After a tumultous couple of weeks in March, three of four of the number one ranked teams got their asses bounced out of the tournament, falling to scrappier hungrier never-say-die teams. N. Iowa shot the lights out and showed they had marbles the size of planets, Cuse played like a mid major and Kentucky--I don't even want to talk about UK....
A theme seemed to have emerged in these last couple of weeks though and the question arises....Could we see a similiar upset in the opening weekend of the SOM? The commissioner's office has tallied the votes collected from an esteemed selection committee (aka dirtbag co-employees, i.e., one host, server, manager and bartender each day who were given a secret ballot and instructed to choose who in their best estimation would win the challenge) as well as the expert opinion of a Starbuck's barista (Me: "Of these five names, which one sounds more likely to win a round of golf? Matt, Peter, Zach, Anthony or Jason?" Starbucks barista: "Seriously? **uncomfortable pause to measure my seriousness** umm Matt I guess. Now could you please either order a latte or get out of line sir?") and my mom (who didn't even pick me so I threw out her vote because she's my biased mother) and here are the results. Feel free to fill out your own brackets on ESPN.com.
#1 Seed: Kansas......Peter with an astounding 6 out of 10 first place votes, sweeps the polls and begins the tourney as the elite powerhouse to beat. The no brainer pick but would March be as Mad if everything worked out the way it should? Looks good on paper but the game isn't played on paper.
#2 Seed: Texas....Jantz claims 2 of 10 first place votes, looks to have the talent to topple the powerhouse, at one point in time looked to be the favorite but shaky decisions such as late night range sessions and reluctance in switching Peter for a Saturday shift result in coming into the tourney as a number two. Experts in Vegas were big on this pick prior to the tourney but interest has waned considerably.
#3 Seed: Georgetown/Gonzaga.....Bing claims 1 of 10 first place votes, like the Hoyas or Zags has the name recognition (the barista picked his name) of a favorite but may be lacking this year in the talent to cut down the nets in the end. This would be the pick in a real bracket that your girlfriend makes because she's "heard of them before somewhere"
#4 Seed: Washington....Zach nabs the last 1 out of 10 first place votes, good compared to players from his same skill level (Wash-good in a weak ass Pac 10) could make a run and upset a higher team from a stronger conference. If your girlfriend were filling out this bracket, I would be the "sexy pick" for more than one reason. Zing!
#5 Seed: N. Iowa/St. Mary's/Cornell....Anthony enters the tourney as the team that nobody believed in. And like the actual MM tourney, a huge upset is possible. He comes in with nothing to lose and everything to gain and if he can play like a man possessed and Peter plays not to lose instead of to win, we could see N. Iowa taking down Kansas in our very own tourney! Only the office secretary who knows nothing, the homers from that area (Nicky) or an ESPN columnist wanting to make a crazy prediction takes this pick and when it hits everybody else wishes they had made it.
#6 Seed (aka last place): North Carolina.....Rudy. Didn't make the tourney. Playing in his own suck ass NIT in Brazil right now.
Will it be the powerhouse? A mid major? Or a Cinderella dancing in the end? One more day and we will know.
Don't you love March Madness?
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