I don’t know about you, but all I can think about now is the bracket. I’m just counting the seconds until the bracket comes out – two days and counting. It’s hard to make any real predictions about what will happen until we see where teams are seeded and who they play, but I just don’t want to wait. Here’s a look at four likely lower seeds that I like a lot:

Cornell – The Big Red are making a real habit of winning the Ivy League these days. They are also stone cold killers form three point range – no team was better from beyond the arc. It’s not just a player or two that do the damage, either – they have five different players who shoot 39 percent or better from three point territory. Not only do they shoot so well, but they are efficient as well. They are top 30 in the country in offensive efficiency – something you don’t always expect from a team that loves the three. They are a streaky team, but if they can get hot when it matters then they have the ability to make the second week of action.

Murray State – If you are playing against Murray State then you have to get used to playing without the ball. They are very good at offensive rebounding, and they focus on the steal like few teams out there. They can take advantage of opportunities they create with strong offensive efficiency, as well. I managed to watch these guys play two games this year once they started to get some attention, and they certainly live up to the hype. They are going to be able to confuse some teams that aren’t ready for them, and if they get a good seeding they could pull off a couple of upsets with ease.

Saint Mary’s – Not only did Saint Mary’s upset Gonzaga to win the WCC tournament, but they looked very good doing it. Like Cornell, they are an extremely strong outside shooting team. They can combine that with a pretty solid presence inside as well, and that provides some real depth and dimension to their offense. They play very nice defense, too, and are especially proficient at shutting down outside shooters. The matchup is going to be especially important for the Gaels, but if they get lucky with their pairings then they will be one to watch. Beating Gonzaga showed that they clearly aren’t afraid of ranked teams.

UTEP – When was the last time that we talked abut a C-USA team that wasn’t Memphis? UTEP emerged from the slight post-Calipari vacuum in the conference this year, and they have looked very good. there are two things that make this team so dangerous – they are potent defensively, and they were very good at building and holding a lead. They won their games by an average of a dozen points, and they just don’t slow down once a game is in hand like so many teams do.