I appear to have lost my touch in filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket
I don’t remember it being this hard.
I used to fill out NCAA basketball pool brackets and pick many games correctly.
I’m not a college basketball expert but I held my own. Over the years, I’ve won a few top prizes for picking the most winners of games correctly. Never big money. But it was a source of pride to win a pool and be in the competition.
This year, I participated in three polls and picked Arizona to win the championship in two of them, and Gonzaga to win in the other. In those three brackets, I finished in 24th, 64th and 69th places.
I wasn’t in the ballgame.
I consider myself a sports guy, although I follow other sports more closely than mens’ college basketball. During the regular season, I root for Saint Louis University and Illinois. I aways have a soft spot for Notre Dame. I like Big 10 Conference basketball most. But I will watch whatever game is on TV, especially on weeknights.
I get more serious in March and start getting a feel for who’s good, and who’s hot, and who’s injured, and who’s not.
But I may as well flip a coin.
Play Eenie, Meenie, Miney Moe.
Roll a dice. Literally.
Choose straws.
I am thinking I may need to go down a flight to an easier bracket challenge. It’s too hard to pick the game winners. Maybe pick the team with the best uniforms, colors, nickname, or favorite home state
This year, when filling out my pools, I followed by natural process of conducting very little research and picking the school that I like best, usually based on its history, reputation and what kind of season it had. For the record, I had Kansas in my Final Four in one bracket. There is some personal consolation there.
I am not sure why I never pick traditionally strong teams like Villanova, Houston and North Carolina. I am always thinking about underdogs and upsets. Heck, I thought St Peter’s was a local grade school. Lesson: Never not pick St. Peter’s on a game played on St. Patrick’s Day.
I am happy for the bracket pool winners. I’m not certain how they fared so well. Blind luck? Special research. I am thinking it was Eenie, Meenie, Miney Moe. Sorry.
Something wrong with Mackin?
I think the online bracket programs are great. My three brackets were on the CBS SportsLine website which recorded and updated all scores and standings. Bad news is there no secrets. Everyone knew I was in 24th, 64th and 69th places.
Something wrong with Mackin?
Man, I thought he knew sports.
Time for a fact check.
When it comes to NCAA brackets, I’ve become a junior varsity player, at best.
A few lessons I have written down to help me next March. That’s only if I am asked and allowed to participate in a bracket challenge. They may ask me to step aside to bring in improved competition. But I’m sure I’ll be allowed to donate entry fees.
Consider these tips
Five important lessons:
- Don’t listen to sports talk radio the week that you are filling out a bracket. The “experts” will tell you that South Dakota State is hot and a great outside shooting team. Watch out for Purdue. Davidson. Colorado State. Loyola-Chicago, of course. I readjusted my brackets several times based on what I heard or read.
- Don’t pick with your heart. I pick Illinois to go to the Final 8 every year. They broke my heart last year more than this year. Notre Dame is always one of my picks. UCLA, too, but based on my fondness for old coach John Wooden and former players like Bill Walton and Lew Alcindor. I’m desperately, pathetically trapped in the past.
- Don’t go crazy trying to guess upsets. Follow your gut, not your heart. I can’t trust my heart or gut. That’s why I’m leaning toward dice.
- Don’t take it too seriously. Have fun. Roll with it. Enjoy the unpredictability of what makes the NCAA tourney so much fun. Donate. Laugh a lot. Make fun of yourself, like I do.
- Don’t use your real name on the CBS Sports online brackets. Use a nickname, code name or someone else’s name. Preserve some dignity.
This story was originally published April 9, 2022 at 7:00 AM.