OT: Breaking down the brackets (Part 2)

By now, March Madness brackets have taken their annual pilgrimage around classrooms, offices and schools. People are gearing up for the NCAA Tournament, which begins Tuesday with the "Battle for No. 65" or as it as more commonly known, the play-in game.

So for those of you who can't get enough analysis, here's Part 2 of the Cats' Cradle NCAA Tournament bracket breakdown.

Region: South

Team to beat: No. 3 Baylor. There's just an allure about the Bears this year. I can't put a finger on it, but something just sticks out about the team from Waco. Also, out of the top 3 seeds, Baylor is the easiest team to trust out of Duke (never trust the Blue Devils in an NCAA Tournament) and Villanova (too many late-season losses).

Best game: No. 3 Baylor vs. No. 14 Sam Houston State. Now, I know what you're going to say — there's a whole lot of Baylor love going around this blog today. Yet, the Bears are a high-tempo team and if one is going to keep up with them, it's going to be the Bearkats. Sam Houston State was the class of the Southland Conference and kept up with Kentucky and beat Auburn.

Potential upset: No. 7 Richmond over No. 2 Villanova (2nd round). The Spiders are giant killers, as they took out then-No. 13 Florida, Missouri and Mississippi State. The Wildcats are a weak team, reeling off several bad losses to finish the season, so look for Richmond to attack.

First-round winners: No. 1 Duke, No. 8 California, No. 5 Texas A&M, No. 4 Purdue, No. 6 Notre Dame, No. 3 Baylor, No. 7 Richmond and No. 2 Villanova.

Region: West

Team to beat: No. 1 Syracuse. For the Orange to waltz through this bracket, they are going to need Arinze Onuaku to be healthy. If Onuaku is hobbled, Syracuse will look toward DaShonte Riley to step up in his absence. The Orange are just a stacked team but are vulnerable, as they lost twice to Louisville.

Best game: No. 5 Butler vs. No. 12 UTEP. This is a matchup that makes you scratch your head. Before the tournament began, Butler and UTEP were two of the consensus picks to make some noise — and they are playing each other in the first round. Some are yelling out "conspiracy theory," but I just see a good game then. The winner of this game wears a glass slipper into the Elite Eight.

Potential upset: No. 5 Butler/No. 12 UTEP over No. 1 Syracuse (Elite Eight). Whichever team wins the first-round matchup between the Bulldogs and Miners is going to be Cinderella. Both squads have what it takes to wreak havoc in the tournament and there isn't a better way than taking out a No. 1 seed.

First-round winners: No. 1 Syracuse, No. 8 Gonzaga, No. 5 Butler, No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 6 Xavier, No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 7 BYU, No. 2 Kansas State.