My bracket is ready ... Is yours?

There are perhaps no two words that unite sports fans more than “March Madness.”

For the next three weeks, college basketball fans across the country will sit glued to the TV with their bracket in hand.

I for one love March Madness. I mean who wouldn’t enjoy watching three weeks of nonstop college basketball?

But it’s more than just the games themselves that draw in millions of viewers every year. Yes, those little brackets themselves have something to do with it.

Originally designed as a way to draw up the field, the bracket has become synonymous with March Madness. Some fill them out for fun, while others spend days strategizing and analyzing the teams in the field — I’ve done both.

I’ve filled out countless brackets over the years, but there’s still one bracket that stands out in my mind — my very first. I was in the eighth grade at the time, and I spent hours making and reviewing my picks before handing over my prized selections. Once the tournament was over, our points were tallied and the winner was revealed.

Yes, yours truly had won the tournament. As you can imagine, this didn’t sit too well with some of the boys in my grade, who sat bewildered as I walked up to accept my prize.

I’ve filled out at least one bracket (and in some cases as many as three) every year since then, and this year was no different.

As I looked at the field of 68, I quickly began whittling down the teams, and, as always, I found myself pausing on more than one occasion. No. 1 seeds Duke and Kansas appear to be all but locks to advance to the Final Four from the West and Southwest regions.

In the Southeast, I picked BYU to upset Pittsburgh. And as for the East, it’s probably no surprise to most of you that I’ve got Ohio State advancing to the Final Four.

Although, in addition to capturing the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, the Buckeyes also were lucky enough to land in the toughest region.

If Ohio State can beat Kentucky and North Carolina as I’ve predicted, then the Buckeyes will meet Kansas April 4 in Houston.

Now that I’ve shared my picks, I’d love to hear yours. E-mail them to me at [email protected].