Trash My Bracket (Sweet 16)

Notes from Day 4

• I correctly chose 11 of the 16 teams that made it past the second round. The five teams I missed on were Gonzaga, West Virginia, Wichita State, Bradley, and George Mason.

• Sunday was without a doubt the least suspenseful day of the tournament over the first weekend. UConn’s and Villanova’s games were the only games that came down to the wire, and both managed to move on, preserving the perfect records of the top seeds.

• Georgetown pulled off the upset over Ohio St. Now, only Florida stands between the Hoyas and my improbable Elite Eight pick. However, Florida has been perhaps the strongest team in the tournament, despite the fact that their center looks like a post-op transsexual.

To the picks we go…

Atlanta

1 Duke vs. 4 LSU

2 Texas vs. 6 West Virginia

My bracket says:

Duke over LSU

Iowa over Texas

Right now, I’m liking my pick for Duke to win it all. Along with Memphis and Florida, they’ve looked like one of the strongest teams so far.

The West Virginia-Texas matchup that I’ve been calling for since the beginning of the tournament came to fruition. I tried convincing Nick Gaudio (WVU) to offer Mike Faerber (Texas) a friendly wager on the game, but being apathetic towards my desires – as well as fulfilling the role of the stereotypical, poor college student – Gaudio declined to participate. So, regardless of the game’s outcome, Nick has won a free tube of Vagisil, compliments of yours truly.

Nick, if it doesn’t clear up in a couple days, go see a doctor. Please.

Oakland

1 Memphis vs. 13 Bradley

2 UCLA vs. 3 Gonzaga

My bracket says:

Kansas over Memphis

UCLA over Gonzaga

Not much left to root for in this bracket, as I had Kansas advancing to the Final Four. I’ll still be able to salvage a couple points with a UCLA victory.

Minneapolis

1 Villanova vs. 4 Boston College

3 Florida vs. 7 Georgetown

My bracket says:

Villanova over Boston College

Georgetown over Florida

My Minneapolis bracket looks beautiful right now. I’ve only missed one game in the entire region to date: Montana’s first-round upset over Nevada. Other than that, perfection.

::Suddenly sits up:: Whoa, how did you get in here? Sorry about that. I didn’t realize I could bend down that far. I had to enjoy the moment while it presented itself, if you know what I mean.

I think this is the most wide-open region of the four. Any of these teams are capable of making it to Indianapolis for the Final Four. Villanova and BC have looked vulnerable at times, but have gotten it done in the clutch, while Florida and Georgetown had two of the most impressive wins in the second round. It should be interesting to say the least.

Washington, DC

7 Wichita St. vs. 11 George Mason

1 UConn vs. 5 Washington

My bracket says:

North Carolina over Seton Hall

UConn over Washington

After a pair of upsets in round two, Wichita St. squares off against George Mason with the guarantee of a mid-major reaching the Elite Eight. Most of the analysts I’ve seen this week have sworn off Cinderella’s chances of reaching the end of the Big Dance. Apparently these “experts” haven’t actually watched the games leading up to today. Wichita St. and George Mason have won in impressive fashion the first two rounds AND George Mason’s main campus is only 20 miles from our nation’s capital, so they’re basically playing at home. College basketball has a bigger homecourt advantage than any other sport, so I’m definitely not ruling out a trip to the Final Four for the Patriots, especially considering how UConn has looked so far.