The Waterboy
Jeff Yoder | Sports Co-Editor
This is not a column titled after the 1998 comedy with Adam Sandler. It's a place to take a break from the action, step over to the sideline and let me refresh you with a cold cup of sports knowledge. Every other week, I'll give a response to the professional and college sports worlds' latest controversy.
One week out of every year, offices, schools and people's lives get put on hold. An entire nation of people taught to think logically will do as they were taught only to be sadly disappointed. It's not the logical who triumph in March. It's the arbitrary, unreasonable and undeserving who end up on top. Francine from the knitting club isn't stupid for picking a No. 15 seed over Duke because of their pretty colors, she's just thinking outside the box. And watch out for Dave, the old war veteran in accounting. You laugh at him for picking schools based on how American they are. You weren't laughing in 2006 when the No. 11 seed George Mason Patriots made the final four. A simple "I told you so" from Dave haunted you for years. There's no science, no formula and usually no hope after the first weekend. On Wednesday night, you're all giddy about your picks. By dinner on Thursday, you've already seen your champion pick, No. 2 seed Missouri, fall to No. 15 seed Norfolk State. You rip your bracket in half as Francine keeps knitting and smiling. Norfolk State had pretty colors. Take it from me, the expert who had Missouri going all the way last season, when I tell you there's no hope. The only way to enjoy March Madness is to throw out logic. Just because Florida Gulf Coast (a No. 15 seed) beat Miami (a No. 2 seed) back in November doesn't mean they'll beat Georgetown (a No. 2 seed) on Friday. Since the logic is useless, I guess the facts wouldn't be much help either. Regardless, they make you feel smarter when inking your picks. There are more than nine quintillion ways to pick your bracket. 9,223,372,036,854,780,000 to be exact. It makes picking lottery numbers look like a multiple choice test. Before I give you my winning combination, I'll throw out some logic to confirm or condemn the picks you made this year. Only No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 and 8 seeds have won the tournament. Hopefully you didn't pick a No. 5 or No. 7. If you chose anything below an eight, then you probably don't care enough to have read this far. There may be some truth to Francine's color-picking strategy. The national champion the past nine years has been a team that wears blue. Syracuse (orange) was the last non-blue team to win it in 2003. A No. 12 seed has upset a No. 5 seed in the first round 22 of the last 24 years. I had the 12-seeds Oregon and California in the Sweet 16. Since 1991, the winning coach's first name has been four letters or fewer. This year's four No. 1 seeds are coached by Rick, Mark, Bill and Tom. The four No. 2 seeds are coached by Mike, Thad, John and Jim. That streak will most likely continue. As for me, I have Louisville, Ohio State, Georgetown and Indiana in the final four with Louisville over the Hoosiers in the championship. To share with you my reasoning, or logic, would be a waste of time, but I'll do it anyway. The Buckeyes are hot lately and just won the Big Ten tournament. The Hoyas choke year after year in the tournament but they have, in my opinion, the best player in the country in Otto Porter Jr. The Hoosiers get there because I was born in Indiana and, despite being a Purdue fan, I can't pick against the Hoosiers. Lastly, the Louisville Cardinals dropped four in a row back in January but have been on a mission ever since. I'm looking at Louisville for graduate school, so I'm a little biased. I also have loads of respect for Cardinal head coach Rick Pitino so I'm repping the "Pick Rick" train to go all the way. No matter who you picked, I hope I could help you feel unsure, confident or absolutely disgusted with your bracket after this weekend. When Louisville is hoisting the trophy in April, I hope you remember who picked Rick.
