Welcome to March Madness boys and girls, the biggest annual gambling event south of the border and with the proliferation of online gambling, it also ranks highly on Canadian sports fans' minds. In what used to be known as the tournament of 64 is now simply the tournament of 65 thanks to the introduction of the play-in game, which has been introduced over the past few years. The play-in game has little value and is basically like watching two jobbers wrestle each other with the winner getting "rewarded" with a squashing from the likes of a Batista.

	No, that's not the Academy Awards calling. (Source: New Line Cinema)

Despite the fact that NCAA March Madness is such an improbable and upset-laden tournament, the teams that usual comprise the Final Four are typically the pre-tournament favourites. That being said, upsets are guaranteed and the No.1 seeds from each regional bracket will simply not all run the table and meet each other in a dream final. In fact convincing me that Chris Evans and Kim Basinger were the producer's first choice for their roles in "Cellular" is more likely than seeing a Final Four comprised entirely of No.1 seeds. Even Keanu Reeves and Heather Graham were embarrassed by Basinger and Evans' performances. Cellular should be Chris Rock's Exhibit A in his argument that Hollywood should wait to make a movie until they can get a real star.

Let's move on shall we to a look at the contenders, the players to watch and the teams that have the potential to bust your bracket quicker than Kirstie Alley can have at a buffet.

Contenders:

Illinois: The Fighting Illini are the de facto standard when it comes to pre tournament favourites and rightfully so. Despite their first loss of the season to Ohio State, Illinois has had an incredible year beating top-notch opponents like Gonzaga, Wake Forest, Wisconsin and Michigan State throughout the course of the season.

The Illini core group has been together for a few years, which counts for something. They have good depth and rotation in the backcourt with the triple-headed attack of Luther Head, Dee Brown, and Deron Williams. James Augustine is a big presence inside and the starting five is rounded out with senior forward Roger Powell Jr. The Illini also have some depth off the bench. This team is poised for a major showing and really this season shouldn't have come as a surprise with the Illini's steady development over the past few seasons, which was highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen loss to Duke last year. It's Illinois' tournament to lose.

North Carolina: UNC is arguably the most talented team in the tourney; they have five players who average double-digit points. Sean May is a huge force in the middle, Marvin Williams is an impact freshman, and the team welcomes back Rashad McCants who returns from an injury just in time. McCants returns after missing four games with an intestinal disorder. If an intestinal disorder is anything like the feeling you get while watching curling, I can sympathize.

	J.J. Redick is the key to Duke's chances. (Source: CNNSI.com)

Duke: With the early departure of Luol Deng and the graduation of Chris Duhon, this year's Duke team is thinner than Ashley Olsen. While they may not have the usual depth on the bench, Duke still has some major stars led by sharp-shooter J.J. Redick. Redick has been awesome this year averaging over 22 PPG. Redick is complemented by junior forward Shelden Williams and senior guard Daniel Ewing. Despite many who feel Duke is overrated this year, you can't dispute the fact that they beat some real good teams this year in Michigan State, N.C. State, Wake Forest, and North Carolina.

Wake Forest: Wake will go as far as their talented backcourt of Julius Gray and Chris Paul will take them. The Demon Deacons will need to play to their strengths and outgun their opponents. Wake finished with the second best scoring average in the ACC but they also finished with the third worst defense in giving up points.

Syracuse: The Orange are nowhere near as strong as they were when the 2003 Carmelo Anthony led team won it all but despite no longer having 'Melo as a Syrcause resident the team is still a formidable force. Two of 'Melo's teammates from the National Championship team are still here and contributing big time. Gerry McNamara may not get the accolades of others but when a clutch shot needs to be made, McNamara is one of the guys you want taking it. Power Forward Hakim Warrick is looking really smart now for deciding to stay for his senior year. Warrick has been great this year and is just hitting his stride, going off for 35 and 36 points in recent back-to-back games. Syracuse could be a real sleeper team in this tournament.

Arizona: Salim Stoudamire just doesn't get enough attention. Have you ever heard of a player hitting 3's at a .530 clip? Yet Redick gets more coverage than Stoudamire but I guess that's because Duke is on TV more than "Leave it to Beaver" reruns. I like Arizona's chances simply because their game relies on the play of two seniors; Stoudamire and centre Channing Frye. Plus how can't you like a team who has a guy named Shakur on it.

Honorable Mention: UConn, Gonzaga, Kansas, Louisville

Players to Watch:

Andrew Bogut, Utah: The Aussie 7-footer is the biggest impact player in the tournament. He is averaging 20.6 PPG, 12 RPG and has had over twenty double-doubles on the year. Bogut is certain to be one of the top picks in the NBA draft if he opts to leave school early.

Chris Paul, Wake Forest: He may be a goliath in his play but perhaps "Golota' is more appropriate after his deliberate groin shot on NC State's Julius Hodge. The best story about Paul is his performance in a high school game after his Grandfather was murdered. Paul was very close to his Grandfather and went out and scored 61 points in that game, one for each year of his Grandfather's life.

Juan Mendez, Niagara: Mendez provides the tournament with a little Canadian content. This Montreal native has been a major force for the small school of Niagara. Mendez finished 4th in the nation averaging 23.6 PPG and led Niagara to their first tournament berth in 35 years.

Sean May, North Carolina: UNC needs to find a way to get him involved early and often; he causes some tremendous mismatches with his great rebounding skills. He torched Duke earlier this month for 26 points and 24 rebounds.

Adam Morrison, Gonzaga: If Gonzaga is going to return to the Elite Eight glory of a few years ago it's going to be on the back of the guy who has everyone drawing comparisons to Celtic great Larry Bird. The 6-8 forward can shoot the ball. He's showing more of a tendency to drive to the net and he's got great overall toughness and resolve which is shown in his battle to overcome diabetes.

Underdogs:

If you're thinking about upset teams keep this in mind, a No.16 seed has never beaten a No.1 seed. There have only been four No.15 seeds that have beaten a No.2. If you're going to pick an upset it's best to stick to more common and conservative upsets like the mild No. 9 beating No. 8 or No. 10 beating No. 7, or 11 beating 6. Here are a few teams to keep in mind when it comes to potential upsets.

Despite years of success some people still view Gonzaga as a Cinderella/underdog team. The talent of Morrison, Senior Ronny Turiaf and Derek Raivio plus the Zags high seed ranking should be enough of an indication that Gonzaga is more a contender than a slip-through-the-cracks overachiever but alas some people will take longer than Maurice Clarett's 40-yd dash time to catch on to this.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets were early season favourites to repeat the success of last season when they made it to the NCAA finals. The talent is still all here, which makes GT's disappointing season all the harder to explain. With Jarrett Jack, Will Bynum, B.J. Elder and the other 7-ft Aussie, Luke Schenscher this team is simply too talented to continue underachieving.

Pacific: The Tigers are ranked in the top 25 but get little coverage or credit because of the weak conference they play in. Pacific has balanced scoring and the team is very mature - made up almost entirely of juniors and seniors.

Oakland: Just kidding! The Golden Grizzlies finished the year with a 12-18 record yet made it in the big dance with an upset victory over favoured Oral Roberts. It's a shame because Oral Roberts would have been a legitimate sleeper pick and the name of the school doubles as a terrific porn name if Julia Roberts every falters and needs to enter the seedier side of the entertainment business.

Just remember that the reason the office will be so empty on Thursday and Friday is because people will want to see first hand how their brackets got busted so you might as well join them.