"I wouldn't bet on it." That's probably what you hear from people who entered into an NCAA tournament bracket pool. Many, many Americans forked over some amount of money in the past week to go towards NCAA basketball. And, after a stretch of buzzer-beating, bracket-busting four days in which 49 teams have been eliminated, it is time to enter the four triage stations and see how the 16 survivors are doing.Phoenix Region
Everyone's favorite to come out of this bracket, now that Stanford was surreptitiously upset by eighth seeded Alabama, should be the University of Connecticut Huskies. Pre-season number ones, the Huskies struggled with injuries all season. With the next round of games not starting until Thursday, UConn can have Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Charlie Villanueva healthy, rested and ready to go for the rest of the tournament. Syracuse, last year's championship, should probably be the next best bet.
'Cuse had a tough regular season for a while and then turned it on at the end, winning seven of their last eight, including big wins over Pittsburgh and UConn. If the Orangemen want to beat a healthy UConn team this time around, they need big games from sophomore guard Gerry McNamara and junior forward Hakim Warrick.
Vanderbilt and Alabama, coming off big wins, will look to derail the two Big East teams from reaching the Final Four. Vanderbilt has looked shaky during the entire tournament and any complacency will cause them a quick exit against UConn. 'Bama has a better chance of making the Elite Eight than Vandy, due to an easier opponent in Syracuse and more momentum after knocking off the top-ranked Stanford Cardinal.

Atlanta Region
This should be a fun bracket. Duke is the favorite for most people. Even though they should face a lot of competition this time around, their great talent, great coaching and regional prowess should prove too much for the other candidates. But the Blue Devils have not faced a challenge yet this tournament, winning their games by a combined 63 points.
That leaves a great challenge to Xavier, Texas and Illinois. Xavier is probably the best team other than Duke left in this region. Xavier has had some huge wins this season. The"X-Men" have amazingly lost only once since Groundhog's Day.
The Texas Longhorns escaped a close game against UNC in the last round and need to up their play to move on. Illinois defied most experts and beat up on Cincinnati the last round. Can they defy odds once again and beat Duke? The Bearcats are a young team with only one senior, which could make the Blue Devils a little intimidating.

East Rutheford Region
Except for Manhattan's upset of Florida the first round, there have been no upsets in this bracket. That means that the top four seeds head to New Jersey relatively unscathed. Pittsburgh was my favorite to come out of this region, but the Panthers are making me uneasy. They have not looked great in their wins, while Oklahoma State has looked excellent. With mostly uperclassmen Oklahoma State has the experience and maturity needed to get through this bracket.
Saint Joseph's, on the other hand, has only lost once all season long. ESPN.com's Player of the Year, Senior Guard, Jameer Nelson, has continued his great play in the tournament.
Wake Forest, on the other hand, has just escaped two nail-biting, white-knuckle games. After winning by only one point against Virginia Commonwealth, Wake was taken to the limit by 12th-seeded Manhattan. Wake went into the tournament on a low note and if that momentum continues, they're finished against St. Joe's.

St. Louis Region
The last bracket is the one that has been torn up the most. Gone are the number one and two seeds in Kentucky and Gonzaga. Although the"Zags" were my pre-tournament pick to come out of the Midwest, there are still some very good teams left. Kansas is my new favorite to come out of this region. Bill Self's first season in Lawrence has had mixed results, but the Jayhawks have had two enormous wins so far this tournament, not letting either opponent into the game. They will face their greatest competition in UAB who came out of nowhere to upset Kentucky. This is a battle tested team who has won a shootout and a close game. But Kansas does have the edge in this game with experience and depth.
Tenth-seeded Nevada is the lowest seed left in the tournament but that does not mean their days are numbered. They have proven their worth in this tournament by beating Michigan State and Gonzaga. But Georgia Tech is another test for them as they try to advance as this year's Cinderella. Tech has defeated several powerhouse teams this season, including Duke, UConn, Texas Tech, and Wake. Georgia Tech is truly battle tested, and if sophomore guard Jarrett Jack catches fire, Georgia Tech should be in the Final Four.
Sixteen teams have a chance to win the tournament. At this point, any of them can still win it. Do I know the winner? Do you know the winner? I wouldn't bet on it.