Pick up your pencils, ladies and gentlemen. It’s gut-check time. Time to fill out your NCAA brackets.
Every year, I make a pact with myself. This year will be better. I will learn from past mistakes.
But then I look at my brackets and that all goes down the chute.
I get greedy. I don’t want to pick just the national champion. I want to be the genius who knew that the No. 13 Bradley Braves could and would upset the No. 4 Kansas Jayhawks. And I want to stand by “my” team – Illinois – and pick them go to the Final Four so that when they do, I can say, “I told you so.”
But then my brain gets in the way.
(By the way, that Bradley/Kansas prediction? If that result happens, you know where you heard it first.)
Last year was perfect. I could go with both my heart and my head. Illinois was the favorite and I didn’t have to feel too stupid when all was said and done.
This year is a little harder. I start thinking about the almighty Duke and UConn teams and how they couldn’t possibly lose before the Final Four. Never. Nope. Not gonna happen.
Could it?
You all probably have the same hang-ups I have. It’s OK. If you’re from Hollister, you want to pick Kyle Sharp and No. 12 Montana in a first-round upset over No. 5 Nevada in the Minneapolis Regional. If you’re from Gilroy, you’d probably love to see former Notre Dame standout Jessica Ross and the Pepperdine Waves – a true Cinderella team and a No. 15 seed – take down Bubba Paris’ twin daughters Ashley and Courtney (formerly of Piedmont High) and the second-seeded Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the women’s Boston Regional.
To help me in my decision-making, I try to ask others what they think. After all, knowledge is power.
“I’m going with Oral Roberts,” said fellow Dispatch reporter Kristen Munson. “Because God is on their side.”
The Golden Eagles might have God on their side, but they’ve got Memphis not on their side.
The Dispatch city editor, Robert Airoldi, offers a more logical approach. He looks at the seedings, reads what some expert sports writers think and then goes with his gut.
Airoldi also said he’s considering picking Illinois over UConn in the Sweet Sixteen. That at least makes me feel more strongly about my choice.
You want to know what I think? Of the No. 1 seeds, I think UConn (too unfocused) and Memphis (just a gut feeling) are most likely to get upset. I think teams would have to break J.J. Redick’s shooting arm just to have a chance at beating Duke, no matter who else fails to show up and play for the Blue Devils. I think people should be more afraid of Indiana, Iowa, North Carolina and Syracuse. I think the Hoosiers will beat Gonzaga in the round of sixteen.
Have I successfully made you feel insecure about your picks? Good.
Here’s the thing. Don’t think. It hurts too much and doesn’t help you any.
You can do what I do, which is fill out multiple brackets. That way, you get more chances to be right. However, I must warn that the rewards of this method are somewhat empty. But if you’re more about volume than value, it’s perfect. It’s a tough decision, I know.
So good luck to you all in filling out your brackets. Let me know if you come up with the sure-fire recipe for success.
For now, I will submit to the ideal that there’s no way to accurately predict a sporting event that has “Madness” in its title.
Ana Patejdl covers sports for South Valley Newspapers. She can be reached at ap******@gi************.com.
