I’m taking a different approach this year. In the past, I would rush through my bracket and have my national champion already decided by the night of Selection Sunday. I’ve taken a different approach this year, not officially completing my bracket until earlier today. While I feel like I’m taking the easy way out with three #1 seeds and a #2, the top-heaviness of this tournament is greater than in years past. So, without further ado…my picks.

Eastern Region: North Carolina. The Tar Heels will have the well deserved benefit of playing this entire region within a couple hours of their Chapel Hill campus. With two games in Raleign and two more in Charlotte, Roy Williams’ gang will be sure to have tons of support from the crowd. Talentwise, there’s nobody in Carolina’s half of the region that will give them a run for their money. But an Elite 8 matchup between the Louisville/Tennessee winner should be a good one.

In the bottom of this region, I expect it to go as planned. Saint Joseph’s is an intriguing upset over the Sooners but aside from that, I don’t expect Tennessee or Louisville to stumble before their meeting in Birmingham next weekend. The Cardinals are playing much better as of late, but I still don’t see enough quality wins from them outside of their home gym. We know the Vols can play away from Tennessee, so I think they’ll beat Louisville before falling to UNC in one of the best games of the tournament.

Midwest Region: Kansas. I hate doing it, I really do. This team has let me down in nearly every NCAA Tournament I’ve made a bracket for. In terms of depth and overall talent, they have no equal in college basketball. But time and time again, they slip up on the big stage. While I really wanted to take Clemson over the Jayhawks in the Sweet 16, I think Bill Self’s team will be just good enough to slip by Clemson.

In the bottom half of the bracket, I expect pure and utter chaos. Tomorrow night’s marquee matchup between O.J. Mayo’s USC Trojans against the Kansas State Beasleys pits two of the best freshmen in the nation. I like SC here, and I also like them to upend Wisconsin in round two. I was correct in my UNLV over Wisconsin upset pick last year and I like them to go down early again.

I also love midmajor Davidson, winners of 22 straight games. This team, led by one of the nation’s best backcourts in Jason Richards and Stephen Curry, will be in the Sweet 16. They play excellent defense, shoot the 3 and more importantly, know they can play with anybody in the country. Davidson will defeat Gonzaga and then beat Georgetown in front of their fans in Raleigh, NC.

If the Jayhawks can get past Clemson, I like them reaching the Final Four in San Antonio. This team is too talented to let me down again. Right?

South: Texas Longhorns. The Horns also have the luxury of playing some crucial games in their home state. Assuming they can get past Austin Peay and the Miami/Saint Mary’s winner, the Longhorns will play their regional in Houston before moving onto San Antonio. Remember when a dominant point guard led the Horns to the Final Four thanks to games played in Texas? That was T.J. Ford in 2003. I expect the same from D.J. Augustin 2008.

At first glance, I thought top seeded Memphis had an easy road to the Elite Eight. But as the week has gone on, I’ve become more enamored with the Pitt Panthers, a team that I’ve never liked (blame Aaron Grey). The fortunes of Pitt have done a complete 180 in my mind. Sunday night, I had the urge to have Oral Roberts beating them. Now, I have them in the Elite Eight. They appear to be peaking at the right time, as shown by a great performance at the Big East Tournament.

This region appears to be ripe with upset possibilities. Sonny has endorsed Temple beating Michigan State all week, largely because of their great backcourt. However, Tom Izzo’s team is always a tough out in the tournament, so ruling them out isn’t suggested by me.

West: UCLA Bruins. This pick absolutely terrifies me. I have grown increasingly worried by the health of UCLA’s frontcourt. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is fighting a sprained ankle, while phenom freshman Kevin Love is nursing a sore lower back. This could be devastating in a week, where I have UConn and 7′3 center Hasheem Thabeet meating the Bruins in the Sweet 16. Who’s going to bang with Thabeet and the assorted goons from Connecticut? Lorenzo Mata-Real. I don’t think so. Fortunately for UCLA, they’ve been placed in the easiest region of the NCAA Tournament. I expect Mbah a Moute and Love to be back at 100% in time for the game against Connecticut.

Sticking with my out-of-nowhere Pac-10 favoritism, I think Arizona has a good shot of making some noise. Yes, the same Jekyll and Hyde team that had a 8-10 record in conference play. If the Wildcats can get past tricky West Virginia, I like their chances of dispatching #2 seed Duke in the second round. Does Duke have an answer for underrated center Jordan Hill? Not that I can see. I also like that athletic backcourt of Jerryd Bayless and Nic Wise against Duke’s Greg Paulus and Jon Scheyer. It’s not a safe pick, but I don’t think it’s much more of a longshot than putting the Blue Devils into the Elite Eight. I like Arizona to advance to the Sweet 16 before falling to a tough, experienced Xavier team.

Looking for an upset here? One of my favorites is the Baylor Bears beating Purdue. It’s their first tournament appearance in 20 years, which could be an issue. However, this team is loaded with shooters. Three different players shoot over 40% from downtown and another two shoot it at around a 35% clip. That presents tons of problems for an opposing defense. The loss to cellar dweller Colorado in the Big 12 Tournament would be more troubling if Purdue hadn’t lost to Illinois in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament. One of these teams has to win, why not the Bears?

Final Four. The four games in North Carolina, the Player of the Year and an incredibly loaded roster all have me thinking this is North Carolina’s year. I never like taking the consensus favorite to cut down the nets. But that’s what will happen. North Carolina will defeat Texas in the National Championship Game, solidifying Tyler Hansbrough’s place in UNC lore.