And Northern Iowa is within 4 points of Georgia Tech. Meanwhile, Western Michigan is clinging to a three point lead over Vanderbilt, and Oklahoma State is just starting to pull away from Eastern Washington.
It’s NCAA tournament time, which means a lot of things. Mostly, it means that men (and women) all over America have filled in their picks for each game in the 64 team bracket, using any number of systems. Our office has a pool that is currently being led by our HR Director, who just picked the highest seed in every game because "the selection committee spent days figuring out who the best teams were already. What makes me think I’m any smarter than they are?" A strategy that lacks poetry, but seems effective so far.
I have no scientific strategy of my own, you understand. Mostly I pick based on little bits I’ve gleaned from watching SportsCenter and my own memories of different teams. For instance, every year at least one 12-seed beats a #5, so I picked a couple of those (and hit one of them, Manhattan over Florida). Also, when I was growing up it seemed like Xavier won a lot of first-round games so I pick them every time they’re in the tournament. No reason why, but it seems reasonable every time. Then I throw in a few upsets for good measure, like 14th-seeded Northern Iowa over 3rd-seeded Georgia Tech, or Western Michigan over Vanderbilt.
There are a few things I could tell you about the tournament, but the most important is this: There Are Teams.
There Are Teams that are good for taking a chance on every now and then. Princeton is one of these teams. Manhattan is one of these teams, and so is Xavier. Gonzaga used to be, but now they’re a favorite, not an underdog.
There Are Teams that will break your heart. Florida is one of these teams. Kansas is one of these teams. These are the teams that make you pick underdogs, because going with the favorites all the way through (despite our HR director’s plan) will screw you in the end.
There Are Teams that you pick just for fun. Richmond is one of these teams because they have a sweet nickname. The Richmond Spiders? C’mon, that’s awesome. So I picked them over Wisconsin.
2:27 left in the second half, and it’s Georgia Tech 59, Northern Iowa 54.
