If you're going to put yourself out there, take a big swing. I'm talking about 15th seeded UC-freaking-Santa Barbara locking up with second seeded Ohio St. in Milwaukee. West coast meets Midwest. Big West meets Big Ten. Best thing I've seen since Michigan St. stud Steve Smith stabbed the fellas' in the heart in the second round back in 1990 in Knoxville. But I'm feeling something different now.

Look, I'm big Thad Matta fan. And I know Evan Turner is the truth. And walk-on Mark Titus gets more run than just about any All-American I know. So I have nothing but respect for the Buckeye basketball program. Except on Friday! Friday, its go-time and I bleed Gaucho.

Now, I won't go like my man LenDale White. And I'm not going to stand here and call my shot. But I'll say this! The boys from I.V. are going to have a little something for the Buckeyes. They'll show up and turn their rings around. Sure OSU has the probable National Player of the Year. But do they have the Big West Player of the Year? No. We do! Orlando Johnson. A cat, coach Bob Williams describes as having "a football body and a basketball brain." Yeah probably could have played football in the Big Ten, but chose to play basketball in the Big West instead. Who wouldn't?

And big game James Powell was lived his whole life for this moment. That why's he rocks an "against all odds" tat. He should run his teammates down to lower State Street to get them their ink before this one. And there's a reason forward Jamie Serna's handle is "rage". Because that's what he runs on! And we can shoot it if the Buckeyes disrespect us, and our threes are falling. Come Friday night, kegs will be tapped and couches will be burned in I.V. And if they do respect us, and punch us in the face, kegs will be still be tapped and couches will be still burned in I.V. So even if we lose, we win.

Man, it feels good to be a Gaucho. Now, don't embarrass me fellas'. War Sam's to go. The Egghead and F.T.