The Times Dispatch Blogs

March Madness is upon us once again. The 65-team field for the 2009 NCAA Tournament was announced on Sunday.

It was a down year for the Southeastern Conference and that was reflected in the tournament selections. Only three SEC teams made the tournament and they were lucky to get that many teams in. LSU, the regular-season conference champion, is seeded only eighth in the South Regional.

Now, on to the predictions.
First-round winners

Midwest Regional: Louisville, Ohio State, Arizona, Cleveland State, West Virginia, Kansas, Boston College and Michigan State.

West Regional: Connecticut, Texas A&M, Purdue, Washington, Utah State, Missouri, Cal and Memphis.

East Regional: Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, Florida State, Xavier, UCLA, Villanova, Texas and Duke.

South Regional: North Carolina, LSU, Illinois, Gonzaga, Arizona State, Syracuse, Michigan and Oklahoma.

Second-round winners

Midwest: Louisville, Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State.

West: Connecticut, Washington, Missouri and Memphis.

East: Pittsburgh, Florida State, Villanova and Texas.

South: North Carolina, Gonzaga, Arizona State and Oklahoma.
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Today is my 37th birthday... yes, I said 37th. My husband invited several friends over Saturday night to help me celebrate. We hung out, played cards and sang karaoke... lots of fun.

Growing up I had skating parties, pizza parties, sleep-overs and a very well-planned surprise party – I don’t even remember how old I was – I was in the fourth or fifth grade.

I also remember getting a cassette tape recorder for my birthday one year. My mom and dad had recorded a tape beforehand of them, my grandparents, uncles and aunts and brothers sending me birthday wishes and singing "Happy Birthday" to me. Unfortunately I lost it somewhere along the way, but I would give just about anything to have that cassette today.

On my sixteenth birthday you would have thought I had robbed a flower shop as I left school. I had balloons, stuffed animals and lots of flowers – sixteen sugar cubed roses. I still have the sugar cubes.

My Papa and Granny Tate always called to sing me “Happy Birthday.” They never missed one while they were alive. My PaPa Tate died on my 23rd birthday.

My family carries on the tradition, though, both of my brothers and their kids, as well as my mom and dad, always call to sing (or tell) me happy birthday. I’m looking forward to it! Aren’t birthdays great!

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