The wait is over. It is finally here. The hysteria, the insanity, the madness is upon us at last.

Yes, ladies and gentlemen. The NCAA Tournament begins tomorrow (forgive me this sleight of hand””I’m not counting last night’s play-in game).

Not excited? You should be. There is no other sporting event like it. It is better than professional sports because it involves college athletes””athletes that have a vested interest in the outcome, not to expand their wallets, but for the sheer joy of it. It is better than college football because the champion is not picked by some arbitrary statistical formula that favors those schools in the conferences the powers that be say are good enough; this championship is earned by the participants who must win six games in a single-elimination, do-or-die tournament, lest they go back home without their coveted prize.

It’s simply the most exciting sporting event around.

A part of what makes it so exhilarating is the unpredictability of the thing””you never know who is going to win. Most observers of the game fill out brackets with their predictions, and most are destroyed after the first weekend.

If gambling were legal (that is my ode to ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons), I could tell you, pick by pick, who I think will win each game in order to give you better odds in your bracket pool you started with your friends. Alas, it is not legal, so we must settle for a simple tournament preview (which you may or may not use when you delinquents break the law and gamble on it anyways).

Upset watch: The five seed is historically prone to getting ousted in the first round by the 12 seed, and this year will be no exception. Every five seed is vulnerable, and I see Butler and Temple falling to UTEP and Cornell, respectively. But why stop there? I see three higher seeded teams making the Sweet Sixteen: 11 seed Minnesota, 12 seed Cornell (or as a friend put it, “the Fightin’ Nard-dogs”””I guess you’ll only get that if you watch “The Office”) and 13 seed Siena. Trust me on this, I have a sixth sense with upset picks.

Final Four: Here’s my four: Ohio State, Syracuse, Kentucky and Notre Dame. The Buckeyes of Ohio State will come out of the Midwest regional for one reason””Evan Turner. The man is a beast. Sorry Kansas. This ain’t your year.

Syracuse will represent the West. Jim Boeheim is one of the best coaches around and will likely find a way to motivate his talented team to make it to Houston, the site of the Final Four. Kentucky will make it from the East, led by super freshman John Wall, but expect a tough game in the Elite Eight against a good West Virginia team that some thought should’ve gotten an one seed.

And coming out of the South? Assuming they make it past Old Dominion, which is no easy task, look for Notre Dame to sneak in. The Fighting Irish have been on a roll lately, and now that they have stud Luke Harangody back, watch out Duke.

I have Ohio State defeating Kentucky in the championship game, in a matchup featuring possibly the two top draft picks in the next NBA Draft. Of course, we’ll see how my bracket is doing at the end of the weekend. If past experience is any precursor, I’d suggest having your mom fill out your bracket for you. You’d probably have a better shot at winning your money, ahem, bragging rights if you listen to her.