Villa... Who?

Villanova beat Duke? What is basketball coming to?

My picks for the remainder of the tournament:

Pittsburgh vs. Villanova = Pittsburgh
Louisville vs. Arizona = Louisville
Kansas vs. Michigan State = Kansas
Connecticut vs. Missouri = Connecticut
North Carolina vs. Gonzaga = North Carolina (though I do hope Gonzaga wins)
Syracuse vs. Oklahoma = Oklahoma

And what team will win the tournament now that Duke is out? It's hard to say. But I'm liking Kansas and Louisville. And of those two, I like Kansas. However, so far, each of the #1 seeds have proven themselves to be the best in their region consistently. Kansas would definitely be an upset, but what's a tournament without a little surprise? My final four picks are:

Kansas, Pittsburgh, Connecticut, and North Carolina

Of those four, Connecticut and North Carolina will go to the big dance, and UConn will win the championship. Convention say UNC will win, and my aunt loves the Tarheels. Upsets make the game interesting, though, so UConn it is.

Road to Final Four Picks

Image credit: pelotafan.com/2007_04_01_archive.html
Image credit: www.duke.edu/~blp3/dukebball/


Today a reader asked me how I was doing with my basketball challenge. I told her I hadn't had time to keep up with the games as I'd like. I will begin this weekend. Today at 1pm, the Florida Seminoles are playing. Since I don't know if the Seminoles are the same as the Gators, I suppose that will be the first thing I research once I've finished this post. She and her husband are huge Gators fans.

It behooves me as well to announce my picks at least for the Final Four. Unfortunately, no team from Florida will make it even to the Sweet 16. My aunt favors North Carolina. I favor Duke. But identifying the serious contenders -- a feat requiring more than supporting the teams with prettiest colors (as I admit to having done in the past) or the team that happens to be leading at the time I tune into a game -- that takes effort. I will do a bit of research, abd compile four picks.

Coincidently, the Seminoles are playing Duke tomorrow. How confident am I that Duke will win?

The Price of Basketball Madness

After a good deal of surfing this evening, I've resolved to attend a live basketball game. It is March Madness season after all, and most every team that's made it to the finals is bound to turn out a good game. The tickets are pretty cheap, too. About $12 at one university.

I also checked out the professional teams. One ticket courtside is $2,500! Nose bleed seats are at a much more reasonable rate, $20. Then out of curiosity, I also checked out the NCAA tourney tickets. The less expensive seats are about $150, and the courtside seats are $700. It's a slightly better deal on the high end, but for someone like me who's not really into sports, nose bleed at $20 or college ball $12 is just fine.

Though How March Became Madness is still on my list, I realize, as is usually true for avid readers, that I have more books waiting to be read than I actually have to read. Right now I'm finishing up Get Ahead by Going Abroad. Not all of it is relavant to me, but I find the details about business and personal experiences of women who've traveled and made sucesses of their careers quite inspiring. Then there are two books each on volunteering and foreign cultures. After that, a tome of etiquette. Where will I squeeze in my study about basketball?

Valentines in the Madness of March

It feels like Valentine's Day. All around there are happy, smiling couples, chirping birds, exchanges of knowing glances between long settled pairs. Then there's me. Walking alone. Eating alone. Sitting on the bus alone. Reading a book.

What I need is a basketball game. It's March Madness season. So, that will be it. That will be my next challenge, and I will forget about hearts and kisses and hugs, hand holding, rubbing noses, and all manner of embrace. But first things first: Learning the rules of the game and its history.

Go blue!

I believe I will begin with How March Became Madness. It's a book I've perused before maybe a few years back, but I remember enjoying it a good deal. I knew very little about basketball when I picked the book up. I'd initially gotten it because it had a nice cover. Then I read it, and I was amazed at how interesting the author, Einhorn, made everything. I never finished the book when I read it the first time. Now is a great time to start again.