So…How Do Your Brackets Look?

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is just about over. As I write this, the final two games are being played, which will wrap up one of the most exciting first weekends of the NCAA Tournament I've ever seen. With all of the upsets this weekend, I can only imagine how terrible your brackets look.

If you've followed the NCAA Tournament for any amount of time, you know that upsets are inevitable. Though we have yet to see a #16 seed take out a #1 seed, I have no doubt in my mind that we'll see it sooner rather than later. Just this weekend, we saw both Kansas and Gonzaga struggle with their Round of 64 opponents. Gonzaga didn't stop struggling, though, and they were upended by #9 seed Wichita State in the Round of 32.

Speaking of upsets, who would've guessed that #15 Florida Gulf Coast would be the story of the tournament. Not only did they surprise everyone and upset #2 Georgetown in the Round of 64 but they also took out #7 San Diego State in the Round of 32. They've cemented themselves as the team to watch in this tournament and I'll admit that I made it a point to set time aside to watch their game today. They're also the first #15 seed to make it to the Sweet 16 in tournament history.

So, we had a #15 knock off a #2 AND a #7...Plus, we had a #14 knock off a #3. It wasn't just any old #14, though...It was Harvard. That's right, a school known more for their academics and graduates than athletics took out a New Mexico team that quite a few people expected to have a deep run in the tournament. Unfortunately for Harvard, they couldn't wear the Cinderella slipper for long as they were taken out by Arizona.

And, finally, we saw something that we see every year...a #12 seed defeating a #5 seed. However, this year was a bit different in the fact that we saw THREE #12 seeds knock off #5 seeds. VCU was the only #5 seed to survive the Round of 64 but they were knocked out by Michigan in the Round of 32.

If you're anything like me, you spent a lot of time analyzing the brackets and listening to everything every commentator said...And, like it does every year, it didn't make a difference. You can't predict anything in this tournament and that's exactly what we love about it. It's almost like the entire college basketball world resets itself right before the tournament starts. Even though they try and set it up so that the "best" teams move on through the tournament, it never works out that way...And I'm completely OK with that.

The worst thing about the tournament is that we have to wait five days to enjoy more of it!