People across the nation have filled out their brackets, some even studying statistics and game film to help them make the best decisions. Some teams have selected the mascot or uniform they prefer in an attempt to make them feel more at home as they play a series of single elimination road games. Here at Stick Skills, we’ve decided to use College Hoops 2K8 in an effort to make the best selections during March Madness.

We’ve inserted the tournament bracket that was released on Selection Sunday into our copy of College Hoops 2K8 for the XBOX 360 and ran a simulation to help us make our picks in our annual March Madness pool. In an effort to create suspense, we will release the results of our simulation as the actual tournament plays out on a day by day basis. Not only will we keep you posted on our simulation, but we will also simulate any matchups occurring in the actual tournament that differ from our simulation to see how they come out.

As with each previous March Madness tournament, our’s also includes some upsets, blowouts, and surprise performances. At the end of each round’s update, we will provide you with the "5 Standouts of the Round", "5 Disappearing Acts", and recaps of any upsets that occurred.

And now... here are the results of the first round of play, click the image below for the brackets.

"5 Standouts of the Round"

*Jeff Adrien - F - Connecticut*

Adrien, a power forward for Connecticut, was the difference maker in Cnonecticut’s 75-50 win over San Diego St. with a huge 21 points and 15 rebounds. He dominated the paint on both ends, only allowing San Diego St.’s big men a combined 15 points.

Brandon Long - G - UT Arlington

Long, a guard for UT Arlington, came off the bench to score 24 points on 70% shooting, knock down three 3-pointers, and calmly put in all seven of his free throw attempts in a 7 point victory over the number one seed Memphis Tigers.

Chris Lofton - G - Tennessee

Lofton, a senior guard for Tennessee, has plenty of experience playing in the month of March as he’s annually led the Volunteers deep into the tournament. In our simulation, he came up huge once again with 25 points.

Cavell Johnson - C - UMBC

Cavell Johnson, a senior post player, led UMBC to a huge upset victory over the Georgetown Hoyas in the first round with 19 points and 7 rebounds. In a seven point victory, he converted all five of his free throws, which may have ultimately been the difference as he is a historically mediocre free throw shooter.

Tyler Hansbrough - F - North Carolina

Hansbrough, a Player of the Year candidate, came up big once again for North Carolina as he led the way in their opener with 23 points and 8 rebounds.

"5 Disappearing Acts"

Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas Roberts - Starting Backcourt - Memphis

These two players, known for their explosive offense and tight defense, disappeared in their first round matchup with UTA. Combining for just 16 points and playing most of the game in foul trouble, their lack of production ultimately cost Memphis the game.

DJ Augustin - G - Texas

Augustin, a premier college point guard on one of the best teams in the nation, couldn’t get it done against Austin Peay in the first round. On a night when his team needed him the most, Augustin couldn’t muster more than a 20% field goal percentage as the Longhorns fell to the 15th seeded Governors.

Gerald Henderson - G - Duke

As one of Duke’s main offensive threats, much was expected out of Henderson going into their first round matchup with Belmont. They asked for plenty, but didn’t receive it as Henderson was only able to produce 4 points before fouling out after only 12 minutes of play.

Michael Beasley - F - Kansas State

Beasley, considered by many to be the first pick in the NBA draft and a Player of the Year candidate, disappeared against OJ Mayo and USC. Known for his 25 point and 20 rebound games throughout the season, Beasley was expected to have a huge game against another "diaper dandy", but fell short with only 12 points and 6 rebounds.

"The Upsets"

(16) UT-Arlington over (1) Memphis

(15) Belmont over (2) Duke

(15) UMBC over (2) Georgetown

(15) Austin Peay over (2) Texas

(14) Georgia over (3) Xavier

(10) Davidson over (7) Gonzaga

(13) Siena over (4) Vanderbilt

(12) Villanova over (5) Clemson

(12) George Mason over (5) Notre Dame

(12) W. Kentucky over (5) Drake

Who will end up cutting down the nets? Stay tuned to find out here at Stick Skills.