My ill-informed tournament picks
By William M. Hartnett on Mar 14, 2007 in sports
As an obvious UF homer, I’ve been picking Florida to win the men’s basketball tournamet for many years now, including several in which they were not, strictly speaking, among the participating teams.
My previously secret method for determining the rest of my tournament picks is to maintain a strict ignorance of all matters related to college basketball throughout the regular season. I then make selections based largely on my similarly limited knowledge of college mascots and team nicknames, weighing factors such as the physical, historical and/or metaphorical merits of the animal, concept or shocking symbol of racial intolerance they represent.
Would a more knowledgeable sports fan pick Oral Roberts to upset Washington State in the first round of the east regional? Perhaps not. As I happen to be endlessly amused in an admittedly immature way by anyone named Oral, however, I have made that very selection.
