Yeah, I'm side-steppin' this question and pickin' my favorite darkhorse to come out of each region.

Oakland - as much as I want to pick Alabama (who held off Marquette for a first round win and likely matchup w/UCLA), I'm goin' wit Arkansas. Ark. was hot at the end of the regular season. They closed strong with 5 straight against Florida, Alabama, Tennessee, Miss St and Georgia. They played Ga again in the first round of the SEC Tournament and won. They lost in the 2nd round to Florida 74-71. But, their first round NCAA game is against Bucknell - a team that will also be competing for the darkhorse crown.

Minneapolis - geez, 2 darkhorses have already stepped up in Wisconsin-Milwaukee and Montana! Wisc.-Mil. is my pick. They'll get by Florida as the Gators' youth and inexperience catches up with them, upset Ohio St., then knock off one of the weakest #1's (toss-up between Villanova and Memphis) in what will essentially be a home game for Wisc.-Mil.

Atlanta - N.C. State's European players will be raining 3's all tournament long (at least until they make the Final Four.)

Washington D.C. - My sentimental pick would be UAB. But they have a tough first round game against Kentucky and you can't count out KY in a tournament setting. Besides, the winner gets UConn who, as Wooch noted, is the favorite. That leaves my highest-seeded darkhorse Mich St. Their 2nd round matchup with North Carolina will be a classic and then the Spartans will clobber Tenn. assuming the overrated Vols get past Wichita St.

How's that for a Final Four - Arkansas, Wisc.-Mil., N.C. State and Mich St.?