Nothing makes me happier than watching North Carolina fail. So while seeing the Tar Heels in the NIT while San Diego State is in the Big Dance makes my pants tight, it leaves me feeling a bit empty. Who do I so viciously root against this March? I’ll tell you who: Duke.
Duke is basically the same thing as UNC: a slightly different shade of blue with an equal amount of pretentiousness and good ol’ southern racism.
But infamous lacrosse teams aside, let’s get on with the picks:
FINALFOURPREDICTIONS
FINAL FOUR: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Baylor
CHAMPION: Kansas
QUOTABLE: “What seed is USC? What about UCLA? Oh wait … Haha, it’s funny because they both suck.”
Early upset:
I’m choosing Old Dominion to beat Notre Dame. Gerald Lee and the Colonial Athletic Association champs are going to expose the Fighting Irish for the dirty, non-bid-deserving hacks they are.
Bracket Buster:
Can a third-seed be a bracket buster? Judges? I’m being told “no”. Damn.
All right well let’s put Baylor on hold for a second and go with Louisville. The ninth-seeded Cardinals are the most underrated team from the Big East.
I know, I know. Seeing the word “Big East” and “underrated” in the same sentence makes me want to vomit too, but don’t count out Rick Pitino’s squad. I have them taking down Duke in the second round.
Player to Watch:
OK, back to the Bears. Baylor’s LaceDarius Dunn is the real deal. He averaged 19.4 points per game this year and his name is LaceDarius … LaceDarius! That commands your respect.
On top of that, he has a teammate named Tweety, another named Ekpe and the Bears’ sixth man is named Quincy. Hello, Indianapolis.
Matchup to Watch:
Be sure to check out Richmond against St. Mary’s in the first round. Neither of these teams is especially great, so they’re both playing to justify their spots in the tournament. Plus, Villanova is quite possibly the worst second-seed ever, and the winner of this game will take on the Wildcats in round two. Can you imagine a Patty Mills-less SMC in the Sweet 16? It looks quite possible.
