We are getting to that time of the year when CBS can start splitting together highlights as 'One Shining Moment' plays as the NCAA crowns a men's basketball national champion in a little over three weeks.
The field of 68 teams has been announced and it is the time of the year where people fill out numerous brackets and join pool parties (no, not those kinds of pool parties).
Las Vegas basks in the light where gambling on college basketball is at its highest.
If you get into a pool, remember there will be someone that picks a favorite mascot or color and knows nothing about basketball. That's why you have a 10-year old win the pool. Or if you are in an office with 90 percent men, the 10 percent of women will choose the same way in most cases. There is no rhyme or reason to this madness.
Heck, if you can choose a perfect bracket, Warren Buffett will give you $1 billion for your efforts. There is a reason the filthy-rich, oil tycoon does this promotion. You are not going to pick a perfect bracket. The probability of selecting a perfect bracket is 9.2 quintillion-to-1.
There are 63 total games in a tournament bracket. For each of those games, two teams play, and one team wins. So, filling out a bracket consists of picking 63 winners.
So, you have two options for the first game, two options for the second game, two options for the third game, and so on, for all 63 games. To get the total number of possible ways to fill out a bracket, you multiply together all 63 of these twos, giving us 263, or about 9.2 quintillion, possible brackets.
My primary guiding principle in filling out a bracket goes like this: I don't care if you know a lot about college basketball. I don't care if you can name the sixth man on the eighth-best team in the ACC, or if you saw 17 games every weekend of February.
We all have our favorites, including Kentucky, who might be one of the best college basketball teams ever. Virginia, Duke, Villanova, Wisconsin, Kansas and Gonzaga might have something to say about that.
In most cases you see those power schools make their way to the Final Four. They do that for a reason, because of the programs they have built. Still, this is not the NBA and a seven-game series. We are talking about one-and-done scenario here. If you have an off night and you are the No. 1 team in the nation, you could lose and everything you have worked for since November is gone.
Remember, there is no certainty to March Madness. There are only two things that you can count on - death and taxes. Well, there is a way around one of those things and the other is a given.
If you are not a fan of the usual powerhouses, go ahead and pick an underdog. You have Robert Morris out of the Northeast Conference. The Colonials haven't played in the tournament since 2010. But, how fair is it to have to play Robert and Morris?
You have North Florida, not to be confused with South Florida. The Ospreys are playing in its first NCAA Tournament this year. As we get into more directional schools, throw in Northeastern, who hasn't been dancing since 1991.
If you can tell me where Belmont, Coastal Carolina, Lafayette, Valparasio or Wooford are located, you get bonus points. A dark horse you may want to see get to the Sweet Sixteen is Northern Iowa. The Panthers are 30-3 on the season and can play with anyone in the nation.
Anyway sit back and enjoy the next few weeks of the college basketball season. It is one of the best times of the year for any sports fan. There are sure to be upsets, but that is what this time of year is all about.
Winnemucca Publishing Sports Editor Tony Erquiaga can be reached via email at t.erquiaga@winnemuccapublishing.net.
[[In-content Ad]]
