“Who do you have in your Final Four?”

It is a question you have probably been asked more times than you can remember. It is a question you have probably posed to anyone you consider a basketball fan.

By the time the Final Four arrives, the large majority of Americans share the same boat, their bracket in tatters, a dated mockery of your opinions and instincts.

Today, the damage begins, with the true tip-off of the best postseason in sports.