Picking the NCAA Tournament brackets comes down to hunches. Two kinds, in fact:

1. Well-informed hunches by people who spend every waking hour watching games and unconsciously quoting Jay Bilas.

2. Less-informed hunches by those who need a refresher course on what conference George Mason calls home (Colonial Athletic), who coaches Arkansas these days (John Pelphrey) and where the heck Belmont is located (Nashville, Tenn.)

Still, we know the winner of the unsanctioned office pool doesn't necessarily come from the first category. In fact, too much information can produce over-thinking, which is why I usually let fly with a first-instinct bracket. That approach has served me well, as I've won the unsanctioned office pool. And it's also failed me as I've finished behind a co-worker's dog.

Let's face it, even the most logical hunches can be ruined by Winthrop.

But under Sportswriters Code, March Madness Edition, public picks are required. So here's the summary of mine, from Indiana to San Antonio:

Indiana's late slide, exemplified by getting drilled at Michigan State and losing to Penn State and Minnesota, obviously hurt the Hoosiers' seeding. But it was still quite a fall to a No. 8 seed. Indiana seems less than popular with the NCAA these days.

Notre Dame, a fifth seed, and Purdue, a sixth seed, seem placed about right, considering their conference tournament exits.

Butler got the shaft.

The Bulldogs are seeded seventh in the East. This, despite the fact they're ranked No. 12 in the country by the media and No. 10 by the coaches. They have a 29-3 record. They have a record of strong NCAA tourney performances. Yet they're considered no better than the 25th best team by the selection committee? I wouldn't want to be first-round opponent South Alabama. It should expect to feel the Bulldogs' bite.

The shame of Butler's seeding is the fact it will potentially face a No. 2 seed, Tennessee, in the second round. I like Butler, especially its defense and perimeter shooting. But Tennessee was the No. 1 team in the country once (albeit for about five minutes), and the Vols will flex their considerable muscles.

Indiana faces Arkansas, which probably wouldn't be in the field if it hadn't upset Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference tourney. This is a tough game to call because the Hoosiers look at times like they can't wait to turn in their uniforms and find out who's coaching next year. Yet they have D.J. White and Eric Gordon, a 1-2 punch few teams can match.

My hunch is Arkansas has more hunger and will prevail, but even if the Hoosiers survive, the next stop is against No. 1 North Carolina. Not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Purdue takes on Baylor in a Big Ten vs. Big 12 showdown. Baylor relies too much on three-point shooting, which the Boilers can exploit defensively, providing Chris Kramer's back is healthy. Considering NCAA penalties forced coach Scott Drew to start from scratch when he took over the program, Baylor provides a feel-good story. Purdue should have the defense to prevail, but a veteran, balanced Xavier team probably stops the baby Boilers in the second round.

Notre Dame won't look past George Mason because of George Mason's memorable Final Four run two years ago. Plus, the Irish still remember their upset loss to Winthrop in last year's tournament. I like the Irish to beat George Mason, trip overconfident Washington State in the second round and reach the Sweet 16, where North Carolina will remind the Irish faithful how much they love spring football.

My Final Four hunches are Tennessee (in a wild regional showdown against North Carolina), Kansas, Memphis and UCLA.

I like strong-rebounding UCLA and big man Kevin Love to feel the good vibrations in San Antonio, ruining Tennessee coach Bruce Pearl's stand-up routine in the title game.

Remember, these are only hunches. Sometimes the madness of March favors my co-worker's dog.