At ESPN, Bill Simmons does a March Madness Countdown, ranking in inverse order his choices for the tourney. I liked that approach and decided to adopt it here.

But first, let me tell you who I pick to win it all - the Florida Gators. In large part, because the Florida Gators are my team - grew up in Florida bleeding Orange and Blue (and no I did not attend the university) - I am a blind partisan charter member of the Gator Nation. But I also think there are good reasons for picking the Gators. Andy Katz lays them out:

the Gators have -- when they're playing up to their potential -- the top starting five in the country in juniors Al Horford, Joakim Noah, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green and senior Lee Humphrey. They have the experience of winning a title. They have a coach in Billy Donovan who won a title a year ago and coached for the championship in 2000. But there's more here than the numbers. This selection goes deeper. The reason the Gators will win the title is because of their kinship. Sure, there have been plenty of other tight teams, but in the past 17 years, I don't remember seeing one this enmeshed . . .

Gators win it all again, because they are ALL team. Now for my countdown on the flip.