What makes a good pick go bad?

          On Tuesday evening my bracket was completed.  They looked like nothing but winners.  I picked a few upsets, but they were sure things.  The biggest upset that I picked was eleven seed N.C. State and they came through. I resisted the urge to pick Belmont over Georgetown.  I knew that Xavier could beat the fighting Irish because I remember Winthrop beating them a few years ago and Jeff swears by the A-10.  They didn’t let me down.  I knew to go with Florida and Florida State because Florida will be a battleground state in November and it is never too early to curry favor with them.  They came through.  Same thing with Ohio, but I missed Ohio because I picked Michigan because I figured they improved due to the auto bailout.

          My bracket lost its way when Missouri lost.  I was a genius on Tuesday night when I picked them to go all the way, joining Jim Goff as the only other true bracketologist.  A bounce here and there and Norfolk State is having the times of their young lives.  A few hours later Lehigh who had exactly as many NCAA tournament wins as Rock Hill High before the Duke game was making sure that Coach K’s worried look was more than an act.  I knew Duke was not the usual Duke team but I remembered the magic of “the shot” that completed the comeback against UNC.  Alabama had the best football team in the country so surely they would have at least one win in them but they came up a point short. 

          I forgot that USF was also in Florida and picked Temple over them.  They won.  UConn lost.  One of my teams lost to a school named St. Mary’s.  Things were looking bad.

          One thing was certain Wichita State would take VCU for two reasons. One, Gregg Marshall is a great coach and everyone knows Cinderella cannot return to the ball.  But they don’t play in glass slippers and VCU won.  My other firewall was Vandy a sure bet for the elite eight. The just lost because the ball just doesn’t always bounce the right way.

          There is a bright side to this the fans of the schools beating my picks were extremely happy.  If I can make a few folks happy by having a bracket go into the tank, it is two days well spent.  I also was able to help Will and Leslie do some painting but my painting is as bad as my bracketology. 

          Being a Gamecock fan we have gotten used to saying “wait ‘til next year.”  Then I will have the perfect bracket, if it can always be Tuesday evening.

 

Clarkson