It’s bracket time!

The final 48 have been unveiled for the NCAA Men’s Tournament and we’re set to get it on Thursday. Before we look back at how we got here, let’s take a look at what we’ve got.

Bracketology: My knee-jerk reaction is that Louisville seems to have the easiest path to the College Cup among No. 1 seeds, while Akron has the most difficult. Of course, that doesn’t really mean much of anything.

And neither does the following, but you chose to read this so deal with it: these are the matchups I most want to see when the field of 48 gets trimmed down to 32.

Michigan vs. UCF: The Wolverines can score goals in a hurry; the Knights aren’t too shabby at putting the ball in net either. Why not have these two programs do the goal-scoring thing together?

California vs. UC Santa Barbara: I don’t know if UC Santa Barbara’s dream of having a home game at the College Cup is a realistic one, but I’d sure love to see it come to a head in front of what would be a big and energetic California crowd.

Connecticut vs. Boston College: Because the Huskies handled Boston College 2-0 back on September 28, and because I think the Eagles have gotten better since then. I also think the Eagles will remember that last meeting.

Costly defeat: UC Irvine ascended to the top of the Big West then suffered an untimely conference semifinal loss to Cal State Fullerton last week. That defeat likely cost the Anteaters a spot in the NCAA Tournament as their RPI worked against them.

Golden turnaround: California went from worst in the Pac-10 in 2009 to best when it defeated Stanford 3-2 on Thursday to clinch the Pac-10 title and an early spot into the big tourney. The Golden Bears always had plenty of potential and could have easily won the conference a year ago, but injuries and a second half collapse doomed them. This season, they found their way.

Beware of the Wolverines: Led by super freshman Soony Saad and his nation-leading 18 goals, Michigan steamrolled to its first ever Big Ten title with a 4-1 victory over Penn State on Sunday. Since losing to No. 3 Akron back on Oct. 19, the Wolverines have won six straight matches and appear to be a dangerous out for the tournament.

Men’s Top 20 Action

1. Louisville def. Notre Dame 1-0 (Big East Tourney); def. Providence 1-1 in PKs (Big East Final)
2. Maryland def. Clemson 2-1 (ACC Tourney); def. Virginiaa 2-0 (ACC Tourney); def. North Carolina 1-0 (ACC Final)
3. Akron def. Buffalo(m) 3-1 (Mid-American Tourney); def. Western Michigan 4-0 (Mid-American Final)
4. North Carolina def. NC State 4-0 (ACC Tourney); def. Boston College 1-0 (ACC Tourney); lost to Maryland 1-0 (ACC Final)
5. California def. Stanford 3-2
6. UCLA def. San Diego State 3-1
7. Butler def. Cleveland State 2-1 (Horizon League Tourney); def. Wisconsin-Green Bay 0-0 in SO (Horizon League Final)
8. William & Mary(m) def. Delaware 1-0 in 2OT (CAA Tournament); def. Hofstra 4-0 (CAA Final)
9. SMU lost to South Carolina 2-1 (Conference USA Tourney)
10. Connecticut loses to Cincinnati 1-1 in SO (Big East Tourney)
11. Virginia def. Wake Forest 1-0 (ACC Tourney); lost to Maryland 2-0 (ACC Tourney)
12. Princeton def. Yale 2-1
13. Notre Dame lost to Louisville 1-0 (Big East Tourney)
14. Monmouth def. Fairleigh-Dickinson(m) 1-0 (Northeast Tourney); def. St. Francis (PA)(m) 1-0 (Northeast Tourney)
15. UC Santa Barbara def. Cal Poly 2-1 in OT (Big West Tourney); def. Cal State Fullerton 3-1 (Big West Final)
16. Michigan def. Michigan State 2-1 (Big Ten Tourney); def. Wisconsin 1-0 (Big Ten Tourney); def. Penn State 4-1 (Big Ten Final)
17. Providence def. Cincinnati 2-1 (Big East Tourney); lost to Louisville 1-1 in PKs (Big East Final)
18. South Carolina def. UAB 2-1 (Conference USA Tourney); def. SMU 2-1 (Conference USA Tourney); def. Tulsa 1-0 (Conference USA Final)
19. Penn State def. Northwestern 3-1 (Big Ten Tourney); def. Indiana 2-1 (Big Ten Tourney); lost to Michigan 4-1 (Big Ten Final)
20. Indiana lost to Penn State 2-1 (Big Ten Tourney)