It’s March and that can only mean one thing: March Madness! Yes, it’s the name given to the annual NCAA Basketball Tournament because nobody knows exactly what will happen. Selection Sunday, where all of the 68 teams are seeded and chosen, is this Sunday. The First Four games are on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament culminates with the Final Four in Arlington, Texas, on April 5th and 7th. Many offices around the country have office pools for their employees. Friends can become bitter enemies because of the teams they select. During March, people who are otherwise uninterested in college basketball seem to be the smartest people on Earth because they pick the correct Cinderella team(s). It isn’t that they choose a certain team, but how. Often times, those who don’t pay attention to college basketball choose winners based on nicknames and colors. While using this “strategy”, factors which seem somewhat relevant are completely ignored: seeding, team chemistry, statistics, superstar players, momentum, just to name a few. Rather than focus on the probabilities and other numbers, I will keep this fun and friendly.
Speaking of nicknames, here’s a small sampling of teams who have been previously in the NCAA Tournament: Aztecs, Bulldogs, Cardinals, Dragons, Eagles, Friars, Gators, Hoyas, (Fighting) Illini, Jayhawks, Knights, Longhorns, Musketeers, Nittany Lions, Owls, Panthers, Quakers, Runnin’ Rebels, Spartans, Tar Heels, Utes, Vikings, Wildcats, (E)xplorers, Yellow Jackets, and Zips. How is one supposed to pick if a wildcat is better than a panther? How about a spartan or a viking? These otherwise hypothetical matchups, and many more, are made a reality by March Madness. Have some fun coming up with some matchups which intrigue your imagination. Although this method doesn’t seem too logical, it can be pretty fun using. What if two teams with the same nickname are matched against each other? How will someone who doesn’t know anything about the teams decide who wins? One way is to look at their color(s).
Every color has more than one shade, and sports teams are no different. It isn’t as simple as choosing blue, red, orange, or any other color; picking a color means you have picked a side of a rivalry. This is a concept any sports fan can understand and appreciate, but especially college basketball fans. Is it “Duke Blue” or “Carolina Blue”? Or is it one of the many other shades of blue closely associated with another team? Is it “Cardinal Red” or “Scarlet Red”? Is it another shade of red, for your favorite team? “Syracuse Orange” or “Burnt Orange?” To the otherwise uninterested person filling out a bracket, there is no difference between the shades. Go to North Carolina and ask a fan of college basketball if there is a difference between Carolina Blue and Duke Blue; the answers you’ll get will range from fiery passion to bitter hatred.
Every year, someone I know has a better bracket than I do. Actually, many people do. I am fine with this except the amount of time I put into filling out my bracket(s) is more than others. Call me weird, but the time and effort put into something should correlate to the end results, even if only a little. No, I don’t stress about something as out of control as March Madness, but I do believe I know more than my fair share of college basketball; especially during March, this can be a downfall. The feeling I get when one of my buddies who hasn’t watched more than a handful of games all season, yet has a better bracket than me, can be summed up in one word: frustration. Congratulations, you picked your winners based on who has a better nickname or what color you like more! Most likely, it is rubbed in my face for some time. I know it doesn’t just happen to me, and it can all be attributed to the madness. There is no point to sulk in defeat, so I choose to just enjoy each game, even if my team has been defeated.
- Brandon -
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