March Madness Baby!

After a week off because 1) It was a quiet week all things considered, and 2) My commentary, which is essentially the very, very shortened rough draft of the blog, was written in 7 minutes at 10 pm. I had no intention of expanding upon it, because there really wasn't a whole lot to expand on. So here we are this week, and obviously it's one of the more wonderful times of the year. Let the Madness begin in college basketball! Last week there were plenty of fantastic games in the conference tournaments (notably the SEC final, A-10 final, and the entire Big East tourney), and if those games were any indication as to how the NCAA Tourney will turn out, college basketball fans everywhere will be in for a wild few weeks. But before you fill out those brackets, take these tips. I would guarantee them, then I remembered how my method turned out last year... anyways follow these 8 steps and you should be good to go. Here's my bracket if you wanted to take a look.

Obviously, take a 12-seed over a 5-seed. A must have for any smart bracket. This year there are some prime candidates in UTEP over Butler, Cornell over Temple, and Utah State over Texas A&M. I picked 2 of these 3 (UTEP and Cornell), and expect at least 1 to pull the upset.

There's a reason teams are ranked 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. If you pick a 15- or 16-seed to pull off a first round upset, or even a 14- or 13-seed, do the following: stop reading this now, put down your pen, and shred your bracket into a million pieces. Why? Because you are an idiot. There's a difference between taking a risk and being flat out ridiculous. The only team that could lose among any of the top 4 seeds is Purdue because without Robbie Hummel, they aren't that good. Picking Siena to topple the Boilermakers is the exception to this rule.

The Big East is the best league in the country. Of the 15 Big East Tournament games, 9 were decided by 5 points or less. The difference between West Virginia (2-seed in the NCAAs and tournament champs), Cincinnati (NIT bound), and Louisville (9-seed) is 3 points. South Florida and UConn, both going to the NIT, beat top 15 teams multiple times this year. If you go .500 in the Big East, you are pretty darn good. In a field where 57 of the 65 teams are not from the Big East, the 8 who are in should be licking their chops. In fact, 3 of my 4 Final Four teams are from the Big East: Syracuse, West Virginia, and surprisingly, Notre Dame.

Throw any and all allegiances out the window. My favorite video game for a long time was NCAA March Madness 2000. And because using Connecticut was too easy, I liked to challenge myself using awful teams like Arkansas Pine-Bluff, UTEP, and San Diego State. But I'm not stupid, none of those teams will advance past the 2nd round, and for the Golden Lions of A-PB, they might lose the play-in game. Just because I began to kind of follow them doesn't mean I've lost sight of reality. You shouldn't either. Sorry to all the Lehigh and Wofford fans out there.

Do not, by any means, talk trash without the results to back it up. You think just because you watch a lot of college basketball that you're gonna automatically win your pool? Think you have more sports knowledge than everyone else? Fine. But by no means should you brag until the money and/or bragging rights are yours. I've heard of stories where people have won their pools for ridiculous reasons, ranging from liking the team name or logo, to flipping a coin 64 times to determine winners. So, yes, there may be a guy who hands his bracket to his 10-year old daughter to fill out, who picks anyone named the Wildcats because she really, really likes High School Musical. Should you mock that person? NO. Because having Kentucky, Villanova, and Kansas State as 3 of your 4 Final Four teams isn't ludicrous.

How a team finishes is a heck of a lot more important than how they started. In November, Texas and Villanova would be 1-seeds and Wake Forest would be a Sweet 16 team at worst. 4 months later times have changed. The only reason the Longhorns or Demon Deacons will advance is because they play each other. 'Nova lost 5 of their last 7, and I expect them to lose in the Sweet 16.

Ohio State and West Virginia, meanwhile, have raised their games as of late. There is no one in the nation I would rather have take a game-winning shot than Da'Sean Butler of the Mountaineers (6 buzzer beaters this year). Did you see that game winner against Georgetown?! Are you kidding me? He is the reason I picked WVU to win it all.

Don't put all of the #1 seeds in the Final Four. It has only happened once since 1979 (2008: UCLA, Memphis, UNC, Kansas). There is just too much parity for it to happen.

There are no George Masons out there. Get over it. Don't put an 11-seed in the Final Four. Minnesota showed they can compete with some good teams, but the great ones are too much for them. San Diego State is good, but Kansas, Ohio State, Georgetown, and Maryland are all better. Washington would have to go through Marquette and WVU (see Big East, above), then Kentucky, who has the most talent in the country. Old Dominion has the best chance. But I'm not going to put too much money on them. Sorry.

When in doubt, flip a coin. It may seem rudimentary and dumb, but sometimes a little luck can go a long way. I did it 4 times because I was just that stuck. And all were Sweet 16 matchups too. I believe that round is the hardest to choose from. This should not by any means be done on a consistent basis, nor should it be relied upon. It is merely an easy way to relieve yourself of the headache that is sure to come otherwise.

For those of you who fill out a women's bracket too, one word: UConn. 72 game winning streak. Every win by double digits. The two best players in the country. Two other all-conference players. The smartest coach in the country. The nation's top offense and defense. Are you convinced yet?