Asmussen didn't pick the Illini to get into the Sweet 16. Read more about how the Illini are being disrespected here.

You know what happens at the NCAA tournament? The best teams win. And it's about to happen again.

Overall No. 1 seed Louisville will get a very tall ladder and have Rick Pitino cut the final string April 6 in Detroit. Mark it down.

The Cardinals will win despite horrible foul shooting (288th in the country). The Cardinals will win despite early losses to Western Kentucky and UNLV and Minnesota. The Cardinals will win despite facing a near home team (Ohio State) in the second round.

We, the tournament pickers, must learn from recent history. In 2008, the two best teams in the country played for the title. You can argue Memphis was the better team. You'd be wrong.

In 2007, No. 1 seed Florida beat No. 1 seed Ohio State for the national title. In 2005, No. 1 seed North Carolina beat No. 1 seed Illinois for the national title. Starting to see the pattern here? The last time a team seeded lower than No. 3 won the tournament was in 1997. It isn't going to happen again soon.

Unlike 2008, it won't be all No. 1s in the Final Four. Memphis, which deserves to be at the top of a bracket, will never see No. 1 UConn. Jim Calhoun's Huskies are losing to the other Huskies, Washington, in the regional semifinal.

There will be two Big East teams in the Final Four, but the one joining Louisville isn't the one you think. Villanova, which reached the conference tournament semifinals, will upset Duke in the regional semifinal. Remember, you read it here first.

I came thisclose to putting Illinois into the regional semifinal. But the last time I saw Gonzaga, it was running all over St. Mary's. Mark Few's guys will give North Carolina a tussle in Memphis.

Bob Asmussen is a News-Gazette staff writer who hasn't picked a tournament champ in 10 years of picking. He can be reached at 217-351-5233 or at asmussen@news-gazette.com.