UPDATED: (Thursday, 5 a.m.) —It's that wonderful time of year when college pride grows and office productivity declines. 

The NCAA Men's Basketball Championship Tournament begins in earnest Thursday with nearly half of the 68 qualified teams competing. 

Somehow, not a single team from Maryland qualified for the tournament. My beloved Terps fell short, and we couldn't even get a Towson, Morgan State or Mount St. Mary's into the mix. Not a great year for the Free State. 

I have a personal affection for LaSalle, my father's alma mater. The Explorers qualified for the tournament for the first time since 1992. I'll find myself pulling for Temple and Villanova also, having grown up on Big 5 basketball in the Philadelphia area. 

Of course, emotions should play no role in the filling out of the bracket. If you want to win some loot, you have to pick with your heart, not your head. 

I've attached my bracket, which was filled out after MINUTES of heavy research. But knowledge does not matter. This is when I remind people that I won my father's office pool when I was 9 years old. 

As you can see, I've got Indiana over Gonzaga in the final this year. 

If you want to take some time off work to watch some games, there are plenty of places to tune in locally. Here are a few:

Perry's - Plenty of big TV's, including a 100-incher. There 24 taps at the bar, too.

Buffalo Wild Wings, Arundel Mills - You can expect it to be crowded here Thursday. But there are tons of TVs, a good menu, and you can expect a raucous atmosphere. B-Dubs is the "official" hangout for March Madness, for what it's worth. 

Green Turtle, Hanover and Gambrills - You can enter their bracket challenge and win up to $20,000. At the Hanover location, you can watch games outside if the weather is warm enough.

J. King's - Lots of TVs and comfortable lounge.