A Poor Reflection of Prognostication
My bracket is in shambles.
My biggest mistake was listening to Wilbon, a Big Ten grad.
  Florida dominates UCLA, 73-57, for its first NCAA tournament title. » Box score Michael Wilbon: People should begin getting accustomed to seeing Joakim Noah play and dominate big games. The hype focused on the Bruins' defense, but it was the Gators who clamped down throughout the tournament. The Bruins lost control of the pace in the opening 10 minutes. George Mason is looking at the positives after their Final Four run ends. The Patriots fall one victory shy of the championship game. George Mason realizes it has changed the school forever with its improbable run in the NCAA tournament. MULTIMEDIA Video: George Mason fans had high spirits before and after the Final Four game. Video: Fans in Indianapolis are adopting George Mason Patriots as their own. Video: The unlikely run through the tournament has united the George Mason campus. Video: Up close and personal with Mason's Lamar Butler. Audio: Florida Coach Billy Donovan discusses the Gators' defensive strategy following their championship game victory. Audio: post.com's Holley reports from the Verizon Center as George Mason upsets top-seeded Connecticut. Audio: Fans, coach and players celebrate big win. Photos: Campus pride at GMU. PHOTOS ON OUR SITETOURNEY TRACKER Share and compare your NCAA brackets. Tip-Off Challenge: Georgetown's 1984 team wins. |
I had three Big Ten teams getting to the final eight, and Ohio State getting to the Final Four. So I'm done.
The Big Ten stinks. It is the Westminster Kennel Club of college basketball.
But that isn't all I got fabulously wrong.
Take George Mason. Please. I didn't.
I went the Billy Packer route, picking big donkey teams like Pitt and Illinois.
How do I apologize to Jim Larranaga for saying George Mason shouldn't even get in the tournament over Hofstra, let alone for winning two games? I had Mason losing by 25 to Michigan State. How's that working out for me? (More to the point, how's it working out for Hofstra?)
I had West Virginia out in the first round, because of the limp way it finished the season. I had Florida out in the second -- because the underachieving, overhyped, fold-under-pressure Gators always go out meekly in the first weekend, right? Yeah, except this year.
I didn't see Bradley coming. (Oh, like you did?) I certainly should have seen Georgetown coming, since I picked Georgetown to beat Duke two months ago. What was I blinded by last week? The glare off my own head?
Well, I hope I've learned something. And if I could magically reseed my bracket right now, I'd be a lot more respectful of Memphis and Florida. They've looked the best among the higher-seeded teams so far. I'd jump off my upset: LSU over Duke. Duke seems to have found its mojo again. Ultimately, I'd probably stay with Connecticut as the winner, but without any special confidence after watching U-Conn. struggle with Albany and Kentucky. And if I had any onions at all, I'd go with Georgetown.
