Muchas Gracias, NCAA Tournament Committee

Signed,
Randy Burns

(Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, March 17th)

Tournament Selection Committee: Do Your Job

Okay I will openly admit it. Loud and proud. I'm a University of Louisville Cardinals fan. I should be. I mean after all it is my alma mater and I have lived in this town my entire life. But whether anyone associated with the Men's Division I Basketball Tournament has ever stepped foot on the Derby City is irrelevant. The bottom line is, after taking down Syracuse last night in Madison Square Garden, the Cards deserve an overall #1 seed in this years NCAA tournament.

Of all the "projected" number one seeds, North Carolina, UConn, Pittsburgh, Michigan State, Oklahoma (the list could go on and on), Louisville was the only school to win their conference tournament and the regular season crown. Let's not forget the fact that the Big East was without argument this year the most talented conference in all the land. Tune in to ESPN's Bracketology show tonight and Dick Vitale will explain to you exactly what I'm talking about. If he says anything less, it will be due to the fact he is still pouting about the Tar Heels loss to Florida State yesterday. It wouldn't surprise me if he even hyped up Duke for a #1 overall seed if they win today simply because he is in love with the ACC.

Let's get back to the Cardinals for a moment. In the last few games, they may not have performed up to par in the first half, but they have certainly finished strong and were never faced with nail-biting two or three point losses. Rather they have dominated their opponents in the second half and Pitino has been a March Mastermind when it comes to coaching. But then again, what else is new. Kentucky fans will hate me here, but, this years Louisville squad reminds me of the 1996 Wildcats when they won the National Championship. I'm not saying the Cards are loaded with unbelievable talent or even multiple future NBA'ers, but they arguably have the same amount of depth. That's a credit to Pitino's recruiting over the years which has now allowed him to swap players in and out to suit the game's tempo. You want offense, keep in Sosa and Smith. You want defense, put in McGee and Knowles. Couple that with the superstars of Terrence Williams and Earl Clark and its easily seen that Louisville is, quite simply, locked and loaded for the tournament which begins this Thursday.

Ladies and gentlemen, keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. Grab your closest anxiety medicine and put the remote down. March Madness is finally upon us....GO CARDS!