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March Madness is predicated upon the chance, however slim, that a huge underdog can arise to defeat a basketball giant. In 2007, is there any hope for such an upset? Can a 16 seed do what has never been done before, ambush a 1 seed? Here is a breakdown of the 16-1 matchups, focusing on the little-known schools chances.

This year in the Midwest Region, defending champ Florida starts with Jackson State. The SWAC champs played a tough non-conference schedule and had their arses handed to them by Alabama, Ga tech and Memphis, but woke up later in the year to get a win on the road at UTEP, not a doormat by any standard. They have Trey Johnson, a can't-miss NBA prospect that averages 27 ppg despite double-teams. Their bigs are not remotely up to the task of handling Noah and Horford however. It would take foul trouble, injury and the Earth opening up to swallow Florida's top 8 rotation players for Jackson State to pull it off. Prediction: Gators 83 Tigers 50. Odds of an upset: 2000:1

The West Region has Kansas playing the play-in winner, Niagara. The Purple Eagles have won 20 out of their last 25, 11 in a row, led by Charron Fisher who gives them 21 and 8 per contest. They love to run, and given a matchup with Ohio State might have gotten some play as an upset darling. But Kansas has athletes coming out of their ears, and the fast pace will be just fine with them. Prediction: Jayhawks 86 Niagara 61. Odds of an upset: 1500:1

In the East Region, North Carolina gets to warm up with Eastern Kentucky. The Colonels won the OVC but not in dominating fashion. They had no great showings against ranked opponents, but did keep it respectable against Kentucky on the road. Their success is predicated on minimizing mistakes - in fact, they are probably the most disciplined lower seeded team in the field. NC just has too much talent and pride to let this one get out of control, though I suspect it may be closer than most would imagine. Depending on the spread, there may be a good reason to invest in the dog here. Prediction: Tar Heels 74 Colonels 62. Odds of an upset: 1000:1

Finally, in the South region we have perhaps the most vulnerable 1 seed, Ohio State. They have trouble putting points on the board at times, though their defense is sterling. Central Connecticut State at 22-11 isn't going to be able to take advantage of this flaw though, because they also can lay bricks - 40 points in a 20 point loss to a Michigan team that didn't make the tournament is a prime example. Still, there is a nagging suspicion that these Buckeyes are maybe thin in spots that haven't been exposed yet. Niagara or Eastern Ky. may have had better luck in bringing those blemishes to light than the Blue Devils will. Prediction: OSU 86
CC St. 60. Odds of an upset: 1000:1

So another year, another NCAA tourney, and still no ultimate upset. Keep dreaming sports fans, 2008 is just a year away.

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