Tournament preview

All 68 teams have been selected, and unlike Selection Sunday, we won?t learn any outcomes early from here on out.

This NCAA basketball season, ?parity? has become a household word, and it has led to one of the more exciting and competitive seasons I can remember.

No top team is infallible, with a record 23 losses among the No. 1 seeds, and much debate as to who is deserving of those top spots.

In the days leading up to the second round of the tournament which will begin on Thursday, I will preview certain aspects of the upcoming NCAA Tournament, to help you prepare your bracket for the Washington Evening Journal Tournament Challenge, presented by Pizza Hut.

Follow the instructions in the box below this article to join our group, free of charge, on ESPN.com, and battle with other area readers for bragging rights and a few free pizzas.

Each article this week will give my opinion about a team that has been dubbed a ?favorite? and detail why they will and won?t win the NCAA tournament, along with a team that I think can pull off a big upset in the early rounds and a game that everyone should make sure to tune in to this weekend.

Happy basketball, everyone.

STARTING WITH THE BEST

Where else is better to start than the top?

The No. 1 overall seed, Kansas, is perennially one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament; however, they have a nasty stigma attached to them.

Quite often, the Jayhawks underachieve in the NCAA tournament, and despite this year?s success, their draw in the South region doesn?t do them many favors.

After their likely win against Austin Peay in the first round, a potential date with a tough No. 9 seed in UConn promises to be tough, as the Huskies have gone on a hot streak lately, and  the last time they won the national title, did so as a No. 7 seed.

Kansas also has Maryland and California to be concerned about, along with a No. 2 seed in Villanova on the other side of the bracket, as the Jayhawks look to get to the Final Four.

Kansas is more experienced this year than in previous years and has won 14 straight games heading into the NCAA Tournament, but they have been prone to putting out a couple of clunkers.

A 19-point loss to Oklahoma State, and a game against West Virginia which did little to inspire confidence, both coming in January, showed what can happen if Kansas doesn?t come to play.

However, the Jayhawks are easily among the favorites to win the tournament, and early in the process, they have my selection to be cutting down the nets in Houston.

UPSET CITY

The NCAA tournament is known for its shocking upsets, and this year should be no different.

This year, I?m going to start things a little out of the box, and eye Michigan to make a lot of noise as an 11 seed.

Sure, they still have to play in their first-four game against Tulsa (who somehow got named to the field), but when they get past them, could be favored to beat the No. 6 seed Notre Dame in the second round.

Notre Dame has struggled with teams recently, including a shorthanded Duke team, and Michigan has played like a team of destiny.

The Wolverines stunned Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament, and even without their top player in Caris Lavert, are a threat any time they can put up 3-pointers.

GAME TO WATCH

Why wait until the second round to start watching the games? On Tuesday night there should be a pair of good, entertaining games.

In the 16-seed play-in game, you can relive the moments that Dunk City gave us, when Florida-Gulf Coast takes on Farleigh Dickinson, but the prime match-up should come between a pair of bubble teams.

Vanderbilt and Wichita State will face off for an 11 seed, the winner of which will take on Arizona, who has struggled down the stretch, losing three of their last six.

Whoever wins that match-up will be chomping at the bit to create some extra noise in the tournament.