March Madness lives up to name

For the first time in years, I didn’t enter my bracket in any type of NCAA Tournament pool.

Sadly, it’s probably for the best.

After all, when you lose an Elite Eight and Final Four team on the same day, it doesn’t bode well for the future.

I was feeling great after the opening day of the second round and wishing I had entered our office pool. But that all changed when a pair of No. 15 seeds came out of nowhere to derail my bracket and giving me a whole new appreciation for the term bracket buster.

Luckily, I was not in our Sarasota office when No. 15 seed Norfolk State upset No. 2 Missouri. I can only imagine the reaction that was felt across our newsroom (one highly stocked with Mizzou alumni) when the Tigers lost.

That was just the beginning of my bracket’s downward spiral. Did I mention No. 2 seed Duke lost to No. 15 seed Lehigh?

On the bright side, Ohio State, my alma mater, won, and six of my Elite Eight and three of my four Final Four teams remain.

Don’t get me wrong: I’m all for upsets and Cinderella stories. They are what make March Madness so exciting. However, I’ll be the first to admit that I never would’ve guessed three Ohio schools, one of which is a No. 13 seed, no less, would be heading to the Sweet Sixteen.

Ohio State, yes, I saw that one coming. I picked them to reach the Final Four. And it was a toss-up for me to pick between No. 3 Florida State and No. 6 Cincinnati. But never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined Ohio University would be headed to the Sweet Sixteen.

I grew up a stone’s throw from two MAC universities; and I can really only remember one time when the conference had a true Cinderella story. That was back in 2002, when Kent State reached the Elite Eight.
So now, the question is how far with this year’s Cinderella story go? The Bobcats haven’t reached the Elite Eight since 1964, but a win over No. 1 seed North Carolina could change that.

Do I think it’ll happen? Not really. But as my bracket has already shown me, when it comes to March Madness, anything is possible.