Phil Dzikiy …is a writer.

Butler. Duke. Gordon Hayward’s last two shots.

At least one of those shots should have gone in.

As the game was winding down, essays and columns were being written in my mind. That's what writers do. We have to make connections, even if they don't occur to anyone else at the time.

So, maybe I should be writing something about how that game was a lot like the real world. You have your hopes and your perfect ending. It leads you on. You keep believing. But eventually, life brings the hammer down. The powers that be are still in power. It's a never-ending game of us vs. them, and they always win.

I thought about writing how, after some games, the loser is also the winner. The loser is the team that everyone remembers. The winner is merely the footnote. After all, what was the first thing Jim Nantz said as the clock hit zero? "It almost went in!"

There could be something written about Jimmy Chitwood. Yeah, he was based on a real person, but he'll never be real, not now. Even if you think he could be.

I even thought, maybe this is a game that makes you think God is a sports fan. Until you realize that He isn't.

Yes, friends, all of these angles flashed before me. But one thought was strongest. Maybe it wasn't as intelligent as the others, but it was the truest. And I thought it on two separate occasions.

That shot was supposed to go in.

Ohio Bobcat power

"Georgetown will destroy them." Maybe the strongest prediction I made. Also the wrongest. What a performance.

By the way, if you're already rooting for your bracket picks over upsets, you don't know how to enjoy March Madness.

Peanut Butter Tourney Time

Here's a hastily-written off-the-cuff preview of this year's NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. I've always been a big fan of college hoops, but I don't feel like I've followed it quite as closely this year. There are many possible reasons for this — The Winter Olympics, increasing NHL interest, home and husband responsibilities — so I'm going to shoot from the hip, and write up this preview just as quickly as I fill in my brackets every year. Here goes nothin'.

17 — Winthrop

We hardly knew ye.

16 — Lehigh, East Tennessee State, Vermont, Arkansas Pine Bluff

My youngest brother (who obsesses over the brackets even more than I did at his age) asked me what I thought would happen first: A 16 seed beating a 1, or a low seed (9-16) winning it all. I went with the low seed winning it all, thinking that parity in the game would make the tournament more of a crapshoot. George Mason was only two wins away a few years ago.

But look at the teams seeded 9-16. Could you envision any of them winning it all? Your best bet might be Louisville, but they're too inconsistent to win six big games in a row, right? Doesn't it make more sense that a 16 seed would play the perfect game, just once? Or that a 1 seed would fall behind early, feel the pressure (and the crowd pulling for the underdog), and for once, not complete the comeback in the closing minutes? Both of these scenarios seem more logical. I'm rethinking my answer.

Out of these teams, I'd give Vermont or East Tennessee State the best chance. Vermont beat Syracuse a few years ago, and a hot team can beat the 2-3 zone. But Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine are long gone. And the underdog factor won't come into play with Syracuse playing in Buffalo. East Tennessee State is the other longshot, simply because no one trusts Kentucky. Plus, um ... it's a border state battle? Let's move on.

15 — UC Santa Barbara, Morgan State, North Texas, Robert Morris

It's been some time since the last 15 seed win. Maybe the time is right. Perhaps a struggling Villanova team will feel the wrath of Robert Morris of Moon Township, Pa. — aka Bobby Mo! I briefly worked across the street from the campus. Freshman guard Karon Abraham is quite the player. But if you're going to beat 'Nova, you're probably going to do it in the paint. Sorry, Bobby Mo.

14 — Ohio, Montana, Oakland, Sam Houston State

I watched the end of the MAC championship between Ohio and Akron. Neither team could inbound the ball properly at the end of regulation. Ohio, the MAC's 9 seed, won in overtime. "That team's just happy to be there," my dad said. I agree. Georgetown will destroy them. The other 14 seeds all have a fighting chance.

13 — Houston, Wofford, Murray State, Siena

Siena-Purdue seems like an obvious upset pick, which means it probably won't happen. There's some buzz around Murray State. Maybe I just made that up.

12 — New Mexico State, Cornell, UTEP, Utah State

Cornell is a trendy pick. They did play Kansas tough at home. And the NCAA tournament is the only time when it's fun to root for an Ivy League school. I think the team that emerges from the Temple-Cornell game could make a run. Utah State should be another popular 12 pick.

11 — San Diego State, Washington, Minnesota, Old Dominion

These are dangerous teams. There's a good chance at least two of them can grab a win. I'll go with Old Dominion, simply because of Notre Dame's new, slow style of play. It keeps both teams in the game.

10 — Georgia Tech, Missouri, Florida, St. Mary's

Ugh. I like the 11 and 12 seeds more. The only team in this group that excites me is St. Mary's, and they've got to play another favorite team of mine, Richmond. Same as with the Cornell-Temple game. This always seems to happen. No fair.

9 — No. Iowa, Wake Forest, Florida State, Louisville

Northern Iowa and FSU both have a shot at advancing one round. Wake Forest won't get far. Louisville is a mystery. Athletic, but wildly inconsistent. They could lose in the first round or make the Final Four. I'm picking them to beat Duke and reach the Elite Eight, because that's how I roll.

8 — UNLV, Texas, Gonzaga, California

I love the Zags. But every year I pick them to go deep into the tournament, and they never do. This year, it's one win and done.

I also know some people who can't stand the Zags. I'm guessing they think of Gonzaga as the Duke of a lesser conference. But mid-major teams can't be Duke. Gonzaga is a West Coast Conference school in eastern Washington. And they've become a household name in college hoops. A hard workin' underdog using a lil' slice of ingenuity to make somethin' out of nothin' ... ain't that America? Yes it is, John Mellencamp. Yes it is.

7 — Oklahoma State, Clemson, BYU, Richmond

Football or basketball, I always expect too much out of BYU. No more, you hear? Richmond is a tough team. The lower half of the south region bracket is going to be a lot of fun.

6 — Tennessee, Marquette, Xavier, Notre Dame

I'm too in love with the Big East, so I have to be wary with Marquette and Notre Dame. At least one should advance to the second round. Xavier will seek revenge on Pitt after last year's ouster. Oh, Xavier. Always seeking vengeance. You should have beat Duke in the Elite Eight in 2004. I remember.

5 — Michigan State, Temple, Butler, Texas A&M

Michigan State is always better than you think — look at last year's tournament. The reason? T to the Izzo. I like all of these teams, especially the hot Temple Owls. Elite Eight? Why not?

4 — Maryland, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Purdue

As much as I'd love to see my alma mater plow through the field, I think the Terps have a tough second-round matchup with the Spartans. And they definitely won't get past Kansas. Wisconsin and Purdue bore me, which means one of them will likely advance to the Elite Eight. Vanderbilt is a sleeper that might never wake up.

3 — Georgetown, New Mexico, Pittsburgh, Baylor

Out of all the teams I pick to do well each year in the tourney, no school sucks me in quite like Georgetown. And it's happening again. They've got solid guard play, Monroe doing work inside ... what's not to like? Pitt got a good draw. I've seen them more than anyone this season. They're streaky enough to make a run, and they beat Syracuse every season, including this one. But they'll probably stumble before that. They're too young. I'd love to see Baylor make a run, because they're Baylor! They've got to be one of the most anonymous major conference schools in the country.

2 — Ohio State, West Virginia, Kansas State, Villanova

West Virginia could win it all. From top to bottom, they're a good team. De'Sean Butler is one of the best players in the country. They've also got a coach who's been to the Final Four before, though it was a long time ago. I think they'll be back. I like Ohio State enough to pencil them in for a loss to Georgetown. I saw Kansas State a few times this season. They're good, but I can't see them winning four in a row. And I have to blindly stand by one Big East team, so, in spite of recent results, Villanova it is. A great senior guard like Scottie Reynolds works wonders in the tournament. He put 'Nova in the Final Four last season, and he can do it again.

1 — Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke

If you only take one point from this entire incomprehensive, nearly incomprehensible preview, take this one: Pick a coach who's been to the Final Four before. The last coach to win a championship in his first visit to the Final Four was Tubby Smith, in 1998. And he inherited a team that was in the championship game the previous two seasons. Before that? Jim Harrick in 1995 with UCLA. All of these top-seeded coaches qualify.

So let's pick 'em off. Kentucky has immense talent and a nasty habit of falling behind early in games before waking up in the second half and cruising. That works in the SEC. Not so much in March Madness. Duke simply isn't very good. They have the sweetheart draw of all-time this year, but they still don't have enough to return to the Final Four. Syracuse can get back if they don't run into Pitt, but I still think one team will be able to solve the 2-3 zone at some point. That team will probably be Kansas. They can beat you inside or outside. Sure, they're the safest pick, but sometimes, the safest pick wins. They're the best team. I've got 'em over WVU in the title game.

If I'm wrong, who cares? March Madness is back. Life is good.