Ah, the first Monday of the NCAA tourney. This is the day where 99% of us are brothers and sisters in misery. Our brackets are busted, our dreams of having a perfect bracket are over. Our chances of winning our prosprective pools are near zero.
For example, my bracket was busted by two little schools - Bradley and George Mason.
The Missouri Valley Conference team (the Bradley Bisons) upset Kansas in the first round. Then Bradley went on to upset Pitt. The problem was that I had Kansas going to the Final Four. And then I was hoping Pitt would derail Memphis to get all the chalk-picking fans off their game. Now I have to cheer for Bradley to finish off Memphis and Gonzaga or UCLA. Not likely.
And George Mason came out of nowhere to beat UNC, not only my pick to come out of their region and go to the Final Four, but my pick to go to the finals. So of course the youth-filled UNC squad fell to George Mason in the second round. Now there is a rare George Mason - Wichita State NCAA basketball game. I'm going out on a limb and saying that this is the first time the two have met in the NCAAs.
I actually picked Wichita State (another MVC team) to upset Tennessee. I also picked Georgetown to upset their second-round opponent, Ohio State. Ohio State represents the collective frustration of the Big Ten. The Big Ten got six teams into the field of 64, one of hte highest amounts. The lowest seed was a 9, I believe. None of the teams, including second-ranked Ohio State and third-ranked Iowa, survived the first round.
So now I need a triple-bank-shot-Hail-Mary to win my pools. But there's still hope. After all, if Bradley can beat Kansas and Pitt, Wichita State acn face Duke in the finals.
Right?
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
I think that putting Bradley at 13 was a mistake, you know they do make mistakes sometimes. I think they really underestimated Bradley when they rated them. Their team has a lot more seniors that the teams they beat, if I have been correctly informed. So, this tournament win has been in the works for four years. Let them wim this year, but when they have to start all over again next year, like KU had to, things are going to be quite different. But my bracket is shatered as well. I had KU in the final two, not winning it but in it. GRRR!!!!
While listening to ESPN radio today on my way to school, they threw out an amazing stat. A website supplied them with information that 3 million people filled out brackets for there website. Out of the 3 million not one person has the bracket completely right thus far. I am betting that aside from the 12 to 15 students on the Bradley basketball team no one has Bradely in the Sweet Sixteen! While I two filled out a braket I had Kansas losing to Pitt and Pitt beating Memphis. GO BRADLEY! Join the band wagon now!
I honestly cannot believe this Bradley team. They are quite amazing and I think they could make it to the final four. But Duke will definitely pull it out in the end. And don't worry, my bracket is messed up to. But I have Boston College, Connecticut, Duke, and someone else (I can't remember) in my final four so I have some hope.
Bradley may be higher than a 13...but I would never have bet on them beating Kansas and Pitt. (An aside - did anyone else notice that on the scoreboard CBS had up during the Bradley-Pitt game, it read "BRAD PITT"?)
And no one ever gets a perfect bracket. Last year, no one had a perfect bracket out of the millions filled out on ESPN.com, this year no one has one and I'm going to go out on a limb and say that next year no one will either.
If I ever have a perfect bracket, I think I can die happy.
--------------------
There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
After they beat Kansas, I knew they would beat Pitt. They were on the high that you get only from winning a game that you came into as the underdog. But of course at that point it was already too late to change my bracket. Isnt funny how no one can get it perfectly right out of all of those millions of people? Odds are at least one would get it completely right!
I had Pitt in the final four, but I'm not complaining. Bradley is a sweet cinderella, and with a 7 foot center they could still go a lot farther.
The only reason that i'm complaining is because i'll probably lose my bracket...and i had a little bit of money on it (shocking, i know).
--------------------
There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come.
ouch...ya I dont trust the outcome enough to put money on it, even a little, lol, there are too many upsets and such.
Yeah, George Mason totally screwed me over.
i couldnot belive what happend . i never would have guessed it
my bracket was screwed the first round haha