Erie BayHawks rookie Kyle Goldcamp, center, still has a chance to win the team bracket pool, but his coach, John Treloar has the inside track to taking it home. Treloar has Duke and Michigan State making it to the championship game.

John Treloar has the inside track.

Treloar picked Duke and Michigan State to meet in Monday's championship game.

Everyone has an NCAA Tournament bracket pool going. So when the Final Four rolls around, the smoke clears and you begin to see who has the best chance of winning the pool.

The team bracket commissioner – shooting guard Mike Gansey - is still holding out out hope WVU wins it all so he can brag that he was the only one to pick the Mountaineers to take home the national title. Gansey starred for the Mountaineers when they reached the Elite Eight in 2005.

However, he told before Tuesday’s practice Treloar has Duke and Michigan State meeting in the championship game. True to form, Duke will take on WVU in one national semifinal while Michigan State faces Butler in the other.

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Center Greg Monroe will lead Georgetown to championship glory this season.

Just filled out my bracket. It’s so much fun, you just want to enjoy every pick.

As most people who follow my work know, I’m a risk taker on these things. Why do it and play conversative?

Might as well pick some first-round upsets. So here are mine for this year’s NCAA Tournament. (seedings in brackets)

Midwest: (13) San Diego State over (6) Tennessee. Don’t trust the Vols.(10) Georgia Tech over (7) Oklahoma State.

West: (12) UTEP over (5) Butler. Just like UTEP’s style. (10) Florida over (7) BYU.

East: (10) Missouri over (7) Clemson. Definitely don’t trust Clemson. Maybe it’s the orange.

South: None here unless you count (9) Louisville beating (8) California.

My bracket gets even crazier after that, but at the end, these are my Final Four picks.

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As a senior at North Carolina, Manuel won a national championship in 2005.

The players and coaches in tonight’s game between the Erie BayHawks and the Austin Toros will follow the NCAA Tournament for more than just the sheer madness of it.

Many of them either played for or coached at schools that are in this year’s field of 65.

Check out how Jackie Manuel, Ivan Harris and  Coach John Treloar of Erie and Marcus Williams, DeMarcus Nelson and Coach Quin Snyder of Austin think their schools will fare.

As a bonus, I also talked to Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Darnell Jackson, who was sent down to play for the BayHawks just for today’s game, about how his Kansas Jayhawks will do in defending the 2008 national title he helped them win.

Erie SF Jackie Manuel
College: North Carolina (2001-05). The Tar Heels (28-4) are a No. 1 seed in the South Regional and will open tournament play Thursday against No. 16-seeded Radford (21-11) in Greensboro, N.C.

How will his Tar Heels do in this year’s tournament? “I think they definitely have a great chance of winning it all. Definitely making it to the Final Four. I definitely think they have a great chance.”

What about junior point guard Ty Lawson’s injury? The Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year missed the ACC Tournament with a toe injury and is questionable for Thursday’s game.

“I think he’ll be alright. With Ty being from D.C., he’s pretty tough. Any injury he’s having or he’s had, I’m pretty sure he’ll suck it up and play. He knows what’s at stake.”

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