It is time to Dance. In the Paint has been quiet for a few weeks but we're about to get loud, NCAA Tournament style ...

---

First, no disrespect to what Pitt accomplished, winning four games in four days, but the most incredible accomplishment and the team that deserves the "true grit award" for this conference tournament season is the Georgia Bulldogs.

Yeah, Pitt won four games in four days -- how about winning three games, including one in overtime, in the span of about 30 hours?

That's precisely what Georgia did after a tornado hit Atlanta Friday and forced the SEC to postpone the quarterfinal game between Georgia and Kentucky until Saturday. Georgia beat the Wildcats in overtime but that postponement presented a problem because "the NCAA Selection Show must go on Sunday night" and the SEC had to have its tournament complete before the show so the solution was simple -- force the winner of that game to play its semifinal game on Saturday night.

No problem, Georgia beat Mississippi State and then came back yesterday and beat Arkansas for the SEC Tournament championship.

The interesting thing about it is this: Had Georgia (17-16) lost in any of those games it would not only not be headed for the NCAA Tournament, it would not have even merited an NIT berth because it would have had a losing record. And had that happen it is entirely possible that head coach Dennis Felton would have been fired.

They call it March Madness for a reason.

---

Imagine you are Coppin State, you have struggled all year yet you got hot at the right time and win four games in four days by a total of six points to capture the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title and grab that coveted automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

You celebrate and are excited about your chance to go to the NCAA Tournament --- then you are hit in the gut on Selection Sunday when you are told you still aren't in the NCAA Tournament because you have to go to Dayton for something called the "Play-In" game. And that same sinking feeling probably went through more than few people at Mount St. Mary's, which made an incredible run through the Northeast Conference Tournament, when it was unveiled that the Mountaineers would be Coppin State's opponent in this game.

I understand sports are all about money and power but there is no bigger farce in sports than the play-in game as it is annually filled by the powers that be. There is no way in the world that two CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS should have to then play-in when there are all these mediocre teams from major conferences -- like Oregon, like Villanova, like Baylor -- at-large teams that should thank their lucky stars that they got in in the first place, get to pass go and go straight to the real dance.

It is bad enough they keep 65 teams in the field (as opposed to 64 - but again, it is driven by money for the power conferences) but it is utterly ridiculous that the play-in game isn't a game between the two lowest rated at-large teams. Coppin State and Mount St. Mary's should both have the chance to be bombed by 40 by No. 1 seeds because those kids have earned the right to experience the NCAA Tournament and get that kind of royal treatment, if only for one game.

---

I've looked at these brackets and here is what I see:

• With all due respect, someone, somewhere must want to see UCLA in the Final Four for the third consecutive season because the Bruins are the No. 1 seed of the weakest -- by far -- bracket. It would be a shocking upset if UCLA is not in the Final Four given the road that has been handed to them, and that would be even if they lost to No. 2 seed Duke in the Elite Eight. Think about it. The No. 3 seed is Xavier and while I am a huge Sean Miller fan, I think the Muskateers are a little -- well, OK, a lot, overrated -- and the No. 4 seed Connecticut got swept by Providence, which played so well this season it got its coach fired.

One other thing about the West -- West Virginia fans are all guidy about the prospects of the Mountaineers pulling an upset of Duke, which is possible, I suppose. Of course, I'm not so sure the Mountaineers are a given to beat Arizona to get to Duke in the first place.

• The East is the beast considering North Carolina, Louisville and Tennessee are all good enough to win the national championship and Washington State plays the defensive style of basketball that will drive any team with athleticism crazy.

• As for Pitt, it is nice the Panthers have recruited guys who can win in the Big East. Now it is time for them to start winning tournament games in a building other than Madison Square Garden. And this year there really is no reason Pitt SHOULDN'T get to at least the Sweet 16 and frankly a run to the Final Four isn't out of the question either.

But let's just follow the road --- the Panthers should beat up Oral Roberts, a nice mid-major squad with ZERO quality wins and a team that has gotten waxed in its three games against legitimate competition. Michigan State will then likely be waiting for the Panthers in the second round and all we need to say about the Spartans is this: PENN STATE 85, MICHIGAN STATE 76. The next game? Memphis, the one team in the field that shoots free throws worse than Pitt, a team that hates to play halfcourt games and a team that struggles to shoot the ball consistently. Sounds like a favorable matchup for the Panthers to me. That would bring a date with Texas and while I admit the Longhorns are better than the Panthers, it isn't out of the realm of the possible that Pitt could dictate the tempo in this game -- as they will against Memphis -- and win the way they usually do down the stretch.

Of course, if all of that happens, the Panthers next game would be against UCLA and that would be the end.

• Finally, there is the Midwest, where Kansas could face the scary prospect of having to try and play at a snail's pace in an Elite Eight matchup with Georgetown or Wisconsin and that is clearly not the Jayhawks comfort zone.

One game of note from that bracket - USC vs. Kansas State - neither team is going to make a long run but it sure will be fun to watch two of the best freshmen in the country - Michael Beasley and OJ Mayo - square off.

• So, as always, when the brackets come out there are predictions. (E-mail me yours at pzeise@post-gazette.com and I'll post some of the more interesting ones here in the paint.

Here are mine:

ELITE EIGHT

North Carolina vs. Tennessee
Kansas vs. Georgetown
Pitt vs. Texas
UCLA vs. Duke

FINAL FOUR

North Carolina vs. Kansas
Pitt vs. UCLA

NATIONAL TITLE GAME

North Carolina vs. UCLA

CHAMPION: UCLA

---

Finally, even though the women's bracket won't be unveiled until tonight I'd be remiss if I didn't mention this one little item from high upon a soapbox, and I say this with affection as someone who enjoys the women's game, is an advocate of the women's game and has happily covered the women's game for years and years going back to my days of writing about and covering the WNBA for WNBA.Com:

Robert Morris was one of the worst women's programs in the country until Sal Buscaglia took over a few years ago. The same can be said about Pitt until Agnus Berenato arrived. And for years and years these two bad local programs played each other every year and frankly, we were, um, treated to some of the most God-awful basketball games imaginable when they got together.

Now both teams are good, very good in fact and good on a national scale. Both coaches have been miracle workers and both coaches have built programs that will be good for the long haul. Both teams will play in the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season and both teams feature plenty of all-conference type players.

So with all of that being said - can someone please explain to me why these two programs didn't play this year and have apparently decided not to play again? Actually, I'm sure the true answer is somewhere in between the explanations both schools have given me so the "why" isn't really all that important.

It is just that to me, it would seem natural that both schools would be doing their best to try and make it happen, particularly since it would produce plenty of good publicity for a sport that is trying so hard to carve a niche in a very crowded sports market. The easiest way to grow a sport is to produce games that are interesting and highly competitive and these games were just becoming both when the plug was pulled on the series. That's a shame, one that needs to be rectified, sooner than later.

OK, I'm back down from my soapbox and I will have more to say about the fortunes of both programs once the bracket is unveiled.