On the Eve of Madness

It's time for me to obsess on college basketball for my favorite time of the sports year: March Madness.

I'm only a mediocre basketball fan. I like basketball because of the fast pace of the scoring, but I only watch college basketball and I only really pay attention during March. There's always something dramatic about a 64 team, single elimination tournament. Unlike the NBA, I can keep track of which player is playing on which team. And each team has a particular identity and history. Because of the single elimination format, every game counts and the players treat it as such. I've even teared up during the 'One Shining Moment' segment CBS always puts together at the end of the Madness. It's cheesy, but I love it.

For full disclosure, I'm a Maryland Terrapins fan, I'll cheer for Cal and anyone playing against Duke. Last year I was entertained by the matchup between Cal and Maryland in the first round. Happily, Maryland won.

This year, Maryland is ranked 4th in the Midwest bracket. Sadly, I have them losing to my eventual winner, Kansas. Cal is up against Louisville in the first round but I don't have them getting past Duke. Just to spite Duke, I don't have them in my Final Four. They're overrated more often than not and this year is no exception. Muahahaha!

I much prefer being able to compare my picks against other people's, but I'll fill out a bracket regardless just so I can root for someone. Watching the games is more exciting that way.

Tomorrow is only a day away!