Lessons Learned From March Madness

There I was, Wednesday night, computer windows tiled so I had all my reference materials in front of me. I had won bracket pools two out of the last three years, and it was time to find the next Davidson. Was there even another Davidson? Two hours later, with my brackets saved, and my confidence brimming, I went to bed with high hopes.

It's several days later, and boy, did I learn some lessons.

Don't bet on a Bob Huggins coached squad — I'll just give you the facts. Besides Huggins' first two years as head coach at Cincinnati where the team went to the Final Four and the Elite Eight the following year, a Huggins coached team has not made it out of the first weekend 11 out of 14 seasons. This includes a second round exit in the 2001-2002 season as a No. 1 seed. I liked West Virginia this year. I thought they were tough, had senior leadership, and were battle-tested. I forgot about Huggins. Don't make the same mistake.

Never underestimate the nobody believed in us angle — John Calipari has become synonymous with getting his Memphis Tigers to play with a chip on their shoulders. Last year, despite a top seed, the Tigers still had themselves convinced no one believed they could win the title, and that they should have garnered a top seed coming from Conference USA. This year, the nobody believed in us angle is being sponsored by Arizona. Arguably the last team to get in, the Wildcats are in the Sweet 16. It is true that they have had an easy road, playing an overrated Utah team and an upset-minded 13-seed Cleveland State. Arizona, however, has played lights-out defense and looks like the team that beat Kansas and Gonzaga, not the team that lost five out of their last six.

Western Kentucky is the new Gonzaga — It seemed fitting that a second round matchup pitted the Hilltoppers against the 'Zags. The only thing that did not match the parallels that these two are traveling along was Gonzaga pulling out the victory on some shoddy Western Kentucky defense. I think it's time that we stop seeding Western Kentucky so low come tournament time because every year they make some noise ... sound familiar? Last year, Courtney Lee and the Hilltoppers made it to the Sweet 16. This year, they were a coast-to-coast layup away from crashing the ball a second straight time. They are no longer the step-child in Bluegrass hoops. While Kentucky plays in the NIT, Western Kentucky continues to emerge and trust me, it won't belong before these guys are a top-five seed. It's going to happen.

Don't get caught up in the madness — Every year after Selection Sunday, I go straight to the bracket and start to look things over. Then George Mason enters my thoughts, Stephen Curry is draining threes, Hampton is shocking Iowa State, and Princeton is running the backdoor cut on defending champion UCLA. Suffice to say, I go crazy. I want to be the one to pick the next big upset. I don't want to go chalk in the tourney, I want excitement. While that may be all well and good for viewing purposes, it is highly unlikely. If you're like me, and are trying to will the upsets by picking them in your brackets, take a step back, breath deeply, and think with your mind, not with your heart.

The tourney is not the same without mid-major at-large berths — Part of the greatness of the NCAA tournament is the chance for the little guy to make a run at the giants. Almost every year, one small school gets up the gumption and takes on the establishment and everyone falls in love with them. This year, the selection committee decided they were tired of giving the little guy a chance and invited an unprecedented number of BCS conference teams in the dance. Seven from the ACC, Big 10, and Big East got their name called and six from the Big 12. Throw in six from the Pac-10 and three from the SEC and that's over half the field.

Why should mid-majors be penalized because the only teams they can face are other mid-majors? BCS schools don't want to face them because losing to them would look terrible on their resume if they are a bubble team. Yet, 26-win teams Creighton, St. Mary's, and Davidson had to sit on the bench. Seeds 11 and higher should be reserved for mid-major berths, give them a chance to make some waves. It's no wonder this season has provided us with the most top-seeded heavy Sweet 16 ever; it's because they all play the same brand of basketball at the top level. Get some other teams in there to stir the pot, and you have a much better tournament that exemplifies March Madness, or else you just have March Mildness.

The Big 10 is overrated — They got seven teams! That's all I could think about when the brackets were unveiled. Seven! Now a weekend later, with only two remaining, it's obvious the committee must have been drinking the Big 10 Kool-Aid to receive that many bids from a conference that hasn't shown it is anywhere near the depth that people think to receive so many bids. Please, indulge me. What has the Big 10 done outside of conference to deserve seven bids?

The SEC, they are who we thought they were — At the same time the Big 10 was getting seven bids, the SEC was only getting three. With no teams left, it seems the committee should have used the same decision making it did on the SEC as the Big 10.

The Big East is for real — Seven teams entered, five still remain, 'nuff said. Pitt, UConn, Louisville, 'Nova, and Syracuse can all catch fire and win the tournament, they are that strong this year. Each team has the tools to be successful in March. They all have an inside-outside presence, they all have leadership, and all of them have a standout player/players that can cause hell for an opposing defense. It would not surprise me if we had an all Big East Final Four, not in the least.

You need seniors — Seniors keep you grounded, seniors get the job done. The difference between 22 and 18 is incredible, which is why teams with good leaders always do well in the tournament, and players with one-and-done NBA auditioners never last.

Trust your gut — When filling out your bracket, go with your gut. If I went with my gut, I would have had a perfect Sweet 16. But then I read more, and listened more, and before long, I had an all-new bracket, with new upsets and long-shots. Now my bracket is covered in red ink and I have a bevy of friends rubbing it in my face.

This year is an apparition — Never will the tournament be almost all chalk again. When you have over 35 BCS participants, you lower the rate of good mid-major at large teams causing these teams fits. The more mid-major at-large teams that get in, the bigger chance of a nine-seeded Rhode Island beating a top-seeded Stanford, or a 10-seeded Davidson beating a second-seeded Georgetown we will have.

Tom Izzo knows March Madness — He wins in March, plain and simple.

Top 12 seeds are still left, two No. 4s, a No. 5 and 12, buckle up... — This may be the only positive of a big boys bracket. This will be a knockdown, drag-out battle to reach the Final Four. All of these teams have seen each other before, either on TV or through a common opponent. Each team will be prepared as best they can, and each participant will be playing with everything on the line. Big conference bragging rights and a title is on the line and competitive juices will be flowing.

Come next year, none of this will matter — That, I guarantee you.