maryland appears to be the class of the East, but Kentucky will be too much for the Terps. I see the Wildcats being the second team to knock off a No. 1 seed. Seeding will hold in the other semi, as UConn meets up with Georgia. The Huskies will hound the Bulldogs, moving on to the final. It's a dog-eat-cat world, and Connecticut shows it by defeating UK and moving on to the Final Four.

Finally, in the Midwest, Kansas and Illinois pair up in one semifinal. I love Illinois, but I know their limitations. The Jayhawks will put the Illini in their place. The other semi should feature Pac-10 regular-season champ Oregon against surprising Boston College. BC was a disappointing two-seed last year; this time I expect them to wear Cinderella's slipper all the way to the Sweet 16. However, the clock will strike midnight when they face the Ducks. Kansas is just too good to not make it past Oregon and on to Atlanta.

A Duke-Arizona showdown in the Final Four should be a real treat. However, Mike Krzyzewski and his deep, talented team will not be sidetracked by the Wildcats. Duke will reach the final.

Kansas-Connecticut is an interesting matchup. Despite impressive seasons, neither team has received as much recognition as would be expected. Kansas has battled for the top spot in the polls all year with ACC powerhouses Duke and Maryland, while Connecticut has been nearly lost in the shuffle of a tightly-bunched Big East conference. I'm sure the Jayhawks are eager for a shot at the Blue Devils, and they'll get it.

The Clash of the Titans: This is how it should be. The two best teams in the country playing in the NCAA final with the national championship on the line. Duke and Kansas have been impressive all season long. The Blue Devils may have finished second to Maryland in the ACC, but they never were out of the top three in the polls. Kansas went undefeated in the Big 12 conference, something that had never been done before.

This is a dream matchup for the NCAA, CBS, the teams, and the fans. I know I'll be glued to the television from tipoff to buzzer. Expect plenty of scoring, a tight contest, and lots of fantastic plays. And in the end, expect the Duke Blue Devils to reign once again as NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Champions.

Greg Simons can be contacted at sportschatter@hotmail.com.