Well, Selection Sunday is over. However, the insanity of March Madness has only just begun. Ever since those brackets were released throughout the 6:00PM hour on Sunday, my brain has been ticking at around 1,000,000 thoughts per 10 second. I need to unravel & so what better way to do it than to put it out there for everyone to see? THIS is the MADNESS that my MIND has been at for hours now!
First things first,
The 1 seeds
How strong are they this year? Not super strong. I don’t want to give away too much, too early in my post here. So, I’ll just say that I definitely wouldn’t just put all the 1 seeds in the Elite 8 even, this year.
Next, let’s talk about:
Cindarellas
Yes, this is everybody’s favorite subject when thinking about picking their bracket. Are there any Cindarella teams this year? Well, there could be. But, let me say this: This is going to be a year of excitement in the tournament, I expect that. So, I don’t really know how to define Cindarella this year. Where does it start? I say it starts with any team that has not defeated more than 2 Top 50 teams according to whatever measure is your favorite to use. So, by my own definition, do I have any “Cindarellas” making the Elite 8? Yes. Final Four, you ask? Wait & see..
Next up, it’s time to think about:
Most Vulnerable “Favorites”
So, if you’ve watched any ESPN lately, you’ve probably seen some of the “experts” picks, right? Yeah.. Well, I’d like to believe that I am better than all of them. Am I? Ofcourse! I’m a 1 seed while they’re at best a 9, if not on the bubble, RIGHT?!?!? Ok, enough joking around.. Here are my most vulnerable favorites that you’ll see the “experts” & all of the people who try to be safe with their picks picking to go far:
Kentucky: Yep.. They had a fantastic season & I wouldn’t be shocked if they did quite well in the tournament. But, be careful & I would NEVER select them to win it all. All of the emotion, all of the spotlight, all of the more experienced teams will catch up with them at some point.
West Virginia: Sure, they came out of the Big East tournament as the champions of the Big East. What does that do, though? It makes them all the more vulnerable, in my eyes. Impessive? Absolutely! Makes you confident that they’ll win 3, 4, 5 or SIX straight games more? Maybe a few, but I’d bet: Not most.
Kansas State: Careful with these guys.. Think about them compared to other Big 12 teams first.. Kansas State, Baylor, Kansas, Texas… If you could play the Big 12 tournament 100 times in your mind, how many times would you have Kansas State coming out the winner in comparison to all of the other teams? I’d suspect the answer would be: Not a great percentage of the time. Honestly, Kansas would have to eat up a pretty good percentage.. Then you have to admit that Baylor would be tough for Kansas State most times. Missouri is no slouch. Yeah… They might play BYU or Florida in the 2nd round & then in the Sweet 16 they could meet Xavier, Pitt or Minnesota… Against those types of teams, I just don’t see Kansas State consistently winning against those teams.
New Mexico: Ok, so technically, they’re not a favorite. I just don’t want anyone looking at them at a 3 seed & thinking that they are awesome. I can almost guarantee that they’ll get blasted in the 2nd round & my jaw wouldn’t drop if Montana pulled out a bit of a “miracle” against them.
Ok, so after ALL of this rambling & going on & on, I’ll get on with the finale!!
My shot at the Elite 8
Syracuse
Ohio State
Duke
Kansas
West Virginia
Brigham Young
Old Dominion
Wake Forest
There you have it. Those teams are my picks to go to the Elite 8. I do reserve the right to change my mind at some point, but, that’s the result of all of my wicked brainstorming, so far. Now, who of those 8 make up my Final Four? Ya wanna know? Ok, ok.. I’ll tell ya.. Sheesh!
My Final Four
Kansas vs. Syracuse
West Virginia vs. Old Dominion
My Mind Madness Champion
I have West Virginia taking down Old Dominion while Kansas pulls out a tough one over Syracuse. Then, in the championship game, Kansas vs. West Virginia, I like KANSAS to win it all & cut down the nets!!!
But, wait.. Didn’t I say that West Virginia is vulnerable? Sure I did. They are. What I didn’t say is that they couldn’t overcome it up until the final. West Virginia is vulnerable to strong teams like Kansas. If you keep playing tough teams, eventually you will lose. The Big East is FULL of tough teams. West Virginia’s vulnerability is NOT their own fault, I just want that to be clear on my end.
Anyway, that’s all. I hope you enjoyed this rather long post. It really went on a bit longer than even I anticipated & I know how long winded I can be.
