When: 3:00 pm PST
TV: CBS
OK, so the Bears aren't involved. But that doesn't mean we can't get excited for a month long celebration of bracket madness. Amongst the teams that Cal fans might care about in some capacity, various bracket projections give us the following estimations:
Arizona: 4-6 seed
UCLA: 7-10 seed
Washington: 9-11 seed (one site I looked at had UW as a 7, but I have a hard time seeing that)
USC: 12 seed play-in / last four out
So, does USC even get in? Do UCLA and Washington manage to avoid the dreaded 8-9 seed that will lead to an encounter with a team like Kansas, Ohio St., or Pittsburgh? Will Arizona get slotted at home in Tucson or shipped out to some god-forsaken place like Cleveland? How badly will BYU's honor-code slide hurt their seed? Also, be on the lookout for previous Cal non-conference opponents Notre Dame, San Diego St., Kansas, Temple, and Boston College. All but Boston College are safely in the field and the first three will be in line for very high seeds.
And don't forget to sign up for CGB's Tournament Pick 'Em, where you can join Zoonews, andrewxmok and Berkelium97 in the pantheon of prognosticating perfection!