Can you hear it? Can you feel it? Can you taste it?

The Madness is upon us.

For those filling out their brackets, allow me to give you the inside scoop as to which 4 teams will be battling it out in Atlanta come March 31st.

Let's start in the Midwest. Defending champion Florida cannot be taken for granted. The Gators return Corey Brewer, Al Horford and Joakim Noah from last year's championship squad and, coming off of their SEC championship, promise to be a tough foe. With parity in College Basketball being at an all-time high and with no repeat champions in the last 15 years, conventional wisdom indicates that somehow, someway, Florida will indeed stumble. So who steps up to slay the Gators? The unlikeliest of foes in the animal kingdom, the Ducks. Oregon is on fire coming into the big dance, trouncing their 3 opponents by an average margin of 18 points on route to the PAC 10 conference championship. The Ducks shot 54 % in the conference tourney, including that same gaudy percentage from beyond the arc and are poised to ride their hot streak to a final 4 spot.

One of the most intriguing questions every year is which mid major is poised to make an extended tournament run. After George Mason's inspiring run to the semis in 2006, the bar has never been higher for potential darkhorses. Look no further than the West Region and Southern Illinois. In a conference known for its defense, the Saluki's are down right stifling, led by Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Randal Fauker. Not a true cinderella as a 4 seed but a mid major nonetheless, Southern Illinois mushes all the way to Atlanta.

It's difficult to discount any team with a great guard / big man combo. That being said, the East Regional final awaits the potentional game of the tournament when Texas and Georgetown meet. Even though North Carolina is the top seed, there are too many potential pitfalls looming for the Tar Heels, in the form of Marquette, Michigan State and USC, teams that can beat down UNC, leaving them vulnerable for a 2nd or 3rd round exit. So it is D.J. Augustin and Big 12 Player of the Year, Kevin Durant vs Roy Hibbert and Big East Player of the Year, Jeff Green. The Hoyas hook the Horns in double overtime in an instant classic.

And last but not least, the dirty, dirty, South Region. At first glance, it would appear that Ohio State, led by man-child Greg Oden is prepared to eradicate the sour taste in the mouths of Buckeyes fans left by OSU's disappointing BCS Championship loss. That screaming of disagreement you hear is coming all the way from College Station and the fans of the Texas A & M Aggies. The Aggies know a thing or two about defense themselves, ranking 2nd in the nation in opponents field goal percentage, surrendering just 58.6 points per game. A & M also knows how to get things done in crunch time, led by all Big 12 performer Acie Law IV who himself shot 65.9% from the field, 72.7% for beyond the arc and 84.2% from the free throw line in the last 4 minutes of games this season. Not even Oden and company will be able to avoid the long arm of the Law as A & M rounds out the final four.

So there it is, quite a diverse quartet.

So what happens? Gotta keep reading.

Gotta go 'Welcome Back Kotter' is on.