The stars were aligned.

The Kansas Jayhawks had just made a prodigious march through the Big 12 tournament. Their young players---chief among them Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers---had gotten their heads together at the right time; after losing four of their first seven games, this freshman- and sophomore-heavy team had learned to play together. What's more, they were doing it primarily with defense: Kansas was one of the nation's most efficient and intimidating man-to-man defensive teams in 2005-6.

Add to that a high seeding in the NCAA tournament (they marched all the way from the bubble to a #4 seed!), a charismatic coach (Bill Self), a player many scouts are saying could be a lottery pick right now (Rush), and placement in the tournament bracket with the "weakest" #1 seed (Memphis). Plus, I just happen to be writing a novel that takes place, in part, in Kansas. Plus, I really like that band, The Jayhawks. Talk about a harmonic convergence. All these factors came together, and it was clear: the Jayhawks were going to the Final Four.

Damn.

While my bracket is, generally speaking, relatively intact, that damn 30-foot prayer by Bradley Brave Will Franklin at halftime was the difference, and "my" Jayhawks went down in the first round. Gaaa.

Surely you have a similar story this week. "My bracket would be perfect, if I hadn't had San Diego State in the Elite Eight," you say. "If not for the underperforming Southern Illinois Salukis, I would certainly be atop my office pool." "Damn you Marquette Golden Eagles! Damn you to hell!"

Meanwhile, my mom's Final Four teams are all still alive. I think she picked them according to the number of letters in their university president's name.

Which is your most surprising team of the NCAA Tournament so far?

Greg Jorssen, BoDog.com: I must say that I am not surprised by the performance of #13 Bradley. This is one talented team that I believe is not done yet. They have the right chemistry and are peaking at the right time. They have a solid seven-foot center in Patrick O'Bryant and forward Marcellus Sommerville is a definite force. They have a solid bench, great size, and are as athletic a team as anybody still in this tournament. And you read it here first! My upset special is Bradley over Memphis this Thursday.

As for your question, the team that has surprised me the most is...the Selection Committee! I cursed them a week ago, criticizing how they picked so many mid-major teams. I bet Billy Packer and Jim Nantz are regretting chastising them on national television!

Which high seed do you most think is going to fall flat on Thursday or Friday?

GJ, BoDog.com: As mentioned above, Memphis will be eliminated by Bradley on Thursday, and the Braves will become America's darlings, the ultimate Cinderella team. They are that good. I believe Bradley matches up quite nicely with Memphis and the Tigers' inexperience in tournament play will be their downfall. Besides, I had them pegged with a second-round loss (they screwed up my bracket!).

How did the betting public do in the first two rounds?

GJ, BoDog.com: With three mid-major teams making the Sweet 16, safe to say that the public did not fare as well as they would have liked. You can always gauge how well the public does based on the number of brackets that are found in the garbage can after the first weekend. Safe to say there were quite a few thrown out come Monday morning. :-)

Do you have a favorite parlay that came through for bettors last week?

Again, with three mid-majors making it into the Sweet 16, a lot of parlays were busted up for bettors over the past week. That said, the one that hurt us the most were bettors that parlayed Arizona to cover over 'Nova and the Over.