Bracket of Tears

How did it all go so wrong?!?!

from JoeUser Forums
Oh my goodness... I cannot believe this year.

I am not the most talented NCAA tournament bracket picker. I am the first to admit that I don't know the teams or their relative strengths well enough to make more than an uneducated guess at filling out the bracket. But I enjoy pitching in my five dollars to the club and hope for the best. I think it's like playing the lottery, but for me it's a quick pick.


Okay: here is what I predicted, at least for the Final Four...

Texas beating Duke to reach the Final Four.
Gonzaga beating Memphis to reach the Final Four.
Boston College beating Villanova to reach the Final Four.
UConn beating UNC to reach the Final Four.

Then I had Texas and UConn advancing to the national championship, where the UConn Huskies were going to win the 2006 National Championship.


Instead, it ended up like this:

LSU beat Texas. UCLA beat Memphis. Florida beat Villanova, and George Mason beat UConn.
I didn't see LSU coming. I even read the SI article about that "Big Baby" kid and got excited for the tournament.

And who in their right mind picked George Mason? I bet, no one. If anyone did, they were either choosing literally at random or smoking crack.

Here's another one... who expected Bradley or Georgetown to get as far as they did? Good on ya, Bradley. Way to represent. And Georgetown... yeah, the "Center Factory", home of Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning.

Well, anyway, it was a good run, but my bracket and I have to say good night and see you next year. 'Cause I am done!

$5 is a bargain for the drama and excitement of March Madness!
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5,104 views 12 replies
Reply #1 from JoeUser Forums Top
I shudder to think of my pool's standings tomorrow. I am not excited to see myself down in 20th place.
Reply #2 from JoeUser Forums Top
I mentioned elsewhere what my brackets looked like.

I picked a few variations in the various pools I did, including the freebie ESPN, Sporting News, etc., pools. I'm toast in most of those except for one thing -- I had picked UCLA to win it all. That leaves me alive there, at least for now.

I expected UCLA vs. Texas, but Texas is gone. LSU looks tough. Big Baby is a man. Shaq Jr. if you will. He and his team are tough, and they are gonna give UCLA fits. I hope I'm able to be hoping for a UCLA win in the finals, but I don't know.

I had expected U-Conn to slide through. BC was also a favorite pick in my pools. Neither is there, and George Mason, a team I expected would be out after a game is still there.

I didn't have Villanova getting as far as they did, and didn't expect Florida to get past the final four. I could be right about Florida, but they're going up against Mason. I wish Mason all the best, as I'm sure it'll wreck a few more brackets along the way
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Reply #3 from JoeUser Forums Top
Yep, pretty stunning tourney (and disappointing for me).
Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top

And who in their right mind picked George Mason?

Oh I bet some GMU fans (the real ones, not the ones like me who are just rooting for an underdog) picked them.

Of my Final 4, one is still alive.  UCLA. So given how you did, that makes me in the upper 75% of prognosticators?

Reply #5 from JoeUser Forums Top
Oh I bet some GMU fans (the real ones, not the ones like me who are just rooting for an underdog) picked them.


Sure did. As soon as I heard they'd lucked into the tournament in the first place.

Of course, I'm one of those diehard fans that put the NY Giants in the Super Bowl in 2004 (6-10 for the year, shudder).

As a proud (if former) member of the GMU student body, I say, "Good for them." Maybe someone outside Virginia will actually find out what CAA stands for.
Reply #6 from JoeUser Forums Top
Gah - Doublepost monster strikes again.
Reply #7 from JoeUser Forums Top
Of my Final 4, one is still alive. UCLA.

My wife still has Florida.
Reply #8 from JoeUser Forums Top

My wife still has Florida.

She is not going to be popular south of the state line.

Reply #9 from JoeUser Forums Top
next time just mail me the five bucks and pretend you are gambling. eh eh eh eh
Reply #10 from JoeUser Forums Top
---And who in their right mind picked George Mason?---

On ESPN.com free contest they said out of over 3 million entries over 1800 picked George Mason in their Final Fours.

---Maybe someone outside Virginia will actually find out what CAA stands for.---

We do know. It stands for Connecticut Assassin Association.

Out of the 10 plus brackets I filled out I have only one that is still in the running. In it I still have LSU, UCLA and Florida, but unfortunately, I have UConn winning it all. My only chance is for George Mason to win it all and hope no one still alive in that contest picked GMU.
Reply #12 from JoeUser Forums Top
On ESPN.com free contest they said out of over 3 million entries over 1800 picked George Mason in their Final Fours.

Again, it was either totally random picking or it was crack. No one saw this coming, and no one expects Mason to progress past Florida.

But those same people didn't think Mason would get past Michigan State in the first round.