So You Realllly Want to Win an NCAA March Madness Bracket?
2010 NCAA MArch Madness brackets were released yesterday and at first glance it’s easy to see that the Midwest region is stacked. The region is home to the No. 1 overall seed (Kansas), perhaps the nation’s hottest team with the national POY in Evan Turner (Ohio State), a team that thrashed Duke (Georgetown), the co-ACC champ (Maryland) and the only two schools that have beaten the Jayhawks this season (Tennessee and Oklahoma State). Enough subplots to make your head spin. How do you sort that mess out?
I know all three of you are chomping at the bit to win the 2010 Breakfast is for Closers NCAA Tourney Pick’em of Champions, but for the other n00bies who don’t really know where to start with an empty bracket in front of your face, you are in luck. I myself am a fantastic college basketball analyst- in fact, I won a pool back in ’07. Below are some simple rules to choose your winners, and god willing you can follow these, you will win your pool guaranteed*. If Obama could pick the winner last year, you probably can too.
Do: Pick a 12 seed over a 5. Since 1989, it has happened every year but two. UTEP over Butler is a solid choice.
Don’t: Take a 16 over a 1, please. This has never happened–ever. Teams that are seeded 16 are 0-100 against number 1′s all time. 15′s aren’t winning either so sorry to the Gauchos and Murray St. alums.
Do: Advance a double-digit seed to the Sweet 16. Twenty-three have made it that far since 1985, and there are several candidates for deep runs this year.
Don’t: Advance them any further. Aside from George Mason’s miracle run three years ago as an 11 seed.
Do: Put at least one No. 1 seed in your Final Four. A top seed has reached the Final Four every year except 1980 and 2006.
Don’t: Put all four No. 1 seeds in the Final Four, this only happened last year.
Do: Go with your alma mater if you’re a Jayhawk, Wildcat, or Mountaineer.
Don’t: Pick your school if you went to Lehigh.
Do: Advance Duke deep, the No. 2 seed in their bracket is the falling Villanova.
Don’t: Pick them to win, that’d be either Kansas or Kentucky.
