I don't even have any money in my NCAA pool but it still means a lot to me, I think because I'm determined to prove that one day my completely unscientific way of picking teams will pay off.
So far the tournament has been a lot of fun--tons of close games, overtime and most of all, upsets. Who doesn't love an upset?
Well, I don't, when they're not supposed to happen.
Here are the ones I predicted and the ones I failed to, and why:
#9 Arkansas beat #8 Indiana. Not really a major upset but Indiana was supposed to win because it's a Big Ten, school, the conference in which I reside and went to grad school.
#12 George Mason beat #5 Notre Dame: I regret this one because I would have not picked Notre Dame--it was one of the schools I was not allowed to go to, my parents hate it so much (and I sort of do too, as a Notre Damer once asked me, a Georgetown grad, why I didn't go to a "real" Jesuit school. Jerk.) So I'm glad George Mason won but wish I had picked them.
#12 Villanova beat #5 Clemson: My friend's brother went to Villanova, so I picked them to win. Genius.
#13 Siena beat #4 Vanderbilt: That very same friend's OTHER brother went to Siena, yet I didn't choose them, because I felt like it was too unfamiliar in the tournament. That's what I get for being inconsistent with my system.
#11 Kansas St. beat #6 USC: I know nothing about these schools so I just picked the higher-seeded school. Oh well.
#10 Davidson beat #7 Gonzaga: My brother went to Davidson, so I picked them to win. See a pattern here?
#12 Western Kentucky beat #5 Drake: I know nothing about these schools at all. It's even possible that I misread "Drake" as "Duke" which is why I picked Drake.
#13 San Diego beat #4 Connecticut: I feel some heartache over this one as I found myself cheering for San Diego, even though I picked them to lose. UConn is always in the tournament and their fans seem kind of smug. I don't know why I didn't let myself root for the underdog here when I went for my pick.
#5 Michigan St. beat #4 Pittsburgh: Duh, Big Ten.
#7 West Virginia beat #2 Duke: Another heartache pick. I hate Duke. This should be self-evident to NCAA fans, plus, they didn't admit me when I applied. I picked them to be eliminated in the Elite Eight, which I figured was insult enough, but next year I should be harder on them.
And, worst of all:
#10 Davidson beat #2 Georgetown. Little did I know that the system of picking a school to win because one's brother went there was more powerful than picking a school to win because I went there. I had GU winning the whole thing. Dammit! I'm happy for my brother, though, even if he doesn't care about the tournament.
So next year I need even more to go with my gut. Fortunately for me, no one else could have predicted the tourney thus far, which is why I'm tied for first place. (Michigan State over Memphis is the only upset I have predicted for the next round.)
I wish I had put some money down.