Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Hunches

The tournament pool is up to a record 20 participants. Over the past five years, participation has gone from 7 to 7 to 11 to 17 to 18. Now 20. It's still your option to fill out a bracket through noon tomorrow.

I have listened to the ESPN gurus tell me who they like: #13 Cleveland State over #4 Wake Forest, #13 Mississippi State over #4 Washington, #11 Utah State over #6 Marquette. Surprises, upsets, these. In years past, I let this chatter seep into my thinking about who to pick. Wake Forest was awful late in the season; Washington...the only thing I know about Washington is that they wear purple and yellow; and Marquette is down a senior guard. In other words, these are upset picks that seem reasonable to me, which means they'll probably be wrong.

So, I look for other unexpected teams to advance to the Sweet Sixteen because 1.) I have not noticed them and 2.) I am not picking them in my bracket: #10 USC, #14 American, #11 Temple. These teams are invisible to me. Are they in the tournament? Seems so. Thus, even though I have not picked them, I have come to expect that one such team will arrive in the Sweet Sixteen. Why not American?

I have eight first-round upset picks and two second-round upset picks. My hunch is that it would be cowardly to have fewer and reckless to have more.

Bookmark and Share Posted by at March 18, 2009 1:00 PM to Sport
Comments

While filling out another bracket, I realized: Picking Marquette to go to the championship is dumb. I made some new adjustments to your pool.

Posted by: jeff at March 18, 2009 4:17 PM

A good idea. You are right; it is dumb. All brackets selecting Marquette to go to the championship have been banished.

I see that Ph. is trying to get over on the group by entering two brackets.

With 21 teams, it is possible for the first time in EWM Yahoo! pick 'em history to finish outside of the top 20.

The newest rule: +50 points for each upset pick.

Go Huskies! Go!

Posted by: E.P. Commissioner at March 18, 2009 4:28 PM