I've been waiting for the NCAA Tournament to start for, well, 11 months now! And it's finally here. We have less than 16 hours to go!

So, I guess it's time that I make my picks. I haven't made many comments on seeds yet, so I'll do some of that too. I probably won't comment on all of them, either. For the benefit of you, I'll make two posts - doing one will be way too long! I'll be making my pick against the spread (the bold team is my pick), and also noting who I think will win. With that, let's get started.

• Chattanooga vs. Wake Forest (-17.5): Wake should have been a number one seed. I heard all day Sunday that Washington was going to get a one seed, and I was surprised by that. I felt Wake had a great season. They'll easily take Chattanooga.
• Creighton vs. West Virginia (-2): This is also my first upset pick. Creighton in a close one.
• Wisc. Milwaukee vs. Alabama (-5)
• Penn vs. Boston College (-6): I think B.C. will pull this one out. A few weeks ago, I wondered if they would be a one seed. Then they lost a few, and they dropped to a four seed. I've heard Penn is a good team (never seen them play), but B.C. will pull it out in a close one.
• F. Dickenson vs. Illinois (-26.5): Illinois wins, but not by 27! Illinois is on a good run - they won the Big Ten outright - both regular season and tournament, so they are hot. But 27 is a huge lead. Once they get up by 10 or 15, they have no reason to leave thier starters in.
• Nevada vs. Texas (-1.5): 8's and 9's are a tough pick. 8's only win 44% of the time. On the other hand, rarely does a 1 seed lose to either an 8 or a 9, so when it comes to your bracket, does it really matter who you pick? Anyway, Texas in this one.
• E. Kentucky vs. Kentucky (-16): I'm not from Kentucky, but is this a rivalry there? Somehow, I doubt it.
• Iowa vs. Cincinnati (-3.5): I usually like to go with Big Ten teams, but for whatever reason, I've always liked Cincy. Plus, I think they're good enough to pull this one out.
• Montana vs. Washington (-20.5): Spreads over 20 are tough to take the favorite. Don't get me wrong here. Washington will win, but not by 20+.
• Pittsburgh (-4) vs. Pacific: Only three lower seeded teams are underdogs in the first round. This is one of them, and I don't think it'll hold. Look for Pacific to take this one.
• UAB vs. LSU (-2.5)
• Utah St. vs. Arizona (-5): At one point, I thought Arizona was going to be a number one. I was wrong, obviously, but they'll win this one easily.
• UTEP vs. Utah (-3): Upset special! UTEP will beat Utah. You heard it here first!
• Niagara vs. Oklahoma (-12.5): 3's rarely lose to 14s. This shouldn't be any different.
• UCLA vs. Texas Tech (-3.5): According to ESPN, Bobby Knight doesn't lose in the first round. Good enough for me!
• Winthrop vs. Gonzaga (-13.5): Last game to pick for Thursday. I thought Gonzaga was always supposed to be the underdog! With the tables turned, they'll still win, but not by 14.

There's my picks for Thursday's games. I'll post Friday's games probably a little bit later.