There are two especially great perks of not having a full time job: 1) You can go to bed early not because you have to, but because you want to. 2) You can read as many sports articles/watch as much sports TV as you can possibly stand (which for me means as much as I can cram in before 10 pm).

With the start of the NCAA Tournament a mere two days away – sorry play-in game members; you unfortunately don’t really count to the tourney committee – I am well versed in this year’s hot topics and the pundits’ general opinions. For example, Cornell was underseeded and is definitely going to upset Temple. Wait, some of you think Cornell is way overrated because of one close loss to Kansas and will go down with barely a whimper? This single matchup has been debated for what seems like forever, along with subjects such as Kentucky’s draw, Virginia Tech’s exclusion, Purdue’s seed, and Buzz Williams’ emotional state.

I know that some of you out would like to know my opinions on these pressing issues (Kentucky should stop complaining, as everyone has to beat a lot of good teams to win it all. Virginia Tech shouldn’t have lost to Miami twice, but maybe should’ve still been in. Purdue’s seed will not determine how far the Boilermakers will go. And Buzz Williams reminds me of Violet Beauregarde from Willy Wonka, perennially in danger of blowing up into a blueberry.) but I’d rather discuss some things that no one else is mentioning. Thus, here are my 2010 NCAA Tournament underthought thoughts:

• John Wall vs. Avery Bradley: Everyone has been talking about the potential second round matchup between Kentucky and Texas, two teams that were both ranked #1 at some point this season, but no one is looking at this possible individual battle. Remember, Bradley was as heralded an incoming freshman as Wall, and he was known as a defensive stopper. While Wall has become a megastar, Bradley has been all but forgotten as his Longhorns have fallen apart. You don’t think Avery would have something to prove, especially guarding Kentucky’s electric point?
• West Virginia could be one Da’Sean Butler miss away from an early exit: Everyone is extremely high on the Mountaineers right now. They’re deep, they’re long, they’re talented, and they go after the ball as if it were made of $100 bills. Oh, and they just won the Big East tournament. But did you know that they won their last four games by a total of 9 points?! Not much room for error. Da’Sean Butler has been bailing WVU out all season long. Most people look at this and say “They know how to win close games” or “They’ve got one of the best finishers in the game.” But what if this time around he misses?
• California could upset Duke: Everyone has essentially written off Cal against Louisville in Round 1. Should they survive that test, though, they could be dangerous to the Blue Devils. I know that the Golden Bears haven’t really beaten anyone of note, but the matchup is rather favorable. Cal has frontcourt issues and struggles guarding teams with size. Though Duke does have physical size in Brian Zoubek and the Plumlees, Coach K gets almost all his scoring from three perimeter players, Scheyer, Smith, and Singler. Cal has three seniors who match up nicely: Jerome Randle, Patrick Christopher, and Theo Robertson are experienced, effective, and talented enough to challenge Duke’s Big 3 and make them defend. If Randle’s deep threes are falling and Jamal Boykin holds his own inside, you never know.
• Could someone please pick a “breakout player no one knows about” that actually no one knows about: Everyone is predicting various breakout stars such as New Mexico’s Darington Hobson, Oklahoma State’s James Anderson, or Houston’s Aubrey Coleman, claiming that they are “the best player you’ve never heard of.” Problem is, I’ve heard of them. And so have most people that pay good attention to college basketball. Your Average Joe may not know them, but then again your Average Joe probably thinks Greg Monroe is a former president and Sherron Collins is a cocktail. Those of us who don’t use team mascots to fill out our brackets want to know who could be the actual surprise stars, a la Harold “The Show” Arceneaux from Weber State. What about New Mexico State’s Jahmar Young or Morgan State’s Reggie Holmes, both of whom averaged over 2o points/game this season.
• Watching Wisconsin is awful: Everyone respects Bo Ryan’s Badgers soooo much. I get it, I really do. They impose their style and pace on whomever they play and always outperform expectations. There has even been significant talk about them upsetting Kentucky in the Sweet 16. But let’s be honest with ourselves: Watching Wisconsin is more boring than watching paint dry. It’s more painful than a trip to the dentist, more frustratingly slow than constipation. (Thought I was just going with the standard sayings, didn’t you.) Enough with the respect already. March Madness is about excitement and fun, and Wisconsin provides neither. So let’s send them some bad cosmic energy and hope they lose early.

Though there’s obviously too much March Madness info to digest, chew on those ideas for a little while. They might taste good.