While a 777 Malaysian jet is still unaccounted for,
and Ukraine teeters on the edge of the abyss, this morning I turn my attention
to the most pressing issue of this day, March 19, 2014. Yes, it’s time to fill
out my NCAA bracket for the office pool. ‘Merica.
Each year, I mostly ignore college basketball except
for the occasional contest between the University of Richmond and VCU. It’s
strange really how this came to be since I used to follow the sport religiously
20 years ago. But somewhere along the line the sound of sneakers on hardwood
started to get on my nerves, and I lost interest. Nevertheless, like all red-blooded
men I am expected to fork over my fifteen bucks and fill out a bracket. So,
here I am staring at this thing wondering when in the world did North Dakota
State start playing basketball?
My process and strategy, such as it is, is to look
at each match-up for no more than ten seconds before making my pick. Just like
putting, the longer I take, the worse I tend to do. Don’t think too much
Dunnevant, just go with your gut. But what happens when because of inattention
all year, you have no gut feeling about say, San Diego State vs. New Mexico
State? Well, I then look at the seed. San Diego is a 4 seed and New Mexico a 14,
so clearly the powers that be think that San Diego is the much better team.
However, this is the NCAA basketball tournament. Upsets are what makes this
thing what it is, the Cinderella story, the underdog. So, then I look at their
records. San Diego was 29-4 while New Mexico was 26-9, begging the question, how
in the world did New Mexico State entice 17 schools to travel all the way to
Las Crusas to play them?? Still lacking clear guidance, I ask myself, “Which
one of these places would I prefer to live in if I had to choose between them?”
San Diego State it is!
The serious basketball fan will scoff at this
technique, but I won my office pool three years ago using this exact same
method. Remember that they call this event March Madness, not March Method. There is madness to my method, I freely admit.
So, what were the results of the Dunnevant Method, you might ask?
I’ve got Florida, Iowa State, Arizona and Louisville
in the final four, with the Gators beating the Wildcats in the title game.
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