And we thought the BCS had trouble getting it right.

It’s hard to argue with Kentucky and Duke as one seeds. But
beyond that, everyone outside of the ACC is scratching their heads
and pulling their hair in frustration with the NCAA Selection
Committee and this year’s brackets.

“How do you not let us in?” collectively cry the Colorado and
Utah State. The Buffaloes finished third in Big XII standings and
the Aggies finished the season ranked in both the Coaches Poll and
AP poll–neither deemed good enough to make the tournament.

“A sixth seed!” howl the Wisconsin Badgers who won their
conference tournament, the Big 10, and are currently ranked in the
top 10.

All around, up and down, there are teams who aren’t happy with
their seeds, clear omissions and highly overrated slouches. Flubs
like these only intensify the difficulty of filling out the ole’
pool picks. This year, may as well leave it up to the girlfriend
who likes to select the tougher sounding mascots; it may just work
better than postulated guessing.

Still, in spite of the committee’s annual transgressions, a good
tournament always manages to ensue. There are some enticing
match-ups, and, as per the norm, the chance exists for a Final Four
worth remembering at the Alamo Dome. So here are my picks, the
good, the bad and the dubious.

Over Rated: First and foremost, St. Joe’s. They did only lose
one game, however, have a closer look at the bracket. Only three
teams on the Hawks’ regular season schedule are even in the
tournament–had they gone undefeated, they’re still an iffy one
seed. Maryland’s earning of a four seed only further proves that
the regular season matters less and less if a late run can be made.
A week ago, the Terps were very much on the bubble; now they are
among the nation’s best? Do they deserve to be in? Definitely. A
four seed? Not even close.

Lowest seeds going deep: Looking at their obvious strength as a
team, Louisville may be underseeded, but they’re privy to a good
draw. The Cardinals have proved they can play, but several rough
patches throughout the season left them with a 10 spot. If they
perform even half as well as they did against Kentucky earlier this
year, it won’t be hard for Rick Pitino’s boys to out-muscle Xavier
and Mississippi State for a Sweet 16 appearance. Likewise, in the
St. Louis region, look for the battle worn, seventh seeded Michigan
State to knock off the untested Gonzaga and their 2 seed.

Final Four: This is the year Pittsburgh earns their respects
from the rest of the college basketball nation. One would think
winning the Big East is worthy of better than a third seed; but in
the end, it won’t matter for these Panthers, whose impenetrable
balance will finally see them out of their bracket.

It’ll be hard to deny Duke a 10th trip to the Final Four under
Coach Krzyzewski’s reign. Luol Deng is the best freshman in the
nation, Chris Duhon has the senior leadership at point and Sheldon
Williams will further prove himself a force to be reckoned with in
the post.

UConn benefits from a bracket with yet another weak one seed in
Stanford. Since the preseason, expectations for the Huskies have
been under a bright spotlight.

A two seed would have been considered a disappointment when the
season began, but none of that matters come March and now is their
time to shine.

The St. Louis region is a tough call. Kentucky is playing the
best basketball, is the top ranked number one seed and will
probably earn the trip to San Antonio.

That said, a hot-cold Kansas team, playing games close to home
in Kansas City and St. Louis, could catch fire for a third
consecutive Final Four trip. Georgia Tech, who has beaten top
ranked teams the like of Duke and Connecticut, may make a run as
well.

Who wins it all?: I take UConn over the Kentucky. The preseason
No. 1 seems to be the most talented with all of their pieces in
place. Emeka Okafor and Ben Gordon may be the best one-two punch
any team has to offer when both are healthy. Likewise, the Huskies
are also no stranger to the concept of taking out favored Duke
squads as they did in the 1999 National Championship–a task they
could be forced to repeat if they are to make it to the finals.

Then again, the sharp-shooting Drake Diener and DePaul may just
knock out Connecticut in the second round and all of these picks
will be a wash. After all, it’s been that kind of season.