T.G.I. Friday Games

No. 4 Texas Longhorns
27-7, 13-3 Big 12
vs.
No. 13 Oakland Grizzlies
25-9, 17-1 Summit

West Region
Bank of Oklahoma Center
Tulsa, OK
12:15 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Texas -10
Over/Under: 154

It's not really that long ago, that Texas looked a likely candidate for the No. 1 overall seed in the Big Dance. The Longhorns opened the season at a scorching 23-3, boasting wins over UNC and Kansas. Through Valentine's Day, Coach Rick Barnes' team had only lost Pittsburgh (by a bucket), USC (rocked, actually) and UConn (by a point in OT). But since then they've scuffled to a 5-4 mark. Those struggles combined with the presence of senior Oakland center Keith Benson make this a popular upset pick.

Standing at a muscular 6-11, Benson is the most impressive player in this game. He averages 18 points, 10 boards and more than 3.5 blocks per game. He's as close as Oakland may ever get to having an actual grizzly in the lineup. In his team's marquee win at Tennessee, Benson went for 26 and 10 with two blocks, he even dropped in a pair of three pointers. Against Oral Roberts in the championship game of the Summit League Tournament, Benson went 10 for 17 for the field and 8 of 12 from the line to score 28. He grabbed 14 boards, doled out 4 assists and blocked 3 shots while playing 38 out of 40 minutes. He is in full bloom and has the skills and the senior drive to lift his team over the Longhorns.

Worth Mentioning: Although I'd more often than not advance the Longhorns in my brackets, I'd be looking for a favorite that I thought would cover and parlay or tease that result with the underdog Oakland squad in this game. If I could tease UNC down to 11.5 and get Oakland up to 16 then I'd feel pretty good about winning that bet.

Picks
President Obama: Texas
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Oakland
Nate Silver/538: Texas (84%)
SI's Seth Davis: Oakland
Bill Simmons: Oakland
WWOD?: Texas

No. 8 Michigan Wolverines
20-13, 9-9 Big Ten
vs.
No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers
19-14, 8-8 SEC

West Region
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
12:40 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Tennessee -2
Over/Under: 127.5

For the past few seasons, I've felt like red-faced and manic coach Bruce Pearl was a strength of the Volunteers. Well, him and Wayne Chism's headband. But, that does not seem to be the case any longer. The tangerine bespoke suits have been covering up various NCAA rules violations. And when those were exposed, Pearl attempted to cover them up with lies. As always, the lying has done far more damage than the initial infractions themselves. The Tennessee AD looks poised to sack him once the season is out and turmoil is the order of the day in Knoxville.

Like any program accused of recruiting violations, though, the Vols have loads of talent. 6-foot--8 freshman forward Tobias Harris is from Dix Hills, NY and is an absolute beast for the Vols, averaging 15 and 7. Selected All-SEC Second Team by the league's coaches, Harris is a bona fide first-round prospect.

With another freshman, point guard Tim Hardaway. Jr., leading the charge, the Wolverines have been playing better lately, going 9-4 since late January. Still, their top wins came over Michigan State (twice), Penn State (twice) and Clemson whereas Tennessee has taken down Belmont (twice), Villanova, Pitt, Memphis and Vandy (twice). No matter how exciting Hardaway may be and how much I love point guards, I'm going to go with the SEC school that played a lot of Big East teams over the Big Ten team that swept Penn State.

Picks
President Obama:Michigan
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Tennessee
Nate Silver/538: Tennessee (57%)
SI's Luke Winn: Michigan
Dan Shanoff: Tennessee
WWOD?: Tennessee

No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
26-6, 14-4 Big East
vs.
No. 15 Akron Zips
23-12, 9-7 MAC

Southwest Region
United Center
Chicago, IL
1:40 p.m. EST

Point Spread: ND -14
Over/Under: 135.5

The number that interests me the most about No. 2 seeded Notre Dame isn't 3 (the number of players on the roster shooting better than 42% from three) or 10 (their national rank in assists per game). It's 77,500. That's the number of dollars that the state of Indiana fined the ND for safety violations that resulted in the death of a 20-year-old student Declan Sullivan, who was killed in a fall from a hydraulic scissor lift while videotaping football practice for the coaching staff. Despite winds of 53 mph in the area, the coaches didn't want to move practice indoors. About an hour before his death, Sullivan tweeted: “Gusts of wind up to 60 mph today will be fun at work … I guess I’ve lived long enough,” he wrote.

Picks
President Obama: ND
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: ND
Nate Silver/538: ND (91%)
SI's Luke Winn: ND
WWOD?: ND

No. 8 George Mason Patriots
26-6, 16-2 CAA
vs.
No. 9 Villanova Wildcats
21-11, 9-9 Big East

East Region
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH
2:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Villanova -1
Over/Under: 135

I just don't like the look of Villanova coach Jay Wright. For as long as I've been aware of him, I've disliked him. His smug face and his slick hair and his self-righteousness. All of it. Which is weird. Because I usually like those characteristics in a coach (see: Pearl, Calipari, Pitino). Nova is one of the most enigmatic teams in the field. They were a juggernaut early, exploding out the gate to a 16-1 start. But they flailed and failed down stretch, losing seven of their last nine, including five on the trot heading into this afternoon. So, it's hard to be to confident.

On the other side, the Patriots can score. They averaged 73.3 per game this season and their. 474 field goal percentage was 18th best in the nation. I worry, though, because this team didn't play any Big East clubs this season and lost to NC State, the only ACC school on the schedule. They did sweep conferencemates Old Dominion and split with VCU.

Due to the aforementioned Wright issues, I'll be rooting for George Mason to advance, but I have a hard time believing that the team that ranked 167th in rebounds per game (while playing a style that results in a lot of shots) is going to be able to withstand the physical test of playing a talented, albeit mercurial, Big East squad.

Picks
President Obama: George Mason
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: George Mason
Nate Silver/538: Villanova (61%)
Conan O'Brien: Villanova
SI's Luke Winn: George Mason
WWOD?: Villanova

No. 5 Arizona Hoopcats
27-7, 14-4 Pac 10
vs.
No. 12 Memphis Tigers
25-9, 10-6 C-USA

West Region
Bank of Oklahoma Center
Tulsa, OK
2:45 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Arizona -5.5
Over/Under: 139.5

When the most compelling case that sportswriters can make for your team's chances is that your young head coach rode the bench as a player several years ago for your favored opponent then I'm not interested in wagering on you.

Picks
President Obama: Arizona
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Arizona
Nate Silver/538: Arizona (67%)
SI's Stewart Mandel: Arizona
WWOD?: Hoopcats

No. 1 Duke Blue Devils
30-4, 13-3 ACC
vs.
No. 16 Hampton Pirates
24-8, 11-5 MEAC

East Region
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
3:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Duke -23
Over/Under: 134.5

I believed in NYC-schooled point guard Jamal Tinsley and thought that he had his Iowa State Cyclones whirling and wrecking their way to the Final Four in 2001. It was Tinsley's senior year and he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. In Rucker Park, he was also known as Mel Mel the Abuser. My bracket was filled accordingly. I made my picks around Iowa State, choosing upsets elsewhere to create a path of least resistance for them. This seemed incredibly foolish when they were upset in the first round by Hampton, a place that until then I'd only thought of in terms of Phish concerts. It was just the fourth time that a No. 15 seed every toppled a No. 2.

Odds are long that Hampton will become the first No. 16 ever to topple a No. 1 today when they tip off against Duke, especially when considering the news that highly-rated freshman point guard Kyrie Irving is returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for most of the season.



Born in Elizabeth, NJ, Irving is a dark-skinned Dukie that even Jalen Rose can appreciate. Yet his presence is perhaps the only thing that could help the Pirates. Perhaps Duke will be thrown off their game by reincorporating him into the rotation. Perhaps Nolan Smith would not like being moved back off the ball. Or, perhaps, I just spent more time writing this game capsule than any of us will actually watching this game.

Picks
President Obama: Duke
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Duke
Nate Silver/538: Duke (91%)
SI's Stewart Mandel: Duke
WWOD?: Coach Kommercial

No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies
24-8, 10-6 Big 12
vs.
No. 10 Florida State Seminoles
21-10, 11-5 ACC

Southwest Region
United Center
Chicago, IL
4:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Texas A&M -1
Over/Under: 122

Boston College beat Texas A&M. Boston College lost to Florida State. Ipso facto Florida State should beat Texas A&M. It's elementary, my dear Lunardi.

Worth Mentioning: This game has the second lowest Over/Under of anything on today's schedule. So fasten your seat belts.

Picks
President Obama: Florida State
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Florida State
Nate Silver/538: Florida State (56%)
SI's Luke Winn: Texas A&M
WWOD?: Whomever Toney Douglas is rooting for.

No. 1 Ohio State Buckeyes
32-2, 16-2 Big Ten
vs.
UT-San Antonio Roadrunners
20-13, 9-7 Houston

East Region
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH
4:40 p.m. EST

Obviously, I've spent thousands or words and nearly as many at-work minutes making all of this NCAA stuff impenetrably complicated (and hopefully interesting), but sometimes you don't need to overthink these games. Ohio State is the best team in the country. UTSA isn't even the best school in the University of Texas family. Not even close. By the end, these roadrunners may be looking more like Wile. E. Coyote.

Picks
President Obama: Ohio State
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Ohio State
Nate Silver/538: Ohio State (99.7%)
SI's Luke Winn: Ohio State
WWOD?: Ohio State

No. 1 Kansas Jayhawks
32-2, 14-2 Big 12
vs
No. 16 Boston University Terriers
21-13, 12-4 Am East

Southwest Region
Bank of Oklahoma Center
Tulsa, OK
6:50 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Kansas -22.5
Over/Under: 136

If this were a hockey game then I'd be going BU all the way. But it's hoops, so see Ohio State entry. Rock. Chalk. Jayhawk.

Picks
President Obama: Kansas
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Kansas
Nate Silver/538: Kansas (79%)
SI's Luke Winn: Kansas
WWOD?: Kansas

No. 2 UNC Tar Heels
26-7, 14-2 ACC
vs. No. 15 Long Island University Blackbirds
27-5, 16-2 NEC
East Region
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
7:15 p.m. EST

Point Spread: UNC -17.5
Over/Under: 158.5



Jimmy Fallon picked LIU. Your argument is invalid.

Picks
President Obama: UNC
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: UNC
Nate Silver/538: UNC (93%)
SI's Luke Winn: UNC
WWOD?: UNC

No. 3 Purdue Boilermarkers
25-7, 14-4 Big Ten
vs.
No. 14 St. Peter's Peacocks
20-13, 11-7 MAAC

Southwest Region
United Center
Chicago, IL
7:20 p.m. EST

Point Spread:Purdue -14.5
Over/Under: 120

A boilermaker is a beverage composed of a glass of beer and a shot of whisky. Sea Bass digs them. A peacock is made from banana liqueur, blue curacao, melon liqueur, peach schnapps and chambord.

Despite, this overwhelming advantage to Purdue, as a Jersey City resident, I'm pulling for St. Peter's mostly just to go try to be the random bearded 30-year-old at the college celebration party gassing cigarettes and pulling off a flask.

Picks
President Obama: Purdue
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Purdue
Nate Silver/538: Purdue (93%)
SI's Luke Winn: Purdue
WWOD?: Purdue

No. 6 Xavier Muskateers
24-7, 15-1 A10
vs.
No. 11 Marquette Golden Eagles
20-14, 9-9 Big East

East Region
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH
7:50 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Xavier -2
Over/Under: 140.5

There are two midmajors that aren't. One is Gonzaga. The other is Xavier. The muskateers are regulars in the tournament. They've been so often that their glass slippers have lead toes and are made by Timberland.

Picks
President Obama: Marquette
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Marquette
Nate Silver/538: Xavier (52%)
SI's Luke Winn: Xavier
WWOD?: Xavier

No. 8 UNLV Runnin' Rebels
24-8, 11-5 MWC
vs.
No. 9 Illinois Fighting Illini
19-13, 9-9 Big Ten

Southeast Region
Bank of Oklahoma Center
Tulsa, OK
9:17 p.m. EST

Point Spread: UNLV -2.5
Over/Under: 132.5

With so much attention being paid to ESPN's Fab Five documentary, HBO's documentary on the Johnson-Anthony-Augmon Runnin' Rebs has garnered little notice. I don't think this game changes that. Five of UNLV's eight losses came to San Diego State or BYU, which is very impressive. The problem is their wins. Yeah, they did beat Wisconsin and K-State but no one else of note. Led by senior guard Demetri McCamey, Illinois vanquished UNC, Gonzaga, Oakland, Michigan State, Michigan while taking Texas to overtime and narrowing losing to Ohio State once (and being rolled the other time). They also beat Wisconsin.



Picks
President Obama: Illinois
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: UNLV
Nate Silver/538: Illini (59%)
SI's Luke Winn: UNLV
WWOD?: Illinois

No. 6 Georgetown Hoyas
21-10, 10-8 Big East
vs.
No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth Rams
24-11, 12-6 CAA

Southwest Region
United Center
Chicago, IL
9:55 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Georgetown -5
Over/Under: 134

This game taking place just one day after St. Patrick's Day would seem to bode well for the Hoyas. That the Rams had to play the USC Trojans two days before the commemoration of St. Patrick riding the snakes from the Garden would also seem to favor the favorite.

Yet, Georgetown isn't exactly what they seem to be. With senior guard Chris Wright sidelined with a broken hand since late February, the Hoyas have dropped five straight games heading into the tournament. Before Wright went down, Georgetown had knocked off five ranked teams and was 21-6. Since then, though, they've lost to Cincinnati twice as part of that losing streak. Wright was injured in the first loss to the Bobcats and his team floundered, managing just 46 points. In the next meeting two weeks later, Cincy rocked the Hoyas by 22.

In the last game the Hoyas won, Wright scored 26 points while contributing 3 boards, 4 assists and 1 steal. It was a much-needed bounceback win over South Florida, coming right after a tough loss to UConn. Wright was the guy that lifted the team when it needed lifting and tellingly injured himself diving to the floor for a loose ball. Without him they have been rudderless. Even worse, they were meek.

If this team had struggled with Wright down the stretch or even managed to split with Cincy without him then the Hoyas would be the pick here. Even without Wright, the Hoyas are more talented than the Bobcats. It really is telling to me that they lost to them twice in a short span of time. Sort of like the Knicks dropping pairs to the Pacers and Cavs in short order. These things are revealing about a team's fortitude.

The good news for the Hoyas is that Wright is supposed to play tonight. How he'll play remains to be seen, but he should be one the floor. But, this isn't Kyrie Irving returning to play a reserve role on a team hitting on all cylinders and on the fast track to the Final Four. This is a sputtering team time trying to switch drivers will stalling out in the breakdown lane. I think Wright helps but not enough to derail a VCU team already humming.

Picks
President Obama: Georgetown
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Georgetown
SI's Stewart Mandel: USC (who lost to VCU in play-in game)
Conan O'Brien: Georgetown
WWOD?: VCU

No. 7 Washington Huskies
24-10, 11-7 Pac 10
vs.
No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs
21-12, 9-7 SEC

East Region
Time Warner Cable Arena
Charlotte, NC
10:08 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Washington -5
Over/Under: 140

It sends an icy chill down my spine whenever I hear that name. Thankfully most sportscasters, at least around here, are aware enough of the PTSD rampant among hoops fans to make clear that they're not taking about that Isiah Thomas when they're taking about Washington's Isaiah Thomas. This other diminutive Thomas spells his name like the Old Testament prophet and not like the egomaniacal hoops star turned ruiner of franchises and minor leagues.

Not much taller than Nate Robinson, who starred in a Huskies' run to the Sweet Sixteen, Thomas knocked down a stepback winner at the buzzer in the finals of the Pac 10 tournament. The junior dynamo is a gamebreaker who can score and distribute, and he has the scoring talent and charismatic confidence to upset UNC in the next round all on his own.



Picks
President Obama: Washington
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Washington
SI's Stewart Mandel: Washington
Bill Simmons: Washington
WWOD?: Kemba West


No. 3 Syracuse Orange
27-7, 12-6 Big East
vs.
No. 14 Indiana State Sycamores
20-14, 12-6 MVC

East Region
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH
10:30 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Syracuse -12
Over/Under: 129.5

It's true that Larry Bird played college basketball for Indiana State. He was a 6-9 forward. In their last came, an upset over Missouri State that earned them a bid in the Dance, the Sycamores started players with heights of 6-5, 6-8, 6-4, 6-3 and 6-4 while getting key contributions off the bench from guys listed at 6-6, 6-4 and 6-2. The Orange, meanwhile, start dudes listed at 6-9, 6-7, 6-10, 6-2 and 6-4 while bringing in reinforcements measured at 6-4, 6-8 and 7 feet. In this case a bunch or Oranges are going to tower over the Sycamores.

Picks
President Obama: Syracuse
ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Syracuse
SI's Luke Winn: Syracuse
Bill Simmons: Syracuse
WWOD?: Syracuse

Pencils Down, Brackets to the Front of the Pool

No. 5 West Virginia Mountaineers
20-11, 11-7 Big East
vs
No. 12 Clemson Tigers
22-11, 9-7 ACC

East Region
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL
12:15 p.m. EST

To kick things off, we've got two stout but flawed teams from power conferences going at it. Both play solid defense, allowing less than 65 points per game. Clemson is coming off a win over UAB on Tuesday night in Dayton while West Virginia last played on March 9, when they squandered a sizeable first-half lead to Marquette in the Big East Tournament. After Clemson's play-in win they had to fly to Florida. They didn't hit their hotel until nearly sun-up on Wednesday and are tipping off just after noontime on Thursday. If scrappy WVU guard Joe Mazzula - who got some national ink last season for playing well with a shoulder injury in the tournament - can get the Mountaineers off to a fast start then I think the physical toll of playing in the so-called "First Four" will start to show on Clemson. And even if Clemson comes in with the momentum after winning its first NCAA game in 14 years, I'd give WVU the edge down the stretch for having played in the better conference during the regular season. Moreover, Clemson's 3-7 road record doesn't give me much confidence that they're going to reel off another neutral site win under these circumstances.

Worth Mentioning: Yup, it's the 5/12 matchup that has historically produced so many upsets. I tend to think that the archetypal 5/12 matchup features an under-seeded mid-major and an over-seeded team from a power conference. That is not the case here, with an ACC and a Big East school. Nevertheless, in a bracket pool that rewards upsets it might be worth considering picking all the 12 seeds.

Point Spread: WVU -2
Over/Under: 123.5

Picks:
President Obama: WVU
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Clemson
SI's Luke Winn: Clemson
Dan Shanoff: WVU
Conan O'Brien: WVU
Nate Silver/538: WVU (55%)
WWOD?: West Virginia

No. 8 Butler Bulldogs
23-9, 13-5 Horizon
vs
No. 9 Old Dominion Monarchs
27-6, 14-4 CAA

Southeast Region
Verizon Center
Washington, D.C.
12:40 p.m. EST

Last year's Final Final darlings, Butler, came within inches of winning a national championship in 2010. I don't think that they're going to get that close this year. In fact, I will probably wager that they don't last through the weekend. With Gordon Hayward, the rangy player with the damn-near unlimited range who heaved that near-miss against Duke in the final, plying his trade before the sympathetic fans of Utah at the next level, Butler depends too much on oft-foul-troubled Matt Howard. If the fiery Howard gets into foul trouble, which seems likely against a physical and veteran Old Dominion group that rebounds relentlessly, then the Bulldogs are neutered.

Many of those aforementioned ODU rebounds come at the offensive end. This is one of my go-to stats for March. I dig offensive rebounds, and ODU was tied for second in the nation with 15.5 per game. The team's total of 511 on the season led the nation. I also tend to favor mid-major teams stacked with upper classmen. Again, ODU comes through. The Monarchs start three seniors and two juniors, with another senior playing big minutes off the bench. In their CAA conference title game win over Virginia Commonwealth (who dispatched USC last night with ease), ODU only had two minutes played by a sophomore, without a freshman touching the floor.

Worth Mentioning: Both teams are hot, having each won 9 games on the trot so I expect a tight game and would only be surprised if one team managed to rout the other.

Point Spread: ODU -2
Over/Under: 122.5

Picks:
President Obama: Butler
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: ODU
SI's Seth Davis: ODU
Slam Magazine: ODU
USA Today's Tim Gardner: ODU
David Letterman: Butler
WWOD?: ODU

No. 4 Louisville Cardinals
25-9, 12-6 Big East
vs
No. 11 Morehead State Eagles
24-9, 13-5 OVC

Southwest Region
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
1:40 p.m. EST

The first non rec league basketball team that I saw play a lot in person was Rick Pitino's running and pressing Knickerbockers of the late 1980s. It was back before the white suits, back when Patrick Ewing was a spry seven-foot dynamo and Mark Jackson was a savvy and surly youngster wearing a gold chain on the fast break. It was a fun team to root for (even if that style killed Ewing's knees), and I've rooted for Pitino's college teams ever since. They run, they press and they try to win the game aggressively. WWOD? approves.

But, I'm not picking rooting for Pitino's Cards in their opening game. I'm going with the nation's leading rebounder Kenneth Faried of Morehead State. This wild-haired and loose-limbed leaper pulls down 14.5 boards per game and 5.7 of those come on the offensive glass. Thanks to a rough-and-tumble upbringing and a mother with failing kidneys, Faried has been the subject of human interest stories by every credentialed college columnist. Aside from being a heckuva story, he's a preternaturally gifted athlete with a motor that won't stop. Projected a a Dennis Rodman-type at the NBA level, I would love it if the Knicks were able to draft this perpetual motion rebounding machine late in the first round come June.

Worth Mentioning: Louisville has only two players who averaged more than 5 rebounds per game this season and neither of them grab better than 6.1 per contest. Faried could and should run amok on the glass. He averages more offensive boards per game than all but one of L'ville's players average total boards per game.

Point Spread: Louisville -9.5
Over/Under: 131

Picks:
President Obama: Louisville
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Louisville
SI's Seth Davis: Louisville
Special K of the Harlem Globetrotters: Louisville
Nate Silver/538: Louisville (81%)
David Letterman: Louisville
WWOD?: My heart says Morehead State (while my head agrees with everyone else), especially if I'm getting the points.

No. 7 Temple Owls
25-7, 14-2 A-10
vs.
No. 10 Penn St. Nittany Lions
19-14, 9-9 Big Ten

West Region
McKale Center
Tucson, AZ
2:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Temple -2.5
Over/Under: 121.5

Prominent among my many annual bracket biases is a distrust of the Big Ten. I understand that Ohio State is the highest rated of the No. 1 seeds, but I don't believe that a rising Buckeye tide lifts all Big Ten boats. In terms of building a bracket, I don't see either of these teams giving San Diego State a problem in the next round so I'm not overly invested with this one either way.

Worth Mentioning: Penn State twice beat a ranked Wisconsin squad, along with wins over ranked Illinois and Michigan State.

Picks:
President Obama: Temple
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Temple
SI's Seth Davis: Temple
David Letterman: Penn St.
Nate Silver/538:Temple (55%)
WWOD?: Temple

No. 4 University of Kentucky Wildcatts
25-8, 10-6 SEC
vs.
No. 14 Princeton Tigers
25-6, 12-2 Ivy

East Region
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL
2:45 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Kentucky -13.5
Over/Under: 131

Princeton edged Harvard on the below buzzer-beating basket just to reach this game. It took everything they had to beat Harvard, who just got walloped in the opening round of the NIT by Oklahoma State.



I think most hoops watchers out there would be awfully surprised if the Ivy League school added another highlight to its year-end tape. Even without John Wall or DeMarcus Cousins, this Kentucky team managed to win the SEC Conference Tournament last week. Like any Calipari-recruited team, they've got talent for miles and a lack of poise and scheme for days. As much as I'd like for brains triumph over braun, I'm going to side with the athletes.

Worth Mentioning: This is a senior-laden Princeton squad that isn't going to give up no matter how far they fall behind. I could see a back-door cover against a younger 'cats group that might let their guard down if they seem to have the game in hand.

Picks:
President Obama: Kentucky
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Kentucky
SI's Luke Winn: Kentucky
Conan O'Brien: Kentucky
Nate Silver/538: Kentucky (88%)
WWOD?: Kentucky

No. 1 Pittsburgh Panthers
27-5, 15-3 Big East
vs.
No. 16 UNC-Asheville Bulldogs
20-13, 11-7 Big South

Southeast Region
Verizon Center
Washington, DC
3:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Pitt -18
Over/Under: 135

Considering that UNC-Asheville sells itself as the public liberal arts school of North Carolina, I'd like to think that, win or lose, the world will be richer some riveting narrative accounts of the Bulldogs' journey into the NCAA tournament. Thinking as an editor, I'd suggest that the book would open with the delirious high of Matt Dickey's ridiculous buzzer beater against Coastal Carolina.



Beginnings, though, are the easy part. For this story to have a memorable ending rooted in the Southern Gothic tradition, Asheville probably needs to be absolutely pasted by Pitt. Perhaps Dickey will blind himself with lime like Hazel Motes in Flannery O'Connor's Wise Blood. Now that would cause a stir.

Picks:
President Obama: Pitt
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Pitt
SI's Luke Winn: Pitt
David Letterman: Pitt
Nate Silver/538: Pitt (97%)
WWOD?: Pitt

No. 5 Vanderbilt Commodores
23-10, 9-7 SEC
vs.
No. 12 Richmond Spiders
27-7, 13-3 A-10

Southwest Region
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
4:10 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Vandy -3
Over/Under: 135

Unlike the West Virginia-Clemson contest, this game is your classic 5/12 matchup. In Vandy, you’ve got a middling team from a power conference that no one really thinks can do much. Yeah, the Commodores played a solid schedule and have accrued a few signature wins (over UNC, Kentucky, St. Mary’s and Belmont), but nobody is sold, least of all the President of the United States.

On the other side of the ledger, you’ve got the Richmond Spiders, a potentially under-seeded squad with 27 wins out of the Atlantic 10. The Spiders can fill it up at better than 70 points per game and word on the street is that Vandy's defense is Knickerbockerian. If you recall, the Spiders were outsed last year by Omar Samhan and St. Mary’s after earning a No. 7 seed. They had one less regular-season win last year than they’ve got this season. I'd imagine that they're more comfortable in the underdog role here whereas I don't know if Vanderbilt can see itself as a Goliath. A marquee win against Purdue early in the season proves the Spiders have got the minerals for an upset here.

Picks:
President Obama: Richmond
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Richmond
Dan Shanoff: Richmond
SI's Andy Glockner: Richmond
Nate Silver/538: Vanderbilt (59%)
WWOD?: I'm afraid of Spiders. Also, Richmond with the points.

No. 2 San Diego State Aztecs
32-2, 14-2 MWC
vs.
No. 15 Northern Colorado Bears
21-10, 13-3 Big Sky

West Region
McKale Center
Tucson, AZ
4:45 p.m. EST

Point Spread: SD State -15.5
Over/Under:130

I have purchased tickets for the night when the Steve Fisher Redemption Tour stops in my town. The former Fab Five coach, Fisher has the Aztecs bringing it every night, and they have an average margin of victory of 13.3 points per game this season. Their only losses of the season came to BYU, who they later beat in the conference tournament. And, last I checked (which happened just once a few minutes ago), the University of Northern Colorado is not a Mormon school. In other words, no Jimmer.



Picks:
President Obama: SD State
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: SD State
David Letterman: SD State
SI's Luke Winn: SD State
Nate Silver/538: SD State (93%)
WWOD?: Aztecs

No. 2 Florida Gators
26-7, 13-3 SEC
vs.
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos
18-13, 8-8 Big West

Southeast Region
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL
6:50 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Florida -13
Over/Under: 128

Without any must-see team in the SEC this season, I didn't see very much of Florida ths year. I'm aware the Gators won the SEC regular-season title and that they looked good heading into halftime at the SEC Tourney Final (before Kentucky ran away from them). I also know that gifted 6-foot-10 senior forward Chandler Parsons leads the team in rebounding (11.5) and assists (3.5). That second fact, particularly, impresses me. I know that guard play is huge in the Dance, but Bigs who can board and dime are rare.

Like I said, I may not know much about Florida, but I do know that everything that I do know about them is far more impressive than playing .500 ball in the Big West Conference like the Gauchos did during the regular season.

Worth mentioning: The Gauchos won the Big West Tournament to earn this bid by beating teams that had swept them during the regular season. Perhaps they've caught lightning in a bottle. Not necesarily enough lightning to strike down a No. 2 seed, but perhaps enough to cover the Vegas point spread.

Picks:
President Obama: Florida
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Florida
SI's Seth Davis: Florida
Nate Silver/538: Florida (95%)
WWOD?: Gators

No. 4 Brigham Young Cougars
30-4, 14-2 MWC
vs.
No. 14 Wofford Terriers
21-12, 14-4 Southern

Southeast Region
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
7:15 p.m. EST

Point Spread: BYU -8.5
Over/Under: 147

Without forward Brandon Davies, who was kicked out of school for violating the honor code by having consensual intercourse with his girlfriend, there is no pretending that BYU is anything but a one-man band. They are arguably the most vulnerable favored team in the tournament because if all-world guard Jimmer Freddette rolls an ankle or gets in foul trouble then this team is cooked. Well, I'm sure that the Cougars are more worried about the ankle because Jimmer takes the same view on defense as his school's administrators do on premarital sex. That being said, as a one-man band this dude is about as effective as Trent Reznor. He can do it all.



On the other hand ...



Picks:
President Obama: BYU
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: BYU
SI's Tim Layden: BYU
Nate Silver/538: BYU (86%)
WWOD?: Jimmer

No. 2 UConn Huskies
26-9, 9-9 Big East
vs.
No. 15 Bucknell Bisons
25-8, 13-1 Patriot

West Region
Verizon Center
Washington, DC
7:20 p.m. EST

Point Spread: UConn -10.5
Over/Under: 132

The concern that everyone has about Kemba Walker and the UConn Huskies is their fatigue after running the gauntlet of the Big East Tournament with five wins in five nights. I share that concern. But I don't think it applies to this game because these guys haven't played in a few days. Maybe it catches up with them on Saturday or next weekend. But I think today they need to be more concerned with coach Calhoun's celebratory antics. That guy is a danger to himself and those around him.



Picks:
President Obama: UConn
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: UConn
Conan O'Brien: UConn
Nate Silver/538: UConn (81%)
WWOD?: Kemba

No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers
23-8, 13-5 Big Ten
vs.
No. 13 Belmont Bruins
30-4, 19-1 A-Sun

Southeast Region
McKale Center
Tucson, AZ
7:27 p.m. EST

Point Spread: 5
Over/Under: 126

I played on a university soccer team while studying abroad in England. Our team was the Badgers. We had a Welsh graduate student named Gareth on the roster. He was a sort a den mother, who was more useful off the pitch when it came to arranging train schedules and drink meet-ups, then he was in action against UCL. Still, he was very proud of his affiliation with the team and is surely playing on the old boys side in a London park every weekend. Aside from being very pleasant company, he was full of knowledge about our animal namesake. From him, I learned just how fierce a badger can be. I leanerd that the way a badger's jaw is constructed makes it impossible for any prey to unclamp it. Once a badger has it's teeth sunk in, you're surrendering whatever appendage that it's got before it unhinges that jaw.

Now, I don't think that these Wisconsin badgers are particularly fierce. Their power is more in their conservative consistency than in any sudden ferocity. In this way, they're sort of like Gareth. To their credit, they did beat Ohio State. The Bruins, meanwhile don't seem to have a win over a ranked team in their deceptive total of 30.

Picks:
President Obama: Wisconsin
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Belmont
SI's Seth Mandel: Belmont
Nate Silver/538: Wisconsin (81%)
WWOD?: Fear the Badgers

No. 7 UCLA Bruins
22-10, 13-5 Pac 10
vs.
No. 11 Michigan State Spartans
19-14, 9-9 Big Ten

Southeast Region
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa, FL
9:20 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Michigan State -1.5
Over/Under: 125

What an odd spot for these two teams to meet. And, no, I don't mean Tampa. I mean, the first round. For the better part of a decade, these two clubs wouldn't likely meet until the second weekend at the earliest in the NCAA tourney. Yet after up-and-down-and-down-again years, here we are. Tom Izzo and Ben Howland coaching against one another in the (real) opening round. Although I historically bet Izzo, I'm more impressed by UCLA's recent win over Arizona and their not-so recent almost-win over Kansas. In the Bruins' last game (loss to Oregon) in the Pac-10 tourney, they started two sophomores, a freshman and two juniors while getting big minutes off the bench from two freshman and a junior. Perhaps these Bruins Kids are finding their stride at the right time. If they're not awestruck by the moment then I trust Howland to keep them disciplined enough on defense to win this game. If not, I'll return to betting on Izzo next year.

Picks:
President Obama: Michigan State
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Michigan State
SI's Andy Staples: Michigan State
Bill Simmons/Joe House: Michigan State
Nate Silver/538: Michigan State (67%)
WWOD?: UCLA

No. 6 Cincinnati Bearcats
25-8, 11-7 Big East
vs.
No. 11 Missouri Tigers
22-10, 8-8 Big 12

West Region
Verizon Center
Washington, DC
9:45 p.m. EST

Point Spread: Pick
Over/Under: 137.5

Cincinnati is on the upswing. No doubt about it. They've improved their win total in each of the last four seasons and more than held their own in the best conference in the country this season, but I just don't think they're ready for the "Fastest 40 Minutes in Basketball" style that Missouri is going to run at them. Mizzou is one of those athletic up-tempo teams that provides a bad mismatch for so many consistently solid but physically unspectacular teams. Missouri averages 81.4 points per game whereas Cincinnati gives up just 59.2. Something's got to give. I'm going to guess it's Cincy's poise when the scoreboard starts looking like a slot machine.

Picks:
President Obama: Cincinnati
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Cincinnati
Conan O'Brien: Cinncinnati
SI's Luke Winn: Cincinnati
Bill Simmons/Joe House: Missouri
Nate Silver/538: Cincinnati (51%)
WWOD?: Missouri

No. 6 St. John's Red Storm
21-11, 12-6 Big East
vs.
No. 11 Gonzaga Bulldogs
24-9, 11-3 WCC

Southeast Region
Pepsi Center
Denver, CO
9:55 p.m. EST

Point Spread: St. John's -1.5
Over/Under: 135

From January 30th through February 26, the Johnnies toppled Duke, UConn, Pitt and Villanova. It was February Fanaticism at Madison Square Garden. Not since the days of Ron Artest, had the Storm been getting as much pub in the Big Apple. Steve Lavin was getting massive ovations while in stands at Knicks games, and his team came into the Big East Tournament looking to serve notice to leaguemates, like Syracuse, that the World's Most Famous Arena belonged them. The Johnnies squeaked by Rutgers in their first game before getting matched with 'Cuse. Which is when senior SJU swingman D.J. Kennedy tore the ACL in his right knee. Without him for most of the game, St. John's lost.

Not only do I think the Johnnies peaked too early, but I think that they will sorely miss Kennedy and their home court. This game is being played in Denver and might as well be a home game for the Zags. Note: SJU was 5-7 on the road this year. As someone who wil be rooting for them, I'd like to think that playing what is essentially a road game with all the pundits picking against them will take them back to that us-and-them mentality they had when third-ranked Duke came calling on Feb. 26.

Picks:
President Obama: Gonzaga
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Gonzaga
Snoop Dog: Gonzaga
SI's Luke Winn: Gonzaga
Nate Silver/538: Gonzaga (66%)
WWOD?: Zags (in a Tom Jackson-taking-the-Pats fashion)

No. 5 Kansas State Wildcats
22-10, 10-6 Big 12
vs.
No. 12 Utah State Aggies
30-3, 15-1 WAC

Southeast Region
McKale Center
Tucson, AZ
10:05 p.m. EST

Point Spread: K-State -2.5
Over/Under: 129

Last season, we all thrilled to that enervating double-overtime K-State-Xavier game when Jacob Pullen battled Jordan Crawford. Although there were enough clutch shots for an addendum to the "Shining Moment" montage in that game, it was Pullen's three that propelled the Wildcats to the Elite Eight. He was epic. And he's still on the team.

Which is the only reason that I'm not wagering next month's rent on the Aggies. Under towering, paunchy and bespectacled Stew Morrill, Utah State has 87 wins in the last three years. Morrill's boys will run their disciplined offense, moving the ball the way I wished the Knicks would. They'll use the shot clock and they'll feed the rock to Tail Wesley in the post. On defense, they'll be conservative, they'll pack it in and clear the boards. They'll do what they normally do because Morrill has these guys drilled to perform in their sleep. And, it will all go to plan as long as Pullen don't explode past the Aggies on the break like they've got the howls of Frank Martin at their heels. Oh, wait.

Picks:
President Obama: Kansas State
ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi: Utah State
Dick Vitale: Kansas State
SI's Luke Winn: Kansas State
Nate Silver/538: Kansas State (57%)
WWOD?: Aggies

The WWOD? Guide to Running an NCAA Office Pool

Big-time men's college hoops powerhouses - like Kentucky, Duke and Ohio State - that clinched their respective conference titles on Sunday afternoon, have plunged headlong into an incredibly a hectic 96 hours. From finding out where they're scheduled to play this weekend during the Selection Show on Sunday night to scouting their upcoming opponents and traveling to the various first-round tournament sites, there are few people busier than the coaches, equipment managers, athletic directors and players participating in the Big Dance.

The only folks who may have more on their plates this week? Those hale and hearty men and women running an old-fashioned NCAA Tournament pools in offices around the country. Brackets must be printed. Scoring systems divined. Cohorts recruited. Witty emails composed. And fees collected. Running your office pool can be a weeks-long whirlwind of clandestine office work, done with great personal risk of paper cuts and an increased exposure to algebra.

Or you can just start a pool on Yahoo or some such place on the Interwebs and not have to do much of anything but send one email. But before you click to accept their terms, I ask you to consider a better way.

On General Ludd and the Virtues of Handcraft
As the Industrial Revolution was changing the face of English culture at the tail end of the 1700s, one man is reputed to have stood up against the forces of change. One man is supposed to have spoken out in favor of the work done by human hands (albeit slower work that often came at greater expense). This man, Ned Ludd, smashed a pair of mechanical knitting machines that were taking away jobs for him and his buddies.

As the Industrial Revolution (not to be confused with The Puppy That Lost Its Way) gained steam in the 1810s and '20s, a swarm of British textile workers rose up under Ludd's name and smashed looms across the land. The Luddites were revolting across England and tying down British troops that were needed to fend off Napoleon. This brouhaha was such that the breaking of looms became a capital offense. Yeah, that means it was punished with the death penalty. And, no, "breaking the loom" is not a nineteenth century euphemism for sodomy. In 2011, now that we're not so hung up on losing our jobs to looms, "Luddite" is a mildly derogatory term for someone who hasn't waited in a long line for an IPad.

As someone who would love to not have a mobile phone tracking my every movement and making me available to everyone (except my lovely girlfriend who can call any time she wants) at all times, I can respect the Luddite worldview. Which is one of the reasons that I am a huge advocate of running your office pool the old fashioned way: with printed out and filled out paper brackets. Leave this newfangled click-and-drag stuff to the rocket scientists and shut-ins. I say, let's scribble and cross out names on greasy well-worn pieces of paper like the degenerate gamblers we are.

Aside from my own rejection of change and fondness for the gambling days of yore, there are a handful of reasons why it's better (and more fun) to have competitors manually fill out and submit their brackets.

Top Five Reasons For Paper Brackets

1. Pay to Play. Someone hands you a bracket and the fee at the same time. There is zero hassle about collecting money from people who sign up online but you never see in person.

2. My Mac Ate My Bracket. With most offices populated with a mix of tech-savvy youngsters and middle-aged folks who need a child or spouse to get that danged DVD player to work, the use of hand-filled brackets eliminates any cries of "I meant to pick X but the computer gave me Y."

3. Graphology. Now, I don't think that you can necessary learn about a person by the penmanship of their bracket, but I do think that people put more of themselves into a handwritten bracket than one they fill out online. For starters, most online bracket games have players select winners in such a way that the big picture is somewhat obscured. Whereas the breadth and depth of the tournament stares you in the face when you fill out each line of a paper bracket. All of the If... (Team X wins) Then... (They Might Face Team Y) And... (They might meet in this location of significance) Which... (Means that I have a hunch about who will win) Abstractions that make this so fun are much more likely to come into play. People worry over paper brackets while eating lunch, dripping mustard or spilling coffee on them. They cross out earlier picks and doodle in the margins. It's just not the same without them. It's also a lot harder for contestants to (e)mail it in by quickly clicking on team names before the deadline. Long story short, people try harder and care more with paper brackets.

4. Scoring Updates. Not surprisingly, I ran the annual office pool at my previous job. There had never been an office pool there and it grew each year that I was with the company. By the time I had moved on to greener and friendlier pastures, the annual office pool had become something that those who participated really looked forward to each spring. Aside from the inherent thrill of gambling, the emails with the scoring updates were always a fave facet of the tournament. These emails became so popular, in fact, that even a few folks that didn't participate asked to be cc'd on the emails throughout the duration of the tournament. Now, this is the first way in which running an office pool with paper brackets puts more onus on the lifeguard. But we'll worry about that later. In the meantime, emailed updates from the person in charge are integral to a solid pool because they provide a common meeting place for all participants. Rather than logging on to Yahoo separately to see what's happening (or not even checking once things are underway) everyone gets to find out where they stand at the same time. A ripple of excitement shoots through the office when that first notice goes out on the morning of the second day of the tourney. There is a collective experience that bonds everyone together and gets people talking. And, this may be the best (and only) situation for the "reply all" email function. All of a sudden, the Marketing VP is commiserating with the guy in the mail room because they both are at the bottom of the standings. When done right, the scoring updates foster the sort of camaraderie that makes the office pool great (and lucrative).

5. Freedom. Working outside the confines of Yahoo, ESPN, CBS or whichever media conglomerate you favor allows your office pool to use whatever scoring system you choose.

A Note on Invitations: When breaking ground on a new office pool (regardless of whether you're using paper brackets) one should be moderately careful of whom they invite to come for a swim. This sort of gambling is, I believe, still illegal. It's also a renowned time suck that some workplaces may frown upon. Send an initial email out the Monday after Selection Sunday to those intrepid souls that you know for a fact will participate. Ideally, this number will include people in various departments or areas of the office. Ask these players to forward the email to anyone else they think may be interested. In your initial email, it's worthwhile to name drop the most senior person that you know will be participating in a "Well, we all now that Mr. Knudsen is going to go with his alma mater UNC even though they missed the tournament" sort of way. This should put a bit of institutional muscle behind this operation and help grease the wheels. If you get the word out on Monday then you have until noon on Thursday for participants to come out of the wood work. And they will.

Lastly, be sure to attached PDF of a bracket to your invite email and also include a hyperlink that leads to a printable version of the bracket. You want to make it as easy as possible for people to participate. Mostly because you want their money but also because it's more fun that way.

The WWOD? Risk-Rewarding NCCA Office Pool Scoring System
In order to show that my preference for paper brackets isn't just some self-indulgent whim, I've created a scoring system that I think fosters more competitive spirit than the standard scoring employed by most online bracket vendors. The thrice-tested WWOD? scoring system rewards those who correctly pick upsets. Because being right when the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos take out the University of Florida should not be just as valuable as correctly tapping Kansas to get past the Boston University Terriers. That is not what this tournament is all about.

When Taylor Coppenrath and the Vermont Catamounts knocked off Syracuse on TJ Sorrentine's three-pointer in 2005, and I had actually guessed prognosticated that result in the office pool, well, I wanted a statue erected in my honor next to the water cooler. Is that so wrong? I don't think so. And while I haven't set up a quick-turnaround statue company, I have composed this upset-emphasizing scoring system. There are two main components of this paten-pending method.

1. The WWOD? Upset Bonus
When an upset occurs and a bracketeer has correctly filled it out on their bracket then they get the difference of the team's seeds added to their score as an UPSET BONUS. So if the No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Gauchos really do knock of the No. 2 seeded Florida Gators and you were to correctly guess that then you would receive 13 bonus points added to your score.

2. The Fibonacci Normalizer
With such extravagant bonuses for picking first-round upsets, you might ask, "Well doesn't this mean that everyone will just pick every upset hoping to rack up bonus points?" And, it might if I hadn't already thought about that and created a scoring system that makes correct picks increasingly valuable as we get deeper into the tournament. In other words, if you go against all the high seeds early to accrue bonus points then you'll be hosed as the tournament advances.

I scoured the world of mathematics (read: googled "math" and "counting") when trying to find out a way to raise the scores incrementally by round. Finally I tracked down a certain Leonardo of Pisa, who brought us the bestselling Liber Abaci. The son of a successful Italian merchant, this guy learned about counting and numbers from the brightest minds of the Arab world and convinced Europeans to give up Roman numerals for the much easier to compute 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. The adoption of the Hindu-Arabic numerals by the West was really a game-changer in world history. Sort of like the addition of the three-point line.

For his troubles, Leonardo of Pisa later had a number sequence named in his honor. Even though his name was Leo, this number sequence was called the Fibonacci Sequence. It is a string of numbers in which any number after the first two, which are 0 and 1, is the sum of the previous two numbers.

0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55, 89, 144 ...

One of the special things about the Fibonacci numbers is that they occur in nature, such as in the branching of trees, the arrangements of leaves on a stem and a bunch of other stuff. And, if something is good enough for Mother Nature then it's surely good enough for our office pool.

Points Values By Round:
Round 1: 2 points for each correct pick
Round 2: 3 points for each correct pick
Sweet 16: 5 points for each correct pick
Elite 8: 8 points for each correct pick
Final Four: 13 points for each correct pick
Championship Game: 21 points

Scoring Example:
Again, if those No. 15 UCSB Gauchos really do knock off No. 2 Florida then anyone who picks that game correctly gets 2 points because it's a first-round game + 13 points for the Upset Bonus. That's 15 points for that one game.

Each game is tabulated thusly. Games in which the higher seed prevails just get the appropriate round value. This applies to every game in every round. So if a No. 3 seed edges a No. 1 seed in the championship game then anyone who correctly picked that winner receives the 21 points for the round + the 2 points for the difference in seeds.

For all the attention paid to upsets in this system, most bonus-based leads evaporate in the Sweet 16. And that 21-point score for nailing the champ is hard to beat. Just like with most scoring systems, the winning brackets will need to have their Final Four largely intact and tend to have the correct champ. The true difference with the WWOD? scoring system is that those who sniffed out the right Cinderellas will get a slight boost over those who went chalk in a year when a common pick cuts down the nets. It's very hard to win this sort of pool if you don't get at least one of the few big upsets correctly.

The Stakes
This is totally dependent on where you work. If you're the sommelier in the employee lunchroom at Monocles and Scepters Incorporated then maybe you can go as high as $100 per bracket. But I've always gone between $10 and $20 per bracket. Ideally, no one will be intimidated by price and a handful of people will play multiple brackets.

The Lifeguard at the Office Pool
And, here's the part you didn't want to hear. Running an office pool this way, the right way, requires someone to do a lot of work. You've got to compose clever emails that include references to the tournament itself as well as the various folks in your office. You've got resist the temptation to spend the big wad of money at a bar during the first weekend of the tournament. And the second. You've got to do math. And then check your math. And then re-check it because Lynda in Accounting thinks you might have her score wrong. You've got to carry around an Inter-office envelope with all the brackets stuffed inside and not lose that envelope. Or change any of the brackets in that envelope. And you've got to deal with everyone waiting on scoring updates after each round of games. Because they will.

So, yeah, it will take up a lot of your time.

But, that's also part of the fun. You can distract yourself from a month of your actual job. It's also a great way to meet people in your workplace and get people to see you in a slightly different light. And, yes, that light may be tinted by gambling but it will also illuminate your leadership skills and ability to complete a complex project. Oh, and it will keep you from working. Did I mention that?

Now, in the name of Ludd and Fibonacci and Coopenrath go out there and start some workplace gambling!

In Memoriam: Hank Gathers and Wes Leonard

It was 21 years ago today that Loyola Marymount basketball star Hank Gathers died after collapsing on the court during a game in the West Coast Conference Tournament against Portland State. Hands down the best college basketball player in the country and arguably already in the upper echelon of all basketball players amateur or professional, the 23-year-old had just thrown down a vicious ally-oop to stake his squad to a 25-13 lead with 13:34 still on the clock in the first half. Gathers, already with eight points in the game, high fived his teammate and best friend Bo Kimble as they got back on defense. Moments later, the physical marvel crumpled to the floor. He tried once to get up but couldn't muster the strength. A defibrillator was used on him shortly after he was removed from the floor, by that time his heart had stopped beating. His mother screamed and medical personnel scrambled. He was dead before he arrived at the hospital.

Earlier that season, Gathers had collapsed at the free throw line during a game at UC Santa Barbara. He missed his first shot. And dropped before he could loft the second. He was able to regain his feet and walk off the court under his own power. The senior star who was months from the NBA draft, where he was undoubtedly going to be one of the first players to shake David Stern's hand, having led the NCAA in points (32.7) and rebounds (13.7) during his junior season, was soon diagnosed with an abnormal heartbeat. He was prescribed medication and cleared to play shortly thereafter.



Eerily and inconceivably sadly, a young high school hoops star died yesterday shortly after hitting a game-winning shot for his team. Wes Leonard stood 6 feet and 2 inches tall but seems to have loomed much larger in the esteem of those who knew him in Fennville, Michigan. Last night, Leonard dropped in a game-winning layup in overtime to clinch a pristine 20-0 season. A gym full of high school kids clamored for their talismanic three-sport star as his teammates lifted him on their shoulders. And then he died. He was a teenager who had just hit the game-winner in a hoops game. And then he fucking died. Right there on the court. It would later be determined that he'd suffered a cardiac arrest due to an enlarged heart.

So, yeah, I've got no great point here, philosophical or medical. I certainly can't conjure any silver lining or greater good wrought by the public deaths of these two basketball players with heart problems. These are just two sadsadsad stories that by some terrible quirk of the universe are sort linked. That is all. Also, sorry.

Best. Nowruz. Ever.

Northern Iowa, Ali Farokhmanesh and the Vernal Equinox

In and around New York City, the weather was delightful this past weekend. Saturday, in particular, was sun-splashed and warm. It was a glorious day. It was a holy day.

And, no, I'm not talking about those of who us who consider the first four days of the NCAA men's basketball tournament to be some sort of civic holiday. Which I do. Rather, I'm talking about the vernal equinox.

March 20, 2010 was the vernal equinox, one of two days during the year when there is a location on the equator above which the center of the sun is directly overhead. The day during which this moment occurs is composed of equal parts day and night. Each year, this occurs once in late March and once in late September.

For centuries this has been a holy day. It was considered the first day of the new year in many ancient calendars and is still commemorated by celebrations around the globe. In Persian culture, the day is called Nowruz which roughly translates into "New Day." Possibly begun by Zoroaster, the holiday is still widely observed in Iran (present-day Persia), throughout the Middle East, parts of Eastern Europe, large swaths of the former Soviet Republics and even parts of China. It's sort of a big deal.

And for Iranian hoops fans this one had to be the most joyous Nowruz in years. Because Ali Farokhmanesh shot the Panthers of Northern Iowa University into the Sweet 16. The American-born Farokhmanesh, whose father played for the Iranian volleyball team in 1980 Olympic Games, hit key three-point shots in each of UNI's upset wins over UNLV and top-seeded Kansas. His game-killing shot against the Jayhawks was particularly impressive.

With his team leading with less than a minute to play, most teams would have drained as much of the remaining time off the clock before taking a shot. They would have played it safe and looked to seal the game at the free throw line. Farokhmanesh (pronounced fuh-ROAK-muh-NESH) stunned everyone, most specifically Kansas, by lofting an uncontested three-point shot from the wing early in the shot clock. His shot was pure and the game was all but won. It was an amazing show of courage and calculation. His sweet long-distance stroke has endeared the senior marketing major to a national, and perhaps international, audience. His player bio at Panthers' website lists his favorite sports memory as "qualifying for state basketball tournament at Iowa City West."

I'd imagine that he's got a few new moments to add to his list. Best. Nowruz. Ever.

Night 2: Put on Your Red Shoes and the Dance the Blues

For all you 9-to-5ers, the sweet release of quitting time is upon us. The TPS reports have been filed. The last of the sickly sweet but irresistibly free K-cup coffee has been drank. You should be home on the couch or at the nearest happy hour establishment when the evening tilts tip off. With those games in mind, here's a preview of all the other games that you won't be able to watch while CBS is stuffing No. 1 seeds down your face.

I haven't gone back and tabulated the results from today. Perhaps because I know that I didn't rock anyone's socks off with my picks. Just like yesterday, not bad but certainly nothing to brag about. Had I done better, sweeping the afternoon, then the bragging would have gone...

HERE.

AND HERE.

West Region
No. 9 Florida State Seminoles (22-9, ACC)
vs.
No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs (26-6, WAC)
7:10 P.M. EST
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, NY

Last year's Toney Douglas-led FSU club was a No. 5 seed but was upset by Wisconsin in the first round*. Douglas was then drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in order to be sold to the New York Knicks. After showing a few flashes of promise early in the season, Douglas feel off the deep end of the depth chart for months. But he's gotten some big-time playing as of late. Coach Mike D'Antoni finally pulled the plug on the wheezing Chris Duhon era and quickly realized that there was not ever going to be a Sergio Rodriguez era. And, sort of by default, Douglas is starting for the Knickerbockers tonight at the Garden when they face off with the 76ers.

If Douglas was not doing that, and was still playing with the Seminoles then I would pick them to advance past Mark Few's Gonzaga Bulldogs. He is not. And therefore I am not. In this couple the Zags are the major and the Noles are the bottom aspiring small program.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: Florida State
SI's Seth Davis: Gonzaga
President Obama: Florida State
WWOD?: Gonzaga

*Badgers are vicious.

East Region
No. 16 Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (18-15, SWAC)
vs.
No. 1 Duke Blue Devils (29-5, ACC)
7:25 P.M. EST
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL

I've previously written that I'd be disappointed, as a fan, if certain top seeds were knocked out early. I want to watch Evan Turner. I want to watch John Wall. I want to see Greivis Vasquez. One team that I wouldn't miss is Duke. This is the least novel point that I will make for as long as I can keep up this pace. Anyway, they'll be back on Sunday whereas I imagine most of the kids from Arkansas Pine-Bluff will be in church.

EVERYONE: Duke

Midwest Region
No. 10 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (22-12, ACC)
vs.
No. 7 Oklahoma State Cowboys (22-10, Big 10)
7:15 P.M. EST
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

Speaking of teams not beating Duke, Georgia Tech seemed to finally get their act together in the ACC Tournament and even looked for a few minutes like they might have toppled Duke in the Final. The bold-faced name on this team is Derrick Favors, a freshman beast who will be plying his trade in the NBA this time next year. He's 6-10 and is learning how to play better and how to better control his body seemingly every minute that he's on the floor.

I think that old chestnut about freshmen not being "freshmen" when the postseason arrives holds true with Favors and I'm going to side with the momentum and NBA-ready talent over a Cowboys side that i admittedly don't know much about.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: Oklahoma State
SI's Seth Davis: GT
President Obama: GT
WWOD?: GT

Midwest Region
No. 12 New Mexico State Aggies (22-11, WAC)
vs.
No. 5 Michigan State Spartans (24-8, Big 10)
7:35 P.M. EST
Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA

My team-picking biases (that I am aware of) include a bias toward the Big East early and against the Big 10 (with one exception) as often as possible. I go in heavy for Arizona and UCLA but tend to go against the rest of the Pac 10. I'm a sucker for teams with NBA-ready players and for coaches that preach defense first. I also am in the bag for Rick Pitino and Tom Izzo (despite his conference affiliation).

Which is why I'm not going to root out reasons to pick against the Spartans. Without Goran Suton, this Spartans group can't hold a candle to last years runner-up. But with veteran point guard Kalin Lucas running the show on the floor and Izzo calling the shots from the bench there is no way that I'm going against them this early.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: MSU
SI's Seth Davis: MSU
President Obama: MSU
WWOD?: MSU

West Region
No. 16 Vermont Catamounts (25-9, America East)
vs.
No. 1 Syracuse Orange (28-4. Big East)
9:55 P.M. EST
Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA

One of my younger brothers grew up playing ball with Vermont point guard Nick Vier. I remember him telling me about this kid years ago. This fact doesn't make me rate the Catamounts chances any better. It may even hurt them. There weren't a lot of NBA-ready players coming out of Franklin Lakes, NJ.

Even without injured big man Arinze Onauku, who is out with a quad injury, I just can't imagine that Vermont can hang with 'Cuse in this game. Because for all of the fuss about that quad, Big East Player of the Year Wes Johnson. That will be more than enough.

Tyler Coppenrath ain't coming through that door. TJ Sorrentine ain't coming through that door.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: Cuse
SI's Seth Davis: Cuse
President Obama: Cuse
WWOD?: Orange

South Region
No. 9 Louisville Cardinals (20-12, Big East)
vs.
No. 8 California Bears (23-10, Pac 10)
9:57 P.M. EST
Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena, Jacksonville, FL

In most years, I would just pencil in any Pitino-coached team into at least the second round. More often than not I'm advancing them straight to the Sweet 16. But not this year. Because I'm deferring to another of my unshakeable biases and adding a new one to the menagerie.

My recency bias is kicking into gear since I saw L'Ville play at the Big East Tournament last week. And that was the most recent game that I saw n person. They were out-hustled by a raw Cincinnati squad and the best thing that I can say about the Cardinals is that Rick Pitino's suit looked terrific. The pocket square perfectly complimented his tie.

Other than that, I was surprised to see a Pitino team that wasn't the aggressor. Cincinnati controlled the boards down the stretch and played with far more energy. Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson even threw a stiff arm at a Cards player as he drove the floor and nothing happened other than a foul being called. Despite the best efforts of eighth-year point guard Edgar Sosa, the Cards were dispatched by the Bearcats, which means I don't see how they can overcome a group of Bears.

Also affecting my decision to go with the Pac 10 champs is that my girlfriend is from Berkeley.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: Cal
SI's Seth Davis: Louisville
President Obama: Louisville
WWOD?: Cal

Midwest Region
No. 15 UC Santa Barbara Guachos (20-9, Big West)
vs.
No. 2 The Ohio State Buckeyes (27-7, Big 10)
10:04 P.M. EST
Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI

When sizing up Ohio State's chances to cut down the nets there is one glaring weakness on this team: Depth.


Superstar point forward Evan Turner (one of those guys that I don't want to say goodbye to just yet), Billy Buford, Jon Diebler and David Lighty each play at least 33 minutes per game for a team that won it's ballgames by an average of more than 11 points. Thad Motta doesn't have a lot of faith in the bench and a deep opponent or foul trouble could spell doom down the road. Repeat: Down the road.

EVERYONE: The Ohio State

Midwest Region
No. 13 Houston Cougars (19-15, Conference USA)
vs.
No. 4 Maryland Terrapins (23-8, ACC)
10:36 P.M. EST
Spokane Arena, Spokane, WA

While watching the final regular-season meeting between the Terps and the Dukies, I was obviously impressed with Greivis Vasquez. He made off-balance runner after after off-balance runner to claim the win, and a share of the ACC regular-season title, for Maryland. But I already knew the Venezuelan was good.

What made me think this team could do some damage in the Dance was the moment when freshman center Jordan Williams grabbed an offensive rebound over Duke's senior center Brian Zoubek and broke a late tie with the put back. That bucket opened my eyes to this team.

ESPN.com's Joe Lunardi: Maryland
SI's Seth Davis: Maryland
President Obama: Maryland
WWOD?: Fear the Turtle