MARCH MADNESS INSANITY by Omar Tyree . . .

Oh yeah! It’s that insane time of the year again for college folks again.And I must admit, the Final Four brackets are right up there next to the NFLFootball playoffs and the SuperBowl. Of course, college basketball stillcomes in second for me. But that’s still pretty high. It beats out the NBAChampionship games and baseball’s World Series. In fact, those tournaments are4th and 5th, respectively, in my book. Coming in 3rd after the collegebasketball tournament is a quality Championship Fight, like Pacquiao and Maywetherfor instance. And what would you expect from a Philadelphian. The love ofboxing is in our BLOOD!

Anyway, I selected the same order of top 4 seeds as the experts, withKansas, Kentucky, Duke and Syracuse. And I know the West Virginia Mountaineerswere hot about not getting a # 1 seed, but they’re not knocking off Syracuseor Duke. I’m sorry. So take it out on the tournament and prove your worth. Infact, I think a #2 seed makes West Virginia more dangerous, while they playwith a chip on their shoulder. Villanova, on the other hand, should havedropped back to a #3 or even a #4 seed with the way they finished out theseason. They need to recruit a strong big man BAD!

I felt that Temple got a bad deal with a #5 seed after winning the Atlanta10 Conference. And then Pitt got a #3! No way! Temple should have receivedthat #3. I was also surprised to see Wake Forest and Minnesota make thetournament. Wake Forest has done nothing but LOSE in the last month, andMinnesota lost by 30 on national television, but they STILL get invites? WOW! Iwould rather see Virginia Tech or Mississippi State get in. But that’s the waythe ball bounces sometimes. So those teams are both in the NIT Tournamentwith a cliff-falling North Carolina this year.

Overall, the Midwest bracket of the Final Four is definitely the mostinteresting. I thought Kansas was supposed to have the easiest road to the finalsas the top #1 seed. But out in the Midwest, Kansas has Michigan State, OhioState, Maryland, Georgetown, and Tennessee. WOW! You talk about a loadedBRACKET. Those are ALL games that I LOVE to see! Of course, Kansas only has toplay 2 of those teams to advance. Nevertheless, they will definitely haveto EARN their Final Four appearance from that bracket. But I take Georgetownin a Big East upset. Even though Kansas is surely a loaded team, I just wentwith the flow, and Georgetown popped out. What can I say? I’m a Big Eastfan!

Then I like the East bracket with the young Kentucky Wildcats. They havebeen my favorite team to watch this year, with the John Wall dance and all.But can 3 freshman really make it to the big dance? They have Texas in thisfirst weekend. And I’ll tell you what, they don’t want to see Temple withthat slow-down office of there’s and those 3-points shooters either. Kentuckystruggles when you stop them from running up and down the floor. They alsostruggle to match teams with 3-point shooting. Then you have West Virginia inthat East bracket as an angry #2. I wouldn’t count those guys out afterwinning the Big East crown. Nevertheless, Kentucky is just plain fun to watch.So I’m rooting for those kids to make it out of the East anyway.

In the South bracket, Duke is the weakest number #1 seed in the field. Ijust don’t trust those guys. And yes, I give them the respect they deserve forclosing out the season as the top dogs in the ACC, but the ACC was mad WEAKthis year. We will see that when they all lose EARLY in the tournament. Infact, I have Duke losing in this first weekend against Louisville. Yes, Ido! That’s how tough the Big East is. Louisville finished HARD in the hardestconference in America. And even if Duke gets past Louisville, I have Baylorof Texas, surprising folks like Missouri did last year. And Baylor will beata guard-heavy, no-big-man-having Villanova, and whoever wins betweenLouisville and Duke to wrap up the South.

Last but not least is the West bracket. Now I realize that Syracuse is alittle bit disappointed that they have to travel away from home to the West tomake the finals this year. But when I look at the West, it’s the easiestbracket in the tournament. Yes, that’s what I said! The entire West is a“prove-it-to-me” bracket. Vanderbilt? Prove it to me! Pittsburgh? Ditto! KansasState? Same deal. Make me a believer! And outside of Murray State, thatentire West bracket bores me to death. So, if Syracuse doesn’t get homesick andlose for lack of energy and focus, they should come out of the West with noproblem at all. And if Syracuse doesn’t come out of the West to make thefinals, then they need to give up their Big East membership card and STAY OUTWEST!

So there you have it; Georgetown, Kentucky, Baylor and Syracuse. And the2010 big dog is . . . Drum roll please . . . the GEORGETOWN HOYAS!

I know, I know, it’s ridiculous, right? But that’s what came out of mybrackets without trying to over think it. I just let it flow, and Georgetownstuck with me. Of course, president Obama may pick Kansas this year, being hismother’s home state, as well as the favorite to win it all. But he alsoattended a Georgetown game in a snowstorm in Washington, DC, this year when theHoyas blew out Duke. So the president will win either way. As for me . . .Well, if Kansas and Kentucky end up in the final, I wouldn’t be mad at thatgame at all. That’s the game that most people expect. But what’s the fun ofhaving 4 brackets of so many teams to choose from if you can’t predictsomething RADICAL and WIN?

With that being said, in the women’s Final Four Tournament, once theselection committee went with Connecticut at #1, of course, followed by Stanfordat #2, and then Nebraska at #3 instead of Tennessee, I saw that as a HUGEMISTAKE for their championship game ratings! By placing Tennessee as a #4overall seed, we now end up with Connecticut and Tennessee in the Final Fourinstead of the Championship game. Well, Connecticut is going to win it allanyway, but at least having Tennessee in the final instead of Stanford would havebeen a much STRONGER game to market. We ALL want to see the HUSKIES and theLADY VOLS. GET IT ON! That’s the REAL women’s Championship. Nobody wantsto see Connecticut and Stanford in a rematch. That game will now beanti-climatic. And the women’s selection committee has no one to blame butthemselves.

With all due respect, Nebraska is happy to be a #1 seed PERIOD! They didn’thave to be #3. Placing them at #4 would have been just FINE! Then theycould have tested the Huskies bite in the Final Four, IF THEY MAKE IT that far.But to screw up the Connecticut and Tennessee final for a first everCornhuskers team, who may not even MAKE the Final Four was just plain STUPID! Theonly thing I can hope for now is that Nebraska can prove me wrong andsurprise us all with a win over Stanford. But . . . I doubt it. So better luck nextyear for the women’s final. Because I won’t be watching the Connecticutand Stanford game. However, if it was Tennessee, I would hung around andwatched the full WHIPPING, just to see Pat Summit have to walk over and shakethat little Italian man’s hand again in defeat. Ha ha ha!