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“Trust me, your bracket is perfect” –Vodka
According to RJ Bell of Pregame.com, there are 9,223,372,036,854,775,808 possible bracket combinations. That’s 9.2 quintillion. (The Post) Even with a 1 in 9.2 quintillion chances of having a perfect NCAA bracket, you will still fill it out with the confidence of thinking this is the one!
Ohh the pressure of the bracket! The bragging rights, the embarrassment, the upsets and that four-letter adjective you yell at each team who puts a red line through your ‘perfect’ bracket are all apart of what completes March Madness. It’s a crazy game of love and hate and if you’re like me, finding the time to commit isn’t easy this time of year. I’ve become a believer in waiting until the last minute to submit your final picks. This strategy isn’t sports science, it’s a just normal, busy life schedule.
Over the years, my bracket has fallen into one of two categories; the top or the bottom. The truth is that I like taking risk and picking upsets. The risk is worth the reward, until to you get it wrong. Being in the middle of your group’s poll is boring. (Unless you’re beating Brain Jones, then it’s okay to be in the middle. But beating Jones isn’t that hard.) So ask yourself; what would Jones do and then do the opposite.
It’s true, a #16 seed has never beaten a #1 seed. While my alumni, Coastal Carolina University did give UVA fans a minor heart attack in last years first round, they fell flat late in the game and the Chants didn’t make NCAA history. I still picked Coastal to win that game. I didn’t think UVA would make it to the sweet 16 so I risked 2 points to pick my alumni in my bracket. I had no regrets and I hoped that there might even be a rematch this year.
Leave it to the selection committee to mess up the rematch and the location for Coastal. As the back-to-back Big South Champions, the sixteenth seed Chants have to travel to Omaha to face the #1 seed Badgers from Wisconsin. Ha- and I thought Wisconsin would be playing Kentucky for National Championship game. Now, they might only be playing in the final four. Well, that is if the Badgers get passed Coastal. According to ESPN the Badgers have 97% chance of winning, giving Coastal a 3% chance of making history. Even with only 3%, the stats say there is still a (very, very, very small) chance.
Will Kentucky be the 1st team since 1976 when Coach Knight’s Indiana team went undefeated and won the National Championship? The Wildcats lost last years National Championship game to Connecticut. While they hold a National Championship for the most one-and-done players, even with a 34-0 record, they have a chip on their shoulder.
Maybe the selection committee didn’t get every team or seed correct, but they do have a slight sense of humor in the potential match up.
Could Wichita State get revenge on Kentucky? Last year Kentucky ended the Shocker’s 34-0 record, ruined their perfect season and their chance at the National Championship. Personally, I’m rooting for Kansas to beat Wichita State in the sweet 16 so Greg Marshall doesn’t even get the opportunity to take revenge. Sorry, Greg Marshall, your coaching days at Winthrop (in the Big South) have left me off your fan club forever, FOR-EV-ER (Sandlot voice)!
Arizona vs. Wisconsin is a game to add to your watch list. Last year the Badgers beat the Wildcats in OT for the Elite Eight. This year we should see the number one and number two seeds battle it out again.
Get your adult beverages and dancing shoes ready, it’s time to go dancing.
Choose wisely.