March Madness First Timer Succeeds.

March Madness is nearing a close. The Final Four takes place this weekend and it has me in a reflective state of mind regarding the picks I did and didn’t make. I’ve done pretty well over the past few years. I almost nearly won a pool I was in during March Madness in 2005. Had I picked North Carolina I would’ve been a few bucks richer.

This year I filled out four brackets. Three online and one on paper; and just for the hell of it I asked my girlfriend to fill one out. She has no knowledge of college basketball whatsoever, but I thought it would be interesting to see how she would do.

Of course I had to explain the 5-12 upsets as well the other little nuances that go along with filling out a bracket.  She took my explanations under consideration while filling out her bracket.  A few head scratchers in the first round, but nothing too ridiculous. 22-32 isn’t terrible for the first round.

In the second round she had Tennessee upsetting Pittsburgh. The only major upset she had picked for the entire bracket. As she moved onto the elite eight things became interesting. Especially considering that she picked Michigan State to beat Louisville. At the time I thought she was crazy for it.

Now remember she hasn’t watched a single college basketball game this year or any year for that matter.

I forgot to mention that she picked Michigan State to win it all. That is due in large part to her being from Michigan. A homer pick to win it all. There is nothing wrong with having a little pride for your home town team. After I saw her completed bracket for the first time I didn’t think her Final Four would become a reality.

Man how wrong was I. Not only did State beat Louisville, but she has three of the final four teams still alive. While myself on the other hand have absolutely nothing left. With State beating Louisville, so went my entire bracket.

It’s amazing how someone with no knowledge of college basketball can pick a better bracket then someone who is a casual follower of college basketball. I asked her what she based her picks on. Her logic behind her picks was names of teams she knew and places she likes to visit i.e. North Carolina.

I told her I would be amazed if State came remotely close to the Final Four let alone win the whole thing. Now they sit just two wins away from the championship. It could easily become a reality considering they are playing in their own back yard of Detroit. 

I joked about her picks and now she may be the one having the last laugh. It just goes to show that it doesn’t take an expert to get these things right and even they don’t get it right.

Am I embarrassed to admit my girlfriend is beating me in our brackets? No I’m not actually. Proud and surprised more than anything, but embarrassed is not an adjective I would even consider using.

It started off as just a thing for fun between her and I, and now it has turned into a much more competitive thing.

She’s been checking scores and asking who won what. It’s amazing how March Madness can draw people. Those who’ve never watched or followed college basketball in their lives can suddenly become captivated by it. That’s the beauty of March Madness.