Its the best time of year for basketball fans everywhere. March Madness is great and theres nothing like it. Every game is a big game. Youre playing on national television every night, and every game is a make or break situation. The tournament is where stars are born. If you love basketball, you love this time of the year.

Unfortunately, since were in the Midwest, I didnt get to see much of the first UConn game when they came from behind to beat Albany. I caught about five minutes of it, but that was it. Then, on Sunday, they played Kentucky about the same time as our game in Washington, so I didnt get to see that, either. But Im still following them as closely as I can. Im trying to keep up with all of the Big East schools. Pitt and Syracuse both went down, but there are a few other teams still alive. Its fun to watch guys that I know and see teams that Im familiar with. I havent seen as many games as I would have liked, though, just because of my own busy schedule.

I definitely like UConns chances of getting to the Final Four. Ive been talking with a couple of the guys on the team and they seem like theyre focused. Hopefully they can handle these games this weekend and make their way back to Indy. Theyve got all the tools to do it. I think their defense and their running game are two things that most teams simply cant match. Theyve got such a strong defensive front line guys like Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone just to name a few and their running game is really impressive. Its all ignited by Marcus Williams, a great passer in both the open court and half court. He gets everybody involved. I love the way they get out on the fast break and defend the ball.

Rudy Gay has obviously made a name for himself this season. Hes got a tremendous amount of potential and Im not even sure hes really begun to tap into it yet. Hes already a really long and athletic player. Not only is he one of the few guys who has amazing athletic ability, but hes also got a great frame 6-foot-9 with a huge wingspan and a great vertical leap. Once he starts to fine tune some of his fundamental skills, with his talent and his soft touch from the outside, hes going to be a force on both ends of the floor.

For me, my most memorable moment during college came right before the NCAA Tournament in my junior year. It was during the Big East tournament [in which I scored 81 points over three games]. It wasnt all the points that I remember it for it was the way it all went down. We were the number one team the entire year and people expected us to win it, but it was much tougher than we thought it would be. Emeka [Okafor] went down during the tournament with back spasms, so I pretty much had to carry the team for a few games. He came back for the final game, but I dont remember him playing all that much in it.

For my Final Four picks, obviously I think UConn is going to be there. Everyone is picking Duke or Texas to come out of Atlanta, but I like LSU to get the job done. One team that Ive really enjoyed watching this year has been Bradley. I hadnt seen them play before the tournament, but theyve beaten some good teams and obviously they belong. If they can maintain their level of play for two more games, they have as good of a shot at the Final Four as anyone. Finally, Im going to stick with the Big East and pick Villanova to win in the Minneapolis region.