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My Journey To The Final Four

Every year since 2000 I have gone to the Final Four. If you like college basketball, you must somehow find a way because it is an experience you cannot miss. I have been fortunate enough to watch my alma mater play in two Final Fours and win a national championship. I've watched Duke fans cry until blue paint streamed down their cheeks. Those are just some of the pleasures of March Happiness.

I am sitting in a hotel room in Las Vegas at the end of CTIA, the premiere wireless event in the United States, and while I am dead tired, I know that in just two days I will be flying to San Antonio for four days of insanity with my friend, John Siefert (VP and publisher of InformationWeek) and a bunch of people whose names are best not revealed to protect the indulgences they are about to endure.

Over the years we've played horrible golf, hacked each other to death on the basketball court, taken each others' money in games of pool, "caps," and poker, and bowled while ingesting several adult beverages.

We've visited a hospital emergency room in St. Louis, crowded around a free John Cougar Mellencamp concert in Indianapolis, after which a tornado ripped through the city, sloshed through flooded Bourbon Street in New Orleans, and ate enough Hooters food to get a few free T-shirts.

San Antonio is by far my favorite city for a Final Four. The River Walk offers a more inviting level of edge and excitement than New Orleans. One year we stayed at the hotel with every college coach in the country (save those in the Final Four) -- they were there for the annual coaches convention; to the left would be Tom Izzo and to the right Gary Williams; over there would be Nolan Richardson, and walking by would be Ben Howland. All of them would talk to you. I remember going to the gym one morning and finding myself on a treadmill next to John Calipari (Memphis) and Mike Brey (Notre Dame). Calipari left his cell phone in a taxi and couldn't get the driver to give it back.

This year's lineup of Final Four teams is unparalleled, to say the least. I'll make some predictions before all of the actions start, but feel free to give me yours and the reasons why. I suspect that many people believe that Memphis and North Carolina, by virtue of their easy walk to this dance, have the upper hand. I'm not so sure, but we'll get to that. I'll also tell of the journey along the way, so stay tuned.

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