610. NCAA Brackets

Normally, by the Sweet Sixteen Round, my brackets have done what I'd like to do - flown south - usually well south of any opportunity to win. If that wasn't the case this year, I wouldn't be penning an entry called "NCAA Brackets." But, I'm not doing too bad - not too bad at all. But today the madness begins again.

My Final Four teams are all still playing: Kentucky, Syracuse, Duke, and Tennessee. And Tennessee is the reason I'm still alive and doing comparitively well. I'll be wearing my John Yarmuth Orange tomorrow night to bring in the sixth seeded Volunteers over second seeded Ohio State. That Midwest Bracket has proved the most difficult for me. I lost on UNLV, Michigan State, Georgetown, and Oklahoma State back in round 1. And it never got much better. But I do have Tennessee. Go Orange.




The East Bracket, wherein resides my 2010 NCAA Champions, has seen four games where the winning team's name did not match the name I had on my brackets. Temple and Marquette in Round 1, Wisconsin and New Mexico in Round 2. I have Kentucky and West Virginia advancing there, with Kentucky continuing the dance into the Final Game.





The South Bracket is my second worse. The University of Louisville is part of the blame along with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. And while I had St. Mary's in the first round, instrad of Friday's matchup between Baylor and St. Mary's, I had the more traditional one between Villanova and Notre Dame, both of whom will be back home enjoying the first week of Spring. Duke emerges from that bracket into the Final Four.




The West is best - at least in racking up points for me. I've only lost two games, both in the first round where I picked Florida State and Florida, neither of which proved a good choice. But the bracket is otherwise intact. In tonight's games, I have Syracuse and Kansas State winning, and although it would hurt my scores immeasurably - ok, in fact it will measurably hurt my score - a Xavier win would be cool. But, I'm for K-State. I have Syracuse, alma mater of my friends Stuart Perelmuter and Michael Nordmann, waltzing into the Final Game on April 5 in Indianapolis. So, again, go Orange.



But, I don't have them waltzing out as a winner. There is where my truest color bleeds through. I bleed blue. Go Kentucky. Make me a winner.