Philadelphia, PA (My Sportsbook) - The best three weeks in sports get underway this week, with the NCAA Tournament set to start in earnest with first-round action beginning on Thursday. The big winner coming into the event has to be the Big East Conference, which garnered three of the four number one seeds in Louisville, Pittsburgh and Connecticut. The fourth and final top seed comes from Chapel Hill, with the North Carolina Tar Heels. However, betting the chalk is rarely a recipe for success in office pools, so with that in mind, here is a breakdown of the four regions, with a few potential surprises sprinkled in for good measure.

EASTERN PROMISES: The East Region will be one of the tougher brackets to navigate for the top four seeds. Pittsburgh was awarded the number one seed and with good reason, as Jamie Dixon's Panthers are as tough a team as there is...literally. Pitt, led by bruising center DeJuan Blair, will have no problem with East Tennessee State in the opener, or the Oklahoma State/Tennessee winner in the round of 32, but the good times could come to an end soon after. Mike Krzyzewski's Duke Blue Devils sit at the opposite end of the region and will blow past Binghamton and either Texas or Minnesota. However, like the Panthers, things will get very interesting in the regional semifinals. Third-seeded Villanova plays fundamentally sound basketball, as does fifth-seed Florida State, and both the Wildcats and Seminoles could make a run all the way to the East Regional Finals. Fourth-seeded Xavier is talented also, but may not make it out of its first-round game with pesky Portland State. Sixth-seeded UCLA will get all it can handle from Virginia Commonwealth, and if it survives will have to play Villanova next, in Philadelphia. In the end, look for Florida State to knock off Pitt in the Sweet 16, opening the door for Jay Wright and the Villanova Wildcats to claw their way to a Final Four appearance.

HOW THE WEST WAS WON: UConn was sitting on top of the national polls just a couple of weeks ago, but losses down the stretch cost the team the Big East regular season and tournament titles. Still, 27 victories is nothing to scoff at and the team was awarded a top seed, albeit out west. Despite the region, the Huskies get their first two games in Philadelphia and should have no problem getting past Chattanooga or the 8/9 winner, either BYU or Texas A&M. The loss of Jerome Dyson to a knee injury a few weeks ago has changed the makeup of the UConn team and although Hasheem Thabeet and Jeff Adrien are a devastating duo down low, something just isn't right with the Huskies. That will cost the team in the Sweet 16 against either Purdue, which plays a methodical game, or Washington, which likes to get out and run. The second seed belongs to the Memphis Tigers, and John Calipari should be commended for the job he has done this year. A Final Four participant last year, Memphis lost Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts, but still found a way to win 31 games and continue its mastery of Conference USA opposition. Third-seeded Missouri is a nice team, as is sixth-seeded Marquette, but the Tigers will be stifled by Memphis' defensive pressure, and the Golden Eagles are lost without Dominic James running the show. When it comes down to it, Lorenzo Romar may just get the credit he deserves at Washington, as those Huskies could very well upset the ones from UConn in the Sweet 16, setting up a showdown with Memphis for the right to go to Detroit.

SOUTHERN COMFORT: No region provides an easier path to the Motor City for the top seed than the South, where North Carolina sets up shop. The Tar Heels could be without ACC Player of the Year Ty Lawson to begin the tournament, but his absence won't prevent a rout of Radford in the first round. The bottom of the bracket features the Oklahoma Sooners as the two seed, and although OU has the nation's most dominant player in Blake Griffin, getting to the South Regional Final in Memphis won't be easy. Seventh-seeded Clemson is a tough team to figure out. When on their game, the Tigers can beat anyone in the country. Unfortunately, Oliver Purnell's teams have traditionally come up small in the postseason. Not many teams are hotter than third-seeded Syracuse, which has great balance both inside and out and will get out and run with any team in the tourney. Perhaps the best first-round game in the region pits sixth-seeded Arizona State against 11th-seeded Temple. James Harden is a bona fide star and can carry a team on his back, while Fran Dunphy's Owls are a pesky bunch that seem to step up when it matters most. In the end though, expect UNC to have an open road to the Final Four. Although Lawson is the straw that stirs the drink, don't forget that the Tar Heels still have one of the greatest college basketball players in recent memory in Tyler Hansbrough.

MIDWEST MELEE: Forget what you think you know about the Midwest Region. The top overall seed is Louisville, but Rick Pitino's Cardinals will have quite a gauntlet to pass through in order to reach the Final Four. Sure, the Big East champs are playing as well, if not better than any team in the country, but the Midwest is full of pitfalls that could prevent Louisville from reaching its goals. Morehead State won the opening-round game and will now be served up as an appetizer for the Cards. Eighth-seeded Ohio State could present some problems in round two, though. Fourth-seeded Wake Forest doesn't play the kind of defense necessary to win this thing, but the Demon Deacons are a scary offensive team, especially when sophomore Jeff Teague gets hot. Michigan State sits at the bottom of the region as the two seed, and you know Tom Izzo will have his troops prepared and ready for battle. Then there are the defending national champion Kansas Jayhawks checking in as the third seed. The Jayhawks took the Big 12 regular season title once again, winning 25 games overall. Despite an almost complete overhaul, counting Kansas out in the postseason would be a huge mistake. Still, the most complete team in the Midwest is Louisville, which has the ability to win at either end of the floor. The Cardinals should come out of the Midwest, but it won't be easy.