NCAA's Start Today - Your Picks and Your Bracket

Submitted by XM - Mt 1822 on March 15th, 2022 at 8:55 AM

Mates,

The big dance starts today at 6:40 and 9:10 on something called 'truTV'.  Same bat time, same bat channel tomorrow.   Tonight's games are:

Tx Southern (18-12)  as a 3.5 pt favorite over  Tx A & M CC (community college? JK) which had a 23-11 record

Second game is more meaningful for us:

IU (20-13) as 4 pt favorite over Wyoming who finished with a 25-8 record and, IIRC, cracked the top 25 at some point this year. 

Tomorrow night we get:

Wright St. (21-13)  3.5 pt favorite over Bryant (22-9),  but then....

ND (22-10) favored by a point over the Rutger (18-13)

Today's questions: 

1.  Who do you have for these 4 play in games?

2.  Do you have your brackets filled out yet?  Who are your final 4/2/Champion? 

Have a great day and Go Blue!

XM 

 

The Deer Hunter

March 15th, 2022 at 9:01 AM ^

4 Brackets are filled. Only upset today is Rutger over the Fightin Ding Dongs. I pick a lot more upsets starting Thursday. 

Probably not going to be close, as always, but my favorite bracket is the Zags, Kentucky, Illinois & Auburn final four with Kentucky beating Illinois on Championship Monday. 

I love March Madness, favorite time of the year!

XM - Mt 1822

March 15th, 2022 at 9:29 AM ^

TV in our household has always been for football and almost nothing else.  when covid came i left it on so that the family could watch some family movies during those historically disconnected months.  as much as we all hated covid, it did give us one last time with all the kids home for an extended period - i was happy to add some fun to the mix in terms of a bit more TV access and time. 

XM - Mt 1822

March 15th, 2022 at 1:24 PM ^

hi 1606.  if it helps at all, i was unable to figure out how to re-up when i decided after the wisconsin game so seth was gracious enough to help me do that.

second, do you have any idea how many of the posters and lurkers here have met me, my wife, most or all of my kids, been to the farm, stayed at the farm, bought cows, been given chickens, lamb, eggs, swapped pictures and stories and/or who have known me for literally decades?  by this point it has to be in the dozens.  i mention that because if i was a 'fraud', they would rightfully be able to call me out at every turn.  in fact, they should do so if i ever stray there.

third, your enduring hate and unprovoked comments toward me indicate a real sustained and chronic issue. i suspect it is some really tough combination of depression, anxiety, health problems, loneliness and who knows what else.  i am not making fun of that at all, but bring it up to encourage you to get some help - see a counselor, a doctor, a therapist, talk with family or friends, get some medication, whatever it takes to help you get past this.  a number of folks here have shared their difficulties with such things and i have nothing but empathy for that.  and if it makes you feel better to attack me or mock me, you go right ahead, neg every one of my posts, too, if that makes your burden easier to bear.  i won't take umbrage and i won't call names.  i'll only hope that you get better. 

Mgoscottie

March 15th, 2022 at 2:21 PM ^

Genuinely, I hope you do better to offer some semblance of reflection. I'm confident you can construct a world where you did nothing wrong. But to some of us, that's not the case. That doesn't have to be the end of the story, but instead of attacking and weird name calling, why not just apologize for the misrepresentation? If that wasn't your intent, why is it so hard to just apologize for the miscommunication or explain what went wrong? 

Mgoscottie

March 15th, 2022 at 4:22 PM ^

I'll speak for myself (and like you said, this is not intended to flame, but rather to find understanding and move on), but I feel that you represented yourself to be a Black person in previous posts. Not just in your name, but some of your posts would allude to it. I can't name specifics since everything is deleted and it was a while ago. 

XM - Mt 1822

March 15th, 2022 at 8:08 PM ^

thank you for a non-flaming response and for filling me in as i had no clue what was being referenced.  i can't answer for others in terms of what some folks thought about melanin content, all i can say is that i never represented that i, individually, had any xtra melanin, only that some of our dear children do.  most people here knew that and for instance guys like seth and robf had met me and most or all of my family 5-10 years ago.  they never saw or called out a post about misrepresenting anything.  same with dozens of others who know me personally on this site.  not sure there is more to say beyond that other than if, despite all of that corroboration, you still think i did misrep then i would ask that you forgive and forget.  

 

outsidethebox

March 15th, 2022 at 9:09 AM ^

This is a fantastically variable, unpredictable, parity-laced year. There will be plenty of blind squirrels who will find a nut but there will be much more luck than skill in the doing. I will only venture my two picks for the NC. Kentucky and Villanova-the best talent and coach combinations. 

goblu330

March 15th, 2022 at 9:23 AM ^

The only thing I have concluded so far is that I think Richmond is going to upset Iowa and Michigan State is going to get whistled for 86 fouls against Duke.  

MgoHillbilly

March 15th, 2022 at 9:40 AM ^

I've got Duke and Purdue (Memphis knocking off Gonzaga early and Duke getting a favorable whistle the entire tourney) along with Kansas and Arizona in the Final Four.  Purdue and Kansas in the final with Kansas winning it all. 

Rutgers over ND (and going as far as the Sweet 16), Indiana over Wyoming, and Tx Southern and Wright St round out the First Four winners.

Good luck in everyone's brackets! Go Blue (I picked us to upset Tennessee and lose to Arizona in the Elite 8)

Grampy

March 15th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^

That’s a ballsy bracket right there, MGH.  I love the permutations of outcomes on this (and other) threads, but find myself talked into all sorts of crazy things.  Seth’s tool can’t come out soon enough to facilitate my own, self-inflicted, bracket.

  Indeed, good luck to all us Don Quixotes and the Windmills of our basketball genius. 

lilpenny1316

March 15th, 2022 at 9:58 AM ^

I think the B1G represents and wins both their games. Rutgers is the only dog I'm picking. And I wouldn't be surprised if IU fans pack the Dayton Arena and turn that into a home game.

crg

March 15th, 2022 at 10:01 AM ^

The Rutger sounds like a medieval disease that once would decimate populations in urban centers with inadequate hygiene practices, but now is easily treatable with penicillin.

jdraman

March 15th, 2022 at 10:14 AM ^

I have both B1G teams winning their first four matchups, but I’ve got Rutgers defeating Alabama in the R64. Alabama is a weird team. They have some of the most impressive wins in the country, but also some of the most head-scratching losses. And what’s more, Alabama ranks 306th(!) in the country in 3PT%. When Rutgers has lost against good competition, it’s when the opponent shoots the lights out. I like the fighting Pikiells over the fighting Oats in that one.

UM Indy

March 15th, 2022 at 10:15 AM ^

Always wait until Thursday morning to fill out bracket because I want to see who wins the play in games.  As we've seen, winners of play in games have gone on long runs in tourney,  

Boner Stabone

March 15th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^

Everyone has Iowa going far in their bracket.  They seem to be the sexy pick this year; however Fran always craps the bed during March and they lose a game they have no business losing. I made it a point not to advance them past the 2nd round this year. 

jdraman

March 15th, 2022 at 11:04 AM ^

I so want to pick against Iowa for these very reasons, but I just can't. They finished the season with the best net rating (not NET ranking) in the B1G, a full 1 point better than Purdue. This is the first season that Iowa has won anything of significance under Fran (B1G regular season, B1G tourney, etc.). Also, they have a legitimate NBA lottery pick who was honestly the best player in the conference this year. Their draw is super beneficial too, Richmond is not that good and Providence is a super overrated team. I think Iowa makes the Sweet 16 and will get a shot at upsetting Kansas.

Of course, they'll probably go on to get run off the court by Richmond, but I'm sticking by my Iowa stock. 

Boner Stabone

March 15th, 2022 at 12:07 PM ^

In 2006, my buddy picked Iowa to go to the Final 4 and win it all.  That was the year they lost to Northwestern State in the first round at the Palace of Auburn Hills on the first afternoon of the tournament.

I will never forget my buddy taking out his Bracket and lighting it on fire in the middle of the living room after that game.  He was so pissed.  Still a great memory that we talk about to this day.

drjaws

March 15th, 2022 at 10:36 AM ^

I have 2 brackets. I do one every year where Michigan wins it all. In that bracket I have a ton of upsets. F4 is Bama, NC, Michigan and Iowa. M over NC as repayment for 1993.

In my "real" bracket I have Duke, Kentucky, Illinois and Wiscy, with Duke winning it all. I think the NCAA is going to gift coach K a title in his last year.

olm_go_blue

March 15th, 2022 at 11:08 AM ^

Haven't filled mine out yet, but I do the same: one huge B1G homer bracket, and one with more or less chalk and a few key upsets. I play in a pretty huge madness pool, with $2.5k top prize. The only time I've won or finished top 3 is when UM made the finals both years. Talk about a win win!

Hotel Putingrad

March 15th, 2022 at 10:57 AM ^

I'll take TX Southern, IU, Bryant, and Rutger.

My final four are Gonzaga, UCLA, Arizona, and Auburn.

I like Auburn over Gonzaga in the championship game.

I think Michigan beats Tennessee but loses to Villanova.

My dark horse Cinderella Final Four team is UCONN.