Bracketology 2013: post-Second Round
Ouch.
The first day of the Second Round always seems to be good to me. The second day, however: bracket busting. I am all for upsets, and would love to see most of the Big East teams go down early this year (take that, East Coast bias!), but ugh! Needless to say, my gut instinct got it wrong with Georgetown.
So how are my brackets doing?
Bracket #1
Bracket #1 is doing best. Though the Georgetown upset hurts because I advanced the Hoyas to the Final Four, and Wisconsin’s loss is felt all the way to the Elite Eight, I will gladly eat the New Mexico upset. On both brackets. Why did I pick Steve Alford? Because I thought he would give me some points. Nope. I was so happy to see the Lobos fall that I called my dad to let him know. He was overjoyed. “You made my day!” told me.
Picks that paid off: Colorado State, Creighton, Wichita State (whose defense and toughness I should have never doubted), Iowa State, San Diego State, and Temple. Marquette’s last second victory bailed me out on both brackets and I never doubted that Minnesota would deliver. St. Mary’s was a bad pick (though the Gaels could have pulled it off at the very end), as was Villanova, UNLV, Bucknell, and Colorado. The rules for the Second Round seemed to be: 1) pick the Big Ten and 2) pick against the Big East.
Wisconsin. Why? Like I mentioned last night: the one time I want them to win — need them to win — they shoot like crap. All the bad luck they dodged all season blind-sided them against Ole Miss.
Bracket #2…
…is a total disaster. Ohio State is the only team alive in the West. Sure, Gonzaga won. Woo hoo. That means nothing since the team I picked to beat the Zags and advance to the Elite Eight (I am looking at you, Pitt) were dropped by the Shockers. (See rule #2 from above.) What really hurts: Georgetown’s upset. That means I have one team left alive for my championship game. Grr. (Again: see rule #2 above.) Kansas State’s upset also hurt.
Picks that paid off: Oregon, Cal, Butler, UNC. Picks that did not pay off: Mizzou, Cincy, Belmont, Notre Dame (I should have never doubted Iowa State), South Dakota State (see rule #1 from above), Oklahoma, and NC State. Besides the West and South regions, though, I can still pick up some major points.
The first day of the Second Round always seems to be good to me. The second day, however: bracket busting. I am all for upsets, and would love to see most of the Big East teams go down early this year (take that, East Coast bias!), but ugh! Needless to say, my gut instinct got it wrong with Georgetown.
So how are my brackets doing?
Bracket #1
Bracket #1 is doing best. Though the Georgetown upset hurts because I advanced the Hoyas to the Final Four, and Wisconsin’s loss is felt all the way to the Elite Eight, I will gladly eat the New Mexico upset. On both brackets. Why did I pick Steve Alford? Because I thought he would give me some points. Nope. I was so happy to see the Lobos fall that I called my dad to let him know. He was overjoyed. “You made my day!” told me.
Picks that paid off: Colorado State, Creighton, Wichita State (whose defense and toughness I should have never doubted), Iowa State, San Diego State, and Temple. Marquette’s last second victory bailed me out on both brackets and I never doubted that Minnesota would deliver. St. Mary’s was a bad pick (though the Gaels could have pulled it off at the very end), as was Villanova, UNLV, Bucknell, and Colorado. The rules for the Second Round seemed to be: 1) pick the Big Ten and 2) pick against the Big East.
Wisconsin. Why? Like I mentioned last night: the one time I want them to win — need them to win — they shoot like crap. All the bad luck they dodged all season blind-sided them against Ole Miss.
Bracket #2…
…is a total disaster. Ohio State is the only team alive in the West. Sure, Gonzaga won. Woo hoo. That means nothing since the team I picked to beat the Zags and advance to the Elite Eight (I am looking at you, Pitt) were dropped by the Shockers. (See rule #2 from above.) What really hurts: Georgetown’s upset. That means I have one team left alive for my championship game. Grr. (Again: see rule #2 above.) Kansas State’s upset also hurt.
Picks that paid off: Oregon, Cal, Butler, UNC. Picks that did not pay off: Mizzou, Cincy, Belmont, Notre Dame (I should have never doubted Iowa State), South Dakota State (see rule #1 from above), Oklahoma, and NC State. Besides the West and South regions, though, I can still pick up some major points.
