“Behind every successful man is a proud wife and a surprised mother-in-law.” – Hubert H. Humphrey
Leveling The Field
Is it just me, or does this year’s tournament field feel about as even and wide open as it has ever been? Yeah, today’s loss by Duke busted many a bracket, but let’s be honest. Are we really that surprised? This is, in fact, the second time in just three years that Coach K’s Krew has lost in the first round, to a 14 and 15 seed, no less! Perhaps we will have to find a new word to supplant “upset” when a lower seeded team wins a game. After watching yesterday’s games, I would go so far as to say that there were games that the lower seed lost that felt more like upsets simply because that lower seed had led the entire game only to give it away late or in overtime. Perhaps I am merely restating conventional wisdom, but I believe a number of factors are contributing to this development, including the NBA revolving door, broader TV coverage of mid-major programs, and the success of mid-major programs such as Gonzaga, Butler, and Wichita State, success that ends up convincing talented high school prospects to go somewhere besides Kentucky, Duke, or North Carolina. And why wouldn’t they? They can get more playing time while getting almost as much TV exposure and just as much chance to make noise in the post season.
With 23 games in the books, 7 have been won by the lower seed, and at least two more definitely should have been. That’s around a third, which is more than one would expect if the seeding was truly reflective of the expected outcome. Call it parity, leveling the playing field, or whatever cliche you prefer. The one thing that makes March Madness so compelling, the fact that anyone can win any one game on a particular night, is only becoming more apparent with each passing year.
Duke Cries Mercer!
“Dad, my bracket is ruined!” That’s the text I received from my 13-year-old, Amber, shortly after #14 seed Mercer downed #3 seed Duke in convincing fashion. While that tugged at old Dad’s heart strings, my response was pragmatic. “You are not alone, honey. There’s always the re-picks.” A quick look at the Carnage Report reveals that 111 minions lost a final four team, and 20 lost their national champion. The news is not all bad, though. Thirty contestants collected the contest’s first coveted Scategories Bonus for the win, which was worth a total of 13 points including bonuses.This shook up the standings quite a bit, as you might imagine.
Unnecessary Roughness
As I type this, the only remaining game in progress is Gonzaga vs Oklahoma State, a game in which 57 fouls have been called, and the most in a post-season game in over a decade! I’ve always been a Gonzaga fan. I’m sitting here in my Gonzaga jersey, even. But these guys need helmets and shoulder pads, mainly to protect themselves from the bricks they have been tossing up from the free throw line. Once again – bad free throw shooting. It’s an epidemic.
Quick Shout Outs
These midday commentaries are tough because I am trying to do so much multitasking. If the contest gets much bigger, I’m going to have to hire a staff.
Before I hand out a few awards, I would like to acknowledge an interesting phenomenon I’ve noticed lately, and that is that the minions seem to be developing their own vernacular. (Given what we know about minions, I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised.) I’ve noticed you’ve taken to calling the awards “shout outs,” and so, from henceforth, that is what we shall call them.
So here you go, a few shout outs before the evening session. Bee Doe, Bee Doe, Bee Doe…
- The It’s So Fluffy I Could Die! award for unfettered exuberance goes to John Lederman, who posted on the contest Facebook page, in ALL CAPS, no less, “THIS IS THE HIGHEST I’VE EVER BEEN IN YOUR CONTEST!!! WOOHOO!” John is currently in 5th place.
- The Always A Bridesmaid award goes to my brother, Josh Marshall, who lamented that all of his upset picks lost in overtime. Josh is currently tied for 170th.
- The Upset Stomach award, this year brought to you by Tagamet, goes to five minions who picked all 7 upsets thus far: Michael Weier, Gavin Hand, Kasiah Hand, John Lederman, and Matthew Hickey.
- The Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner award goes to Russ Zimmerman, aka bblakerstyle, who has won 22 out of 23 games so far. You would think that would put Russ in first place, but that’s the beauty of my contest. Russ is currently in 10th.
- The You Could Have Done Better Picking All Upsets award goes to the one contestant who managed to win fewer than 7 games so far, which is how many you could win if you just picked the lower seed to win every game (which is what Matthew Hickey did). The winner is Josh Vaughters with just 5 wins so far. Weirdly, Josh is NOT in last place.
- And finally, the Yellow Jersey award goes to the current contest leader, Michael “Mike” Weier, with 61 points.
Ok, minions, time to grab my son, grab some dinner, and settle in for the evening session. Look for the Day Two wrap up in your inbox in the morning.
The Wizard of Whiteland