Bracketology 2013: my virgin brackets
Let the games begin!
Well, technically they began Tuesday, but I feel the “First Four” has yet to be accepted into the culture of craziness now known as the Second Round.
Much like last year, I am posting my brackets for all to see. And this year I am doubling down with TWO brackets! Each entry in the pool I join costs $5, so I thought it would be worth it to throw down another five-spot and double the fun. Why not? Plus, I hope two brackets will prevent any undue stress and anguish. If I missed a pick on one bracket, I may have nailed it on the other. Of course, it could prove to be double-trouble.
Honestly, I did not put much thought into my picks. In the past, I feel I did better when I stuck with the higher seeds and/or my initial, gut instinct. Endlessly comparing schedules, records, and stats is agonizing and useless. It takes all the fun out of it, too. Generally, I decided to alternate picks; if I was unsure about a match-up, I picked one team on one bracket and the other team on my second bracket. On both, though, I will admit to being a Big Ten homer. That could hurt me, especially if the officiating and physicality of last night’s Indiana State-Iowa game is any indication of how games are called and played outside the conference. I did not watch much basketball outside of the Big Ten this season, but what I did see (or thought I saw) was relatively soft. (At times, last night’s game looked like a wrestling match. The refs did a good job of calling the game both ways, but there were times when I wondered if the officials were doing a little basketball moonlighting on their way to the wrestling championships in Des Moines.) The Big Ten is always noted for its emphasis on physical play and defense, but neither seem to equate to tournament success.
Anyway, on to the brackets.
Bracket #1
I picked Indiana. I think the Hoosiers faded down the stretch in conference and are very vulnerable, so picking the candy stripers could bite me in the ass. I was on the verge of picking an all-Big Ten Final Four before thinking better of it. (I hope that happens, though.) I know very little about Louisville and Georgetown, but I put them in the Final Four just because everyone seems to think they are capable of it.
I did not make too many upset picks for the Second Round, but did pick St. Mary’s (I have that West Coast kinship with the Gaels), Iowa State, Minnesota, Bucknell, and Colorado. At first glance, I thought each match-up was fifty-fifty; seeding seemed unimportant. However, I think Iowa State and Minnesota are better than their opponents. (How the hell did UCLA get a six seed?) I even have the Gophers bouncing Florida in the Third Round. I picked Bucknell for the hell of it and did not pick a five-twelve upset.
When I did not have a gut reaction to a match-up, or found myself deliberating, I flipped a coin. Bobblehead had his nieces, I had a coin. A special coin, too. After leaving Huntington Beach, the first stop we made on my move back to Iowa was in Barstow. I bought something at the Chevron or Shell station and received an Iowa quarter as change. Fitting, no? I have kept that quarter ever since and hope it provides a little luck. It liked Louisville for some reason, but I eventually stopped the Cardinals in the Final Four.
Bracket #2
I picked Ohio State as champions. I tried to flip the eight-nine picks I made on Bracket #1 because I feel those games are, on paper, up in the air. Other notable reverse picks: Memphis, Cincy, Belmont, Notre Dame, South Dakota State (I think Michigan is vulnerable), Cal, Butler, and Illinois.
Gonzaga also falls to Pitt in the Third Round. I am not feeling the Zags. I would love it if they rolled to the Final Four and took it all, but I have doubts. Kansas State also gets past Wisconsin, Butler beats Illinois, and VCU rolls to the Elite Eight.
The “professional” prognosticators are in love with St. Louis, so I decided to send them all the way to the Final Four — through Michigan State, even. Everyone thinks the Billikens are poised for a run and they are no doubt playing in memory of their former coach, Rick Majerus, who died in December. (Back in 2007, Marjeus held a press conference to squash rumors that he was interested in the head coaching position at Iowa.) Majerus seems to have built a contender in the STL, so it should be interesting to see how far they go.
Well, technically they began Tuesday, but I feel the “First Four” has yet to be accepted into the culture of craziness now known as the Second Round.
Much like last year, I am posting my brackets for all to see. And this year I am doubling down with TWO brackets! Each entry in the pool I join costs $5, so I thought it would be worth it to throw down another five-spot and double the fun. Why not? Plus, I hope two brackets will prevent any undue stress and anguish. If I missed a pick on one bracket, I may have nailed it on the other. Of course, it could prove to be double-trouble.
Honestly, I did not put much thought into my picks. In the past, I feel I did better when I stuck with the higher seeds and/or my initial, gut instinct. Endlessly comparing schedules, records, and stats is agonizing and useless. It takes all the fun out of it, too. Generally, I decided to alternate picks; if I was unsure about a match-up, I picked one team on one bracket and the other team on my second bracket. On both, though, I will admit to being a Big Ten homer. That could hurt me, especially if the officiating and physicality of last night’s Indiana State-Iowa game is any indication of how games are called and played outside the conference. I did not watch much basketball outside of the Big Ten this season, but what I did see (or thought I saw) was relatively soft. (At times, last night’s game looked like a wrestling match. The refs did a good job of calling the game both ways, but there were times when I wondered if the officials were doing a little basketball moonlighting on their way to the wrestling championships in Des Moines.) The Big Ten is always noted for its emphasis on physical play and defense, but neither seem to equate to tournament success.
Anyway, on to the brackets.
Bracket #1
I picked Indiana. I think the Hoosiers faded down the stretch in conference and are very vulnerable, so picking the candy stripers could bite me in the ass. I was on the verge of picking an all-Big Ten Final Four before thinking better of it. (I hope that happens, though.) I know very little about Louisville and Georgetown, but I put them in the Final Four just because everyone seems to think they are capable of it.
I did not make too many upset picks for the Second Round, but did pick St. Mary’s (I have that West Coast kinship with the Gaels), Iowa State, Minnesota, Bucknell, and Colorado. At first glance, I thought each match-up was fifty-fifty; seeding seemed unimportant. However, I think Iowa State and Minnesota are better than their opponents. (How the hell did UCLA get a six seed?) I even have the Gophers bouncing Florida in the Third Round. I picked Bucknell for the hell of it and did not pick a five-twelve upset.
When I did not have a gut reaction to a match-up, or found myself deliberating, I flipped a coin. Bobblehead had his nieces, I had a coin. A special coin, too. After leaving Huntington Beach, the first stop we made on my move back to Iowa was in Barstow. I bought something at the Chevron or Shell station and received an Iowa quarter as change. Fitting, no? I have kept that quarter ever since and hope it provides a little luck. It liked Louisville for some reason, but I eventually stopped the Cardinals in the Final Four.
Bracket #2
I picked Ohio State as champions. I tried to flip the eight-nine picks I made on Bracket #1 because I feel those games are, on paper, up in the air. Other notable reverse picks: Memphis, Cincy, Belmont, Notre Dame, South Dakota State (I think Michigan is vulnerable), Cal, Butler, and Illinois.
Gonzaga also falls to Pitt in the Third Round. I am not feeling the Zags. I would love it if they rolled to the Final Four and took it all, but I have doubts. Kansas State also gets past Wisconsin, Butler beats Illinois, and VCU rolls to the Elite Eight.
The “professional” prognosticators are in love with St. Louis, so I decided to send them all the way to the Final Four — through Michigan State, even. Everyone thinks the Billikens are poised for a run and they are no doubt playing in memory of their former coach, Rick Majerus, who died in December. (Back in 2007, Marjeus held a press conference to squash rumors that he was interested in the head coaching position at Iowa.) Majerus seems to have built a contender in the STL, so it should be interesting to see how far they go.
