Apparently, this NCAA tourney thing is a pretty big to-do. And I just wanna fit in. Oh, I've watched a little bit of hoopin'. I've listened to what some analysts have to say...who they like, who they don't, who they think got snubbed.
And I copied and pasted the teams into all the right cells on the spreadsheet, and tomorrow I get to watch it all start crumbling down. It always does, you know.
Perhaps this year, though, I have a secret weapon. Someone I never would have thought I'd call an ally.
I've heeded the advice and basketball knowledge of Bobby Knight. I never cared much for the guy, but his 900-plus wins as a coach make it pretty obvious that he knows his stuff. And in his first year as a guest analyst on ESPN, I can see the storyline playing out: "Knight Joins ESPN, Picks National Champion."
So I sent Pittsburgh all the way to the center of my bracket, because Bobby Knight told me to. I just wanted to do something a little different than all the North Carolinas and Kansases. I'm already resigned to the fact that my bracket will be sufficiently broken by Friday.
But as of right now, it looks like a sure thing...because it's got Bobby Knight's seal of approval. (at least the final slot does.)
My Final Four: Louisville, Kansas, Pittsburgh and Duke.
The chuckling may commence.......now.
is like trying to take jumping
out of basketball."
—Bill Bradley
Ahhhh, a post i can really sink my teeth into!!! I too share your feelings towards Coach Knight. Nothing could be more hypocritical than Knight taking a paycheck from ESPN and doing what he mocked for so many years (all right, "nothing" is a stretch, Sterling Sharpe did it too).
ReplyDeleteHere is a prediction on Knight. Since he's so self righteous and full of himself, as soon as Coach K catches him in 5 or so years Knight will come out of retirement to coach somewhere like the University of Maryland-Baltimore County to get his name back up on top of the list.
And I hear you on the brackets falling apart before the end of the first weekend. I have participated in a handful of brackets every year since i can remember ranging from $1 to $20 and the last time I can remember winning any money was a work bracket pool when I was in high school and a part time stock boy at Stangle's Super Value (the store is long since gone, but Lates BBQ across the street lives on!!!).
But it's about the fun of trying right? I do like your Pitt pick. I saw them out hustle and more importantly out rebound (badly) my Hoyas in the Big East Championship game. I have Pitt winning a couple games before bowing out to Memphis.
You always have to have those early round upsets right? They always happen, you just have to guess which ones. I like St Mary's (10) over The U (7), WVU (7) over Duke (2), St Joes (11) over OU (6) and then KSU to beat USC and yes, upset the mighty (boring) Badgers. I read and hear all this local nonsense about Georgetown will be no problem, they can beat Kansas....Ummmm, you'd better worry about Kansas State first and the first name that will be called in the June NBA Draft....Michael Beasley. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.
Anyway, my final four: North Carolina, Georgetown (yes, homer pick), Memphis and UCLA. Not very original with three ones and a two, but then again how many of the sexy 12 over 5 upsets were there last year? Yep, zero.
Happy Madness watching Vach. As expected, you'll find me at BW's from 11:30 today through Sunday!!!
Who's Bobby Knight?
ReplyDeleteJust kidding. Sort of. Have fun with your brackets.
I lived in Indiana when BK was the coach at U of I - and the people there LOVED him. WORSHIPPED him. And were pretty much CRAZY about him. Never understood it - he was a big jerk with pretty much no morals - but he could win.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, off my soapbox now - my final four is UNC, Texas, Kansas and UCLA - I know, BO-RING!!
But, I've had brackets before like yours and have never done very well. We'll see if I can take my $5 all the way to the bank with my bracket this year!!
Good luck. And yes, I'm chuckling!
Ummmm, damn. Fifteen for sixteen on Thursday, not so much for Friday's games. Who was the idiot talking about no 12 vs 5 upsets? Oh yeah, me...
ReplyDelete