It?s March 15th, and it?s going to snow tonight in Champaign. Nobody said life was easy. Anyway, what about NCAA upset picks, some Cubs thoughts, and asking how far will Illinois go? Here are my three wishes for the spring of 2004?

Wish #1: Upsets Galore, Except for the Orange and Blue?

I won?t give away all my picks, but here are some you should definitely watch for while seeing your gambling allotment for this year dwindle to nothing by 9 o?clock Thursday Night?

Manhattan versus Florida. I discussed Florida last time, but I will say it again: Florida?s worst enemy comes from within, and that is Billy Donovan?

Dayton versus DePaul.

UTEP versus Maryland. Maryland?s young, but they are hot? But they were also hugely over-seeded, and I think they have to come to earth sometime. UTEP has just enough outside play to make me think this could happen.

Northern Iowa versus Georgia Tech. I don?t think the Yellow Jackets will ultimately lose this one, but I think the Yellow Jackets are definitely overrated and having to play UNI in Milwaukee will not be as fun as it would have been anywhere else.

Of course, I?m hoping the Illini can survive the 5/12 upset bug and beat Murray State. One good thing about this is apparently the Racers are following the Luther Head model of having too many run-ins with the law.

And, if we get to the second round, we probably will be playing Cincy, the team most notorious for disappointing the past seven years. Plus, Illinois has something going for it. In 2000, Duke lost in the Sweet 16 against 5 seed Florida. In 2002, Duke lost in the Sweet 16 against 5 seed Indiana. Both those teams made the National Championship game those seasons. But, what Illinois doesn?t have going for it is the fact it has NEVER beaten a team seeded higher than they were in the NCAA Tournament. More on this later however, when I document my postseason prediction and put it in stone?

Wish #2: The Cubs Get Healthy and Soon?

Everyone has been having a heart attack over the Mark Prior injury news, I won?t add to it now. But injuries already seem to be playing a role with this team. Both Kent Mercker and Mike Remlinger are hurting right now, and Corey Patterson still is in the process of recovery after his nasty-looking knee injury last season. Let?s hope the Cubs avoid as many injuries as possible this season.

Another problem will be who will man the leadoff position. Patterson doesn?t have the patience. Walker and Grudzielanek are flawed choices. And everyone else pretty much can?t do it, except Moises Alou, and others have already made all the possible dead guy jokes in respect to his speed so I won?t make any. So we don?t have a table-setter. As long as this is the case, even with the improved power in the lineup, expect a lot of 2-1 and 3-2 games, again, in my opinion.

Wish #3: Let Illinois Get to the Sweet 16. Because Anything After Would Be Gravy?

All right, you get to see my picks for the NCAA Tournament for Illinois.

1st Round: Illinois 71, Murray State 60. This will be close through the first half, but Dee Brown and Luther Head ignite a 12-2 early second half run to get Illinois up by 15. After that, the lead sticks around 10 for the rest of the game, with Murray State not having enough game inside to make any big runs against the Illini. Dee Brown leads the team with 19, and Deron Williams follows right behind with 15. James Augustine gets a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

2nd Round: Illinois 61, Cincy 57. Defense will be the name of this game, as neither team starts very well. The key to this game will be Luther Head. If he plays defense better than he did Sunday and makes a couple outside jumpers, Illinois wins. If not, they fall to the Bearcats. Williams leads all scorers with 17, including the two crucial free throws with 11 seconds left.

Sweet 16: Illinois 70, Duke 68. The Blue Devils make a late 14-3 run and beat Arizona, meaning they have a one-game lead in the Shaun Livingston Invitational (You have to know about Illinois? recruiting to know this reference, so if you don?t know it don?t worry about it). But the Illini start out strong, and have a twelve-point lead at halftime. Duke, however, is Duke, and slowly fights and claws back into the game, and takes a 68-67 lead with 50 seconds left on a J.J. Redick three-pointer. The Illini come down the floor, run a set and get it down low to Roger Powell, who is partially blocked on his attempt with about 25 seconds left. Powell is able to get the ball back and passes out to the corner and there is Dee, for three? Good! Illinois takes the lead? Duke brings the ball down court and calls a timeout to set a final play, looking for Redick again on the perimeter. But Illinois? perimeter defense is tight, and Redick has to pass off to Chris Duhon, who misses a three with two seconds left. The rebound goes into the hands of a waiting James Augustine, who chucks the ball in the air as the buzzer sounds.

Elite 8: Mississippi State 69, Illinois 62. The Illini face #2 seed Mississippi State in the Regional Final, and after the exhausting Duke game they won?t have much left in the tank. The Bulldogs, led by Lawrence Roberts down low, will just have too much outside and especially inside for the tired Illini, and Mississippi State will head to San Antonio. Illinois will head back to Champaign disappointed yet happy with their achievements. They will have weathered the storm of a season that could have gone awry at so many points, but yet survived to be one of the last eight teams playing in America.

Mississippi State will go to the National Championship Game, only to lose to Oklahoma State. It will be a great game, but unfortunately will be a sideshow to the attention the Baylor transfers on both teams (Roberts and Oklahoma State?s John Lucas) will get, back in Texas, for the murder of a teammate that destroyed much of the innocence of college basketball.

Anyway, Illinois plays at 11:25 CT on Friday Morning, hopefully they can survive the 5/12 matchup. Until then, go Illini!