ncaa tournament off to wild start

The first few days of the NCAA Tournament proved to be wild and wacky.

So what else is new?

If there's anything predictable about the Division I men's basketball championships over the years, it's that things are totally unpredictable.

And that's what continues to make the event the most exciting few weeks in sports.

Of course I'm biased, because it's well-documented that I love college hoops. But it's hard to argue against the merits of the thrill-a-minute NCAA tourney, where unheralded teams routinely knock off some of the nation's premier squads.

So many mid-major programs have made their mark in recent years, it's hard to even call their successes upsets any more. But it's still neat to see those things happen.

Particularly neat was watching Southern Illinois carve up Texas Tech Friday night. The Salukis might have taken much of the country by surprise but certainly not people who have seen SIU play this season.

The Salukis are legit and it wouldn't surprise me if they beat Georgia today to make the Sweet 16.

As usual, my NCAA bracket is already in a shambles. I'm sure that's the case with a lot of people.

At least my Final Four picks are still intact, although I'm sure it won't be long before that ends.

For the record, my national semifinals have Duke over Oklahoma and Kansas over Maryland, with Kansas beating Duke for the title.

But don't bet the farm on it.

Congratulations to Notre Dame's girls and Bell City's boys, who both won their first state high school basketball championships Saturday.

One other prep basketball note:

Two local officials were involved in last weekend's 4A state championship games that were televised across the state. Joe Bill Davis worked the girls' game and Thomas Drummond called the boys' contest.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.