I’m thoroughly hopped up on first-round March Madness matchups. I need something to take the edge off – some simple predictions, swiped right off my Tournament bracket. Here’s who I have going to the Sweet 16.

EAST

No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 4 Washington State
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 10 South Alabama

MIDWEST

No. 1 Kansas vs. No. 5 Clemson
No. 3 Wisconsin vs. No. 2 Georgetown

SOUTH

No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 4 Pittsburgh
No. 3 Stanford vs. No. 2 Texas

WEST

No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 5 Drake
No. 3 Xavier vs. No. 2 Duke

There are only two picks I’m torn with here: I could have gone with No. 6 Marquette instead of Stanford, and No. 4 UConn instead of Drake. But the Golden Eagles might have their hands full with No. 11 Kentucky, and I think Drake has the upside over the Huskies with that heavenly 20-7-1 ATS record.

The higher the stakes, the bigger the drama. That’s why most college basketball fans are more interested right now in who’s on the Tournament bubble for March Madness, rather than who’s winning the conference tourneys.

Every once in a while, though, you get double the drama: A long shot wins a conference and gets an automatic berth in the big dance. The upset victim usually still gets an at-large bid, which leaves room for one fewer team on the bubble.

The San Diego Toreros are that long shot. Bill Grier’s boys have made the biggest splash thus far at Champ Week, bouncing the St. Mary’s Gaels (-5.5) and the Gonzaga Bulldogs (-7.5) to claim the West Coast crown.

Elsewhere, the Drake Bulldogs continued their magical campaign by winning the MVC title for the first time ever. Drake (20-7-1 ATS) and San Diego (21-9 ATS) are two of the four most profitable teams in Division I. Coincidence? I think not.

Another week in college basketball, another week for the North Carolina Tar Heels atop the rankings. They’ve been No. 1 all year on the AP Top 25; UCLA had a cup of coffee on the ESPN/USA Today poll before losing to Texas and returning the throne to North Carolina.

How long the Tar Heels will stay there remains to be seen. Their non-con schedule hasn’t been all that difficult, leaving North Carolina at No. 19 in RPI and No. 12 on the Pomeroy efficiency charts. Some stiffer competition is in order. The Heels won’t get any, though, until they visit Clemson on Jan. 6.

Meanwhile, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas lurk in the weeds, joined now by Texas and Duke. Even Georgetown has managed to snatch a first-place vote or two away from North Carolina. There isn’t a huge talent gap separating them from the Heels, so expect one of these contenders to wear the crown in January.