I barely made it through college because I was a gym-rat, basketball junkie who put up 50 when I wanted to and then walked around like I was a god, even though I couldn’t have garnered a contract in the paltry European league. But I’ve continued to follow hoops, wondered why I never coached, or bet on games, and now I’m just like the average hoops-loser who thinks they were better than reality demonstrated—kind of like the sad character in Napoleon Dynamite who just can’t let it go.
Anyway, it’s NCAA tournament time and the commencement of what I believe is the best U.S. sporting event of the year. Hmm. Would love to go with my hometown Washington Huskies, but there’s that NC roadblock sitting right there. Would love to choose Pitt, too, but they lost the first round game of their conference tournament and their coach always chokes. The ‘cuse. Would love to pick Big Orange to go all the way, but Texas and Ohio State are big-time challenges. How can you not choose Ohio State? Thirty-two and two. Super consistent. But freshman leading the way? That’s why I have Texas taking them out in the Final Four.
What about the other side. I have my upsets. And I have my biases, like UCLA, BYU, Utah, USC and UNLV all winning their opening games. The problem is Kansas. They put a dagger in any kind of upset scheme I try to throw on the Southwest bracket.
The biggest free-for-all, I believe, is in the Southeast Region where Pitt is the number one seed. And you already know what I think of them. So who from there. Utah State at 30 and three, and BYU at 30 and four would be great picks to make the Final Four. But the one dude from BYU couldn’t hold out and now the team is suffering because of that. I haven’t even seen Utah State play, but 30 wins and three losses is 30 wins and three losses. Something going on there.
I can’t do it though. I saw Florida play a couple times this year and their guards are good. Guards win games. I see Florida taking down UC Santa Barbara, whacking UCLA, barely getting by BYU (BYU will probably get robbed by the refs) and then smacking Pitt. But those Gators are going down to Kansas.
So who is it? Texas or Kansas. Kansas.
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