Baltimore, a Belt, a Train, a Taxi, a Disappointment: NCAA Tournament Predictions Part 2

Here's part 2 of my NCAA tournament first round picks. Scroll down for part 1. Winners are in bold.

Today's games:
• RALEIGH
No. 1 North Carolina vs. No. 16 Mount St. Mary's. Because they're better.
No. 8 Indiana vs. No. 9 Arkansas. Because their seeds should be reversed.
No. 7 Gonzaga vs. No. 10 Davidson. Because Gonzaga annoys me and Davidson is playing close to home.
No. 2 Georgetown vs. No. 15 Maryland-Baltimore County. Because that trip I made to the suburbs of Baltimore in 1997 didn't work out like I planned.

• BIRMINGHAM
No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 St. Joseph's. Because I remember 1979.
No. 3 Louisville vs. No. 14 Boise St. Because sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do.
No. 7 Butler vs. No. 10 South Alabama. Because my anti-Indiana bias needs to be curtailed.
No. 2 Tennessee vs. No. 15 American. Because they're good.

• TAMPA
No. 5 Clemson vs. No. 12 Villanova. Because Clemson is coming on strong.
No. 4 Vanderbilt vs. No. 13 Siena. How would I know? I'll pick the higher seed.
No. 5 Drake vs. No. 12 Western Kentucky. Because Drake is Drake.
No. 4 Connecticut vs. No 13 San Diego. Because San Diego is a pretty school on the top of a pretty hill, with a campus full of trees and brick and ivy and Connecticut is, as always, overrated. Okay, not always. There was 1999.

• LITTLE ROCK
No. 1 Memphis vs. No. 16 Texas-Arlington. Because of Derrick Rose.
No. 8 Mississippi St. vs. No. 9 Oregon. Because someday I'd like to visit Eugene.
No. 7 Miami vs. No. 10 St. Mary's. Because I'm running out of reasons.
No. 2 Texas vs. No. 15 Austin Peay. Because I've run out of reasons.


My Day 1 record: 10-6. Not bad. Okay, actually that's bad considering the lack of upsets. And 2 of the 6 losses involved my 2 favorite teams. All in all, a bleak day. A nice sunny day, with a fascinating Monk rerun that I may need to watch again.