It’s 7:05 EDT and the first of this year’s Sweet Sixteen NCAA Men’s Division I basketball games is scheduled to tip off in 10 minutes.
I’m running late for many reasons but mostly because I am not a big fan of college basketball. Frankly, I know few people who are. After all, most people’s interest seems limited to picking teams on a whim from brackets in their office pools.
But participating in this ritual is as obligatory for political/social/cultural commentators as it is for sports analysts. So here are my picks:
East: Ohio State over Kentucky; North Carolina over Marquette
West: Duke over Arizona; Connecticut over San Diego
Southeast: Butler over Wisconsin; BYU over Florida
Southwest: Kansas over Richmond; Virginia Commonwealth over Florida State
FINAL FOUR
North Carolina vs Kansas
Duke vs BYU
FINAL TWO
North Carolina vs BYU
CHAMPION
North Carolina
NOTE: I read an ESPN report today about a five year old whose picks are outperforming those of seasoned experts, including NCAA tournament junkie President Barack Obama. And how did this kid choose his teams? By pointing to the team with the cutest mascot. That should tell you just how informed and reliable most professional picks really are.
* This commentary was originally published yesterday, Thursday, at 7:05 pm.