Now that the field is set for the NCAA men's basketball tournament, I'm prepared for one of my favorite times of the year.
For the next three weeks, 68 teams will compete for the right to be crowned national champion. Many of the games are likely to be thrillers that showcase the intense emotions and huge implications that are brought about with each bounce of the ball, but there is another special part of the tournament that goes far beyond the lifelong dreams of any hard working college basketball player.
I'm speaking, of course, about the filling out of my bracket.
While most of the teams in this year's tournament don't have to get things going until Thursday or Friday, the next 56 hours are among the most nerve-racking of my entire year. Each pick carries with it the weight of whatever grand prize I'm playing for as every correctly predicted upset or perceived meltdown in the early rounds can be just as vital as calling the overall champion. Every bit of intensity that I show in rooting for my favorite team as a fan - Duke - will be repeated in every game of the tournament as I throw all of my rooting effort into pulling for No. 11 seeds which I can neither locate on a map, nor name any player on its roster for the last decade.
Another quirk that goes along with each year's bracket pool is the number of entries that are turned in. I'm not just talking about a small office pool compared to an ESPN or Yahoo! Sports pool with tens of thousands of competitors, but also the rules that govern whatever pool I'm getting into.
Some people choose to allow multiple entries from pool competitors. These people are godless heathens.
The point of winning the bracket pool is not only to get the prize at the end, but also to obtain bragging rights over everyone else in the pool for the next year. I strictly forbid it in any pool that I ever run and decline entry into any other pool that promotes this horrible practice.
However, I live by the hard and fast rule of "Work Smarter, not Harder", so I am also looking to win any pool I'm in. Therefore, I've decided that I will continue to avoid pools that allow for multiple entries, but that I will also enter into many different pools with a differing prediction of some of the toughest games to call on each of my final selection sheets.
Winning any one of the pools that I enter will far outweigh the shame of losing all the others combined, so I am more than willing to put picks that go against my better judgment in 90 percent of my brackets to increase the probability that one of them will pay off at the end.
Any of you who know me are also aware that I am prone to over-thinking my picks, and so I've come up with a way to circumvent that shortfall as well.
For everyone competing in a pool with me, I'll save you a lot of pouring through stat sheets and post some (over)thinking points regarding teams in this year's field. I'm not saying that I'm acting on all of these tips, but if you read them and second guess yourself while filling out your own picks, then all the better for me.
Enjoy:
Ohio St. - In a season that has many of the talking head claiming that there are no dominant teams, the Buckeyes are the closes thing to a sure bet to make the Final Four. Ohio St. has been in the top-5 all season and has spent almost all of the last two months at the top of the polls. The Buckeyes secured the overall No. 1 seed, but also looks to have drawn the toughest bracket. Kentucky, Syracuse and North Carolina all stand between Ohio St. and a trip to Houston, and with only 6 or 7 contributing players, the Bucks are just an injury or a fast-paced game away from bowing out early.
Duke - Along with Ohio St., Duke was one of the only teams to actually retain a No. 1 ranking for more than a couple of weeks this season. The Blue Devils are the defending champs and have a relatively easy looking road ahead of them. Potential land mines for Duke include No. 4 seed Texas that has show the ability to play much better than its positioning indicates and a long trip out west for the final two rounds of its region.
Pittsburgh - The Panthers are once again a top seed, but I think that most people have given up on them as a title threat. Pittsburgh has been one of the most consistently great programs in the country over the last 5-6 years, yet hasn't so much as sniffed a Final Four. Pittsburgh was looking good as a dark-horse title contender (if that's possible for a No. 1 seed), but quickly brought back doubters with a quick exit from the Big East tournament.
North Carolina - Just a week ago, North Carolina was a trendy Final Four pick. The Tar Heels tore through the final three weeks of the regular season to win the regular season ACC title, but struggled mightily against inferior competition twice in the tournament before being pummeled by Duck in the tournament championship game. Carolina has an NBA-caliber front line and one of the best players in the nation in Harrison Barnes, but it could all spell disaster for your bracket. The Heels are good enough to win it all, but immature and inconsistent enough to run into trouble from the get-go as they face high-scoring Long Island in the first round.
UConn - Connecticut is a potential trap as a No. 3 seed. The Huskies may have peaked too early as they stumbled down the stretch, but then seemed to regain their form in winning the Big East tournament. National Player of the Year candidate Kemba Walker and a good draw could put UConn in line for a Final Four run, but Walker has a tendency to take far too many shots and an off night will put the Huskies in a tough spot.
Notre Dame - The Fighting Irish might be the best team that no one is talking about as a threat to win it all. Notre Dame has been in the top-10 almost all season and has been one of the most consistent teams in the country, counting a two-game road losing streak to fellow tournament participants Marquette and St. John's as its low point. The two biggest threats standing between the Irish and a Final Four are No. 1 seed Kansas and Louisville - which defeated Notre Dame in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
Utah St. - Every tournament needs a good upset by a No. 12 seed and this could be a big one. Utah St. enters the tournament at 30-3 and, despite a pretty easy schedule and no marquee wins, played very well in its showdown at No. 3 seed BYU. Conversely, some fans are getting behind the Aggies' first round opponent - Kansas St. - as a No. 5 seed that can make a run. The Wildcats showcased enough talent to be ranked in the top-5 early this season, but their meltdowns throughout the regular season make them a perfect target for an early upset.
BYU - The Cougars have to be one of the hardest teams to project this season. Armed with the nation's leading scorer in Jimmer Fredette, Brigham Young was close to unbeatable for the first three months of the season. That looked to have all changed when Brandon Davies was kicked off the team two weeks ago and the Cougars promptly lost their first game without him, but Jimmer and company rebounded to win three straight - including a Mountain West semifinal win over New Mexico, which had taken down the Cougars in each of their first two meetings. But just when it looked like BYU was back, San Diego St. layed a beatdown on the Cougars in the Mountain West final. Jimmer has the talent and scoring ability to single-handedly get BYU to the Final Four, but the Cougars seem to have lost the intimidation that a No. 3 seed should be able to instill in its opponents.
Michigan St. - If there is anything that the last decade of college basketball should have taught any fan, it's that Michigan St. can't be counted out of any tournament. Ranked as high as second in the nation this season, the Spartans promptly imploded and struggled around the .500 mark early in the season. Michigan St. was in danger of being left out of the tournament entirely, but managed to pull out a No. 10 seed. The Spartans have shown no sign of returning to the form that had some experts picking them to win a title in the preseason, but Michigan St. has been counted out many times before, only to pull a few upsets and bring the nets down at the end of the season.
So, there you go. Just a little food for thought for all of you who want a little more information before turning in your picks. As for me, my seven different brackets for seven different pools are already set in stone. I look forward to gloating over at least some of you in the near future.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Entertainment... now offered on ice
Congratulations hockey. You're back on the right track.
After spending the better part of the last two decades vying with soccer in a race to the outermost fringe of the American sports conscience, all of those angry Canadians are finally doing things the right way and turning some heads.
The last few months have seen a drastic increase in exciting hockey highlights that have thrown ESPN and the other powers right back into nightly coverage of what is one of the most enjoyable sports to watch in person.
This is because hockey is perfectly suited for one of the most popular and time consuming activities on the planet - Youtube highlights.
I understand that hockey's rules can be difficult to get a firm grip on and that the constant action and difficulty in tracking the puck can lead to people losing interest, but the few people who are on top of all that now have a stage on which to show others the best parts of the sport.
Like to watch incredible shots? Pull up an Alex Ovechkin highlight reel.
Want to see goons beating each other's brains out? There are top 10 lists for those everywhere.
Goalie fights? Got those too.
And then there are the big hits.
I understand that those hits can be dangerous and that the league's poster boy - Sidney Crosby - has missed over 20 games because of a concussion sustained in one of those hits, but it's still worth it for the NHL.
Whether the guys in suits on SportCenter like it or not, angry white guys hitting things with sticks and getting away with on-ice agrevated assault is what gets the attention of most people. They may say that injuries and fighting are what holds the sport back, but with more people than ever getting enjoyment out of watching Zdeno Charra try to put opponents through the glass, I beg to differ.
Americans need excitement. We'll complain when a soccer match ends in a 0-0 draw, we conveniently turned our heads to pretty obvious steroid use in baseball when it started producing huge home runs and high-scoring games.
Since hockey came back from its strike four years ago and brought with it a new batch of rules that promoted more scoring, the ratings have been up. It's nothing like football, but national interest should continue to climb as soon as the league can get out of its terrible television contract and resign with a network other than Versus.
Even the All-Star game has been improved as hockey has made its showcase of talent by far the most entertaining. Choosing captains who then picked their own teams from a pool of All-Stars was the most enjoyable thing I've ever seen at an All-Star game of any kind. Can you imagine how fun it would be to see Peyton Manning and Tom Brady fill out competing teams at the Pro Bowl? It would attract millions to the TV set. Now that hockey has come up with the most innovative All-Star setup of any sport, I'll rank my personal enjoyment of All-Star activities as such:
With ESPN, Deadspin and Youtube showing every big hit and great shot, you're going to make your way back into the spotlight one bloody nose and cracked vertebrae at a time.
After spending the better part of the last two decades vying with soccer in a race to the outermost fringe of the American sports conscience, all of those angry Canadians are finally doing things the right way and turning some heads.
The last few months have seen a drastic increase in exciting hockey highlights that have thrown ESPN and the other powers right back into nightly coverage of what is one of the most enjoyable sports to watch in person.
This is because hockey is perfectly suited for one of the most popular and time consuming activities on the planet - Youtube highlights.
I understand that hockey's rules can be difficult to get a firm grip on and that the constant action and difficulty in tracking the puck can lead to people losing interest, but the few people who are on top of all that now have a stage on which to show others the best parts of the sport.
Like to watch incredible shots? Pull up an Alex Ovechkin highlight reel.
Want to see goons beating each other's brains out? There are top 10 lists for those everywhere.
Goalie fights? Got those too.
And then there are the big hits.
I understand that those hits can be dangerous and that the league's poster boy - Sidney Crosby - has missed over 20 games because of a concussion sustained in one of those hits, but it's still worth it for the NHL.
Whether the guys in suits on SportCenter like it or not, angry white guys hitting things with sticks and getting away with on-ice agrevated assault is what gets the attention of most people. They may say that injuries and fighting are what holds the sport back, but with more people than ever getting enjoyment out of watching Zdeno Charra try to put opponents through the glass, I beg to differ.
Americans need excitement. We'll complain when a soccer match ends in a 0-0 draw, we conveniently turned our heads to pretty obvious steroid use in baseball when it started producing huge home runs and high-scoring games.
Since hockey came back from its strike four years ago and brought with it a new batch of rules that promoted more scoring, the ratings have been up. It's nothing like football, but national interest should continue to climb as soon as the league can get out of its terrible television contract and resign with a network other than Versus.
Even the All-Star game has been improved as hockey has made its showcase of talent by far the most entertaining. Choosing captains who then picked their own teams from a pool of All-Stars was the most enjoyable thing I've ever seen at an All-Star game of any kind. Can you imagine how fun it would be to see Peyton Manning and Tom Brady fill out competing teams at the Pro Bowl? It would attract millions to the TV set. Now that hockey has come up with the most innovative All-Star setup of any sport, I'll rank my personal enjoyment of All-Star activities as such:
- Home Run Derby
- NHL All-Star Draft
- Slam Dunk Contest
- MLB Celebrity Softball Game
- NHL's Fastest Goalie Skate-off
- Any of the actual All-Star Games
With ESPN, Deadspin and Youtube showing every big hit and great shot, you're going to make your way back into the spotlight one bloody nose and cracked vertebrae at a time.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
There's no crying in basketball
Sunday night, the world learned via Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra that many Heat players were in tears after dropping their fourth game in five attempts.
Now, I'm not going to stand here and say that crying is unacceptable in sports. I cried when my pee-wee football team lost in the championship game, there were some damp eyes after my final high school baseball game, and I had a few champagne-soaked tears when the Phillies finally won the World Series.
This is getting out of hand though. It seems like not a week goes by where some player or coach being reduced to a sobbing pile of pity in front of the cameras.
Postgame press conferences following big games are providing less celebration or vows of revenge and are instead looking more like the "I give up" segment of an episode of Made.
Being the helping sort that I am, I figured that I would try to provide athletes and sports fans alike with a better guide for when to show extreme amounts of emotion. By adhering to this straightforward list, I think that we'll all be better off in that we can retain our ability to shed the occasional tear while keeping sports from looking like a soap opera.
Things that are OK to cry over
So to LeBron, Dwyane Wade and all the rest of these crybabies, please stop with this nonsense. The fact that you're getting worked up over something so minor is far more embarrasing than any amount of tears could ever be to even the manliest of men.
Now, I'm not going to stand here and say that crying is unacceptable in sports. I cried when my pee-wee football team lost in the championship game, there were some damp eyes after my final high school baseball game, and I had a few champagne-soaked tears when the Phillies finally won the World Series.
This is getting out of hand though. It seems like not a week goes by where some player or coach being reduced to a sobbing pile of pity in front of the cameras.
Postgame press conferences following big games are providing less celebration or vows of revenge and are instead looking more like the "I give up" segment of an episode of Made.
Being the helping sort that I am, I figured that I would try to provide athletes and sports fans alike with a better guide for when to show extreme amounts of emotion. By adhering to this straightforward list, I think that we'll all be better off in that we can retain our ability to shed the occasional tear while keeping sports from looking like a soap opera.
Things that are OK to cry over
- You come to the realization that your career is over
- This has to be one of the worst moments of any sports fan's life. Almost all of us grew up playing one sport or another and I'm sure that most of us held out hope that we'd make it to the pros a lot longer than we should have. But inevitably, there comes that day where you just know it's over. Whether it's the day you're cut from the high school team, the realization that there are no colleges knocking down your door, or even the last day of a Hall of Fame career, the final time that uniform comes off is a tough one. No one will say a thing if the room you're in gets a little dusty.
- After a career of at least 10 seasons, you finally win a championship
- There are a lot of great players out there who just never run into the luck of having an equally great team surrounding them. If a player has gone through the grind and his in the twilight of his career when he finally wins a championship, it's OK to let some emotion show. This doesn't hold true for rookies though. Congrats. You walked into a good thing and won. Put in a few more years of work before you start weeping for the camera.
- After a drought of at least 20 years, your team finally wins a championship
- This is the more likely scenario for most of us who spend each season in front of the television cheering on our favorite teams. If you've been a devoted enough fan that you've stuck out enough losing seasons to span the turning of a generation, then you can't be held accountable for what happens when your team finally pulls through for you. If, however, you turn on the waterworks when your team celebrates its 27th championship - I'm looking at you, Yankees fans - then you're just a giant tool.
- The day you make the pros
- If you're good enough to get drafted and - in the case of baseball and hockey - work your way up through the minors, you've got to have a ton of commitment to go along with your talent. Chances are that you've been working day and night on your dream for the better part of 20 years. If you finally make it to the show, you've earned a couple of tears while you notify family and friends that you're sending them tickets to your pro debut.
- The day your childhood hero dies
- If you spend your entire life rooting for the same team, chances are that there was one great player that you idolized as a kid. It's going to be a rough day when you wake up one morning to find that the guy you worshiped as a 7-year old is gone. Disclaimer: The athlete in question MUST be at least 20 years older than you. There are some players out there right now that I idolize, but it would be weird if I found myself crying over the death of a guy who is only a few years older than me on the grounds that he was my hero.
So to LeBron, Dwyane Wade and all the rest of these crybabies, please stop with this nonsense. The fact that you're getting worked up over something so minor is far more embarrasing than any amount of tears could ever be to even the manliest of men.
Friday, March 4, 2011
The Madness begins
The NCAA tournament field hasn't even been announced yet, and Cinderella has already struck... Or maybe her name was Michelle, or Betty.
Either way, a potential No.1 seed just got derailed thanks to some pretty girl and a Brigham Young forward who was a little too forward.
Brandon Davies torpedoed the greatest season in the history of BYU basketball for violating the school's honor code by having premarital sex, but as bad as some universities have gotten in their quest for a championship, I've got to hand it to the administration of Brigham Young.
March is probably going to end in a big disappointment for the other 11 players on the Cougar basketball team, but the school is doing the right thing.
Of all the schools in the nation, it can be argued that BYU demands more of its student athletes - as well as other students and faculty - than any other institution. There have been cries from some that suspending Davies from the team for something that wasn't illegal is more of a punishment to the team than to him, but this situation should be celebrated as an example of a school that is willing to stand up for its beliefs in the face of losing the unparalleled notoriety of one of its teams as a result of its actions.
At far too many schools, kids are allowed to get away with far greater indiscretions with barely a slap on the wrist. Quarterbacks screaming at coaches and not showing up to summer workouts receive no penalty. Underage drinking is met with a stern warning and maybe sitting out a few plays.
Even when such actions cross the line of youthful exuberance and venture into the realm of outright criminal, there is often far too much leniency shown. I'm all for giving people a break and that kids will be kids, but the light punishments usually seem to be more for the benefit of whatever team the athlete happens to be on than for the actual good of the offender. In actuality, Davies is lucky to even be allowed back in school as any violation of the honor code is grounds for dismissal from the university. By those standards, I guess his immediate and indefinite suspension from the team is BYU's version of trying to go easy on someone.
Everything from premarital sex, to drinking, to consuming caffeine is off limits at BYU and while it may be strict, everyone knows what they're signing up for.
Schools like Duke and Notre Dame might tout their rigorous academic requirements, but that still pales in comparison to the commitment that everyone at BYU must show simply to have an opportunity to be associated with the school.
Faced with the biggest scandal - if you can even call it that - it's had in years, BYU probably could have gotten away with letting Davies slip by. After all, he didn't break any laws and the only reason that anyone even found out about his actions was that he came clean about everything. His remorse could have easily been construed to show that he realizes and respects the rules enough to be given a break, but BYU is bright enough to see the big picture.
Brigham Young has always and likely will always be more about the Mormon faith that governs the school than any successful sports team could ever be. I'm sure that school administrators love seeing the Cougars at No. 3 in the rankings and are excited about Jimmer Fridette and his National Player of the Year campaign, but they also have enough sense to keep their priorities in line despite round-the-clock coverage from ESPN.
I applaud everyone involved with the situation for keeping their hard-line approach. Davies' absence from the team will probably kill the Cougars' title hopes and probably get them knocked out of the tournament a game or two earlier, but nothing will be able to tarnish the good name of BYU.
I feel for Davies' teammates who are going to suffer at his expense and I even feel for Davies since he is enduring grief on a national level for doing something that thousands of other college kids are probably doing right now with no repercussion.
But I also have respect for the rules. All of those players knew what the moral price of admission was to be able to attend their school and BYU should be commended for making it known that the principles that have guided their institution 136 years are superior to a basketball team having a good season.
If a group of guys can compete for a national title with no booze, soda or "extracirricular" activities, more power to them. Just don't try it at BYU because they don't screw around... literally.
Either way, a potential No.1 seed just got derailed thanks to some pretty girl and a Brigham Young forward who was a little too forward.
Brandon Davies torpedoed the greatest season in the history of BYU basketball for violating the school's honor code by having premarital sex, but as bad as some universities have gotten in their quest for a championship, I've got to hand it to the administration of Brigham Young.
March is probably going to end in a big disappointment for the other 11 players on the Cougar basketball team, but the school is doing the right thing.
Of all the schools in the nation, it can be argued that BYU demands more of its student athletes - as well as other students and faculty - than any other institution. There have been cries from some that suspending Davies from the team for something that wasn't illegal is more of a punishment to the team than to him, but this situation should be celebrated as an example of a school that is willing to stand up for its beliefs in the face of losing the unparalleled notoriety of one of its teams as a result of its actions.
At far too many schools, kids are allowed to get away with far greater indiscretions with barely a slap on the wrist. Quarterbacks screaming at coaches and not showing up to summer workouts receive no penalty. Underage drinking is met with a stern warning and maybe sitting out a few plays.
Even when such actions cross the line of youthful exuberance and venture into the realm of outright criminal, there is often far too much leniency shown. I'm all for giving people a break and that kids will be kids, but the light punishments usually seem to be more for the benefit of whatever team the athlete happens to be on than for the actual good of the offender. In actuality, Davies is lucky to even be allowed back in school as any violation of the honor code is grounds for dismissal from the university. By those standards, I guess his immediate and indefinite suspension from the team is BYU's version of trying to go easy on someone.
Everything from premarital sex, to drinking, to consuming caffeine is off limits at BYU and while it may be strict, everyone knows what they're signing up for.
Schools like Duke and Notre Dame might tout their rigorous academic requirements, but that still pales in comparison to the commitment that everyone at BYU must show simply to have an opportunity to be associated with the school.
Faced with the biggest scandal - if you can even call it that - it's had in years, BYU probably could have gotten away with letting Davies slip by. After all, he didn't break any laws and the only reason that anyone even found out about his actions was that he came clean about everything. His remorse could have easily been construed to show that he realizes and respects the rules enough to be given a break, but BYU is bright enough to see the big picture.
Brigham Young has always and likely will always be more about the Mormon faith that governs the school than any successful sports team could ever be. I'm sure that school administrators love seeing the Cougars at No. 3 in the rankings and are excited about Jimmer Fridette and his National Player of the Year campaign, but they also have enough sense to keep their priorities in line despite round-the-clock coverage from ESPN.
I applaud everyone involved with the situation for keeping their hard-line approach. Davies' absence from the team will probably kill the Cougars' title hopes and probably get them knocked out of the tournament a game or two earlier, but nothing will be able to tarnish the good name of BYU.
I feel for Davies' teammates who are going to suffer at his expense and I even feel for Davies since he is enduring grief on a national level for doing something that thousands of other college kids are probably doing right now with no repercussion.
But I also have respect for the rules. All of those players knew what the moral price of admission was to be able to attend their school and BYU should be commended for making it known that the principles that have guided their institution 136 years are superior to a basketball team having a good season.
If a group of guys can compete for a national title with no booze, soda or "extracirricular" activities, more power to them. Just don't try it at BYU because they don't screw around... literally.
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