Wednesday, March 19, 2008

NCAA Brackets

Considering I've been completing NCAA brackets for twenty years, I figured I'd bestow some knowledge on the many variations of ways to complete. There is a huge difference between intent and commitment.

1.) Favorites bracket - Hearing 'chalk' annoys me to no end. The Favorites bracket avoids any true upsets, and predicts a boring Final 4.

2.) 'Satisfaction' bracket - The most widely known story in rock 'n roll is how Keith Richards found the opening chords to Satisfaction from a recorded session months earlier, when he was in a stupor and too slammed to initially remember. The Satisfaction bracket turns chaos into a symphony, with the favorites emerging from a first weekend with many upsets and triumphant lower seeds.

3.) Poison pill/Godzilla bracket - A bracket crafted of the finest porcelain, gorgeous, but once something unexpected happens (early loss of a team expected to dominate, misjudging the strength of a conference in the tournament) the firing sequence is immediately launched. Bridges collapse, buildings implode, Godzilla chases the population down city streets.

4.) Moonwalk bracket - When you know who you want in the Final Four, and work your way backwards through the bracket.

5.) Homer Simpson Meteor bracket - Loosely based on 'The Simpsons' episode, where Homer was the only resident of Springfield who correctly predicted an incoming satellite would burn up in the atmosphere and be harmless to the town, having a hunch that plays out to fruition, against the common sentiment. My last almost-HSMB was when a Salim Stoudamire led Arizona team lost to Deron William's Illinois team in the Great Eight, squandering ten points in 3 1/2 minutes. Like Homer, I was poked in the eye by the pebble/meteor.

6.) Beat UVA bracket - Going long on teams who have beaten UVA in the calendar year (Tennessee anyone?).

I strongly suggest completing brackets by following multiple disciplines.

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