Round Two

It's noon, Saturday, March 21, 2009. "So what, Retired Educator?" you are probably asking, all mumbly.


Well, messieurs et mesdames... Oops! Women (and children) first: lifeboats, turns, in queues, down the slide of a wrecked plane. (Not to be confused with a woman's prerogative to change her mind.)

Well, mesdames et messieurs -- The Second Round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament is on, today and tomorrow.

I did my best to make some outrageous picks, but ended up following the seeding, with four exceptions, those being:

UCLA (6) over Villanova (3)
Arizona State (6) over Syracuse (3)
Cleveland State (13) over Arizona (12)
and
Maryland (10) over Memphis (2)

Yes, it does appear contrived, doesn't it? Funny how it works out to be one quasi-upset per region -- though I really do mean it when I pick Maryland, my most daring choice.

The Sweet 16 in the Midwest: Gotta be Louisville and Cleveland State (okay, okay, there's a decent chance that they'll face Arizona) -- either way, Louisville is in the Elite 8.

I see Kansas and Michigan State, with a small upset in the offing, as Kansas squeeks by to face off with Louisville.

As for the West, I have a soft spot for UConn and they'll win easily over Purdue or Washington. Frankly, the only team that interests me in the bottom of that bracket is Maryland. I just would like for them to pull off some upsets. Because they represent the ACC and because they TOPPLED that POWERHOUSE (and my alma mater) Cal. (Note that there is no sarcasm available to drip on Cal's 3-pointer capabilities.) Anyway, I am betting Maryland and Missouri in the Sweet 16.

In the East, UCLA and Villanova? It hardly matters, as the winner faces Duke, who will kick major booty, either way. I picked UCLA but was really very, very impressed watching Villanova over American in the first round. I am talking about how they finally turned it on to come out of a 14-point hole to blow American away. It's important to note those teams that fight off threats and correct course. And, hell, it makes it so much more interesting...

All of which will set up Pittsburgh and Duke, apologies to Wisconsin/Xavier -- which will give me a coronary.

I gotta throw my Cameron Crazies tee shirt in the wash. Tip-off time for Texas v. Dukedom is 8:15.

In the South? It'll be UNC and Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 -- and that ought to be one hell of a game. I am pulling for UNC, but won't be surprised if Gonzaga pulls off an upset.

I picked Arizona State (v. Syracuse) who will face Oklahoma, unless Michigan shocks the world.