Round of 32 - Part I

And the first #1 seed goes down. Gonzaga falls to a team that's earning their nickname, the Shockers. One of my brackets is dead. Let's see how the Main Entry is doing.

Midwest

I went 3-0 here, scoring 60 points. That brings my overall Midwest record to 10-1 and 130 points. Creighton plays Duke and my pick is the Blue Devils (kind of hard to say, if you're a Phantom Regiment alum). As long as Louisville and Michigan State continue to the Elite 8, this should be a solid bracket...

South

...unlike here. I went 0-1, picking VCU over Michigan. My overall South record is now 5-4 and a total of 50 points. There are three games on tap. I picked Kansas over North Carolina (originally Villanova), Florida over Minnesota (originally UCLA), and the Florida Gulf Coast vs San Diego State game is an automatic loss, since I picked Georgetown to win. As stated yesterday, I am pulling for Florida Gulf Coast, though the Aztecs should take care of business.

West

And a #1 falls early, officially killing my Really? bracket. Is Wichita State this year's Cinderella team? Could this be a home state NCAA Championship game, with Wichita State going up against Kansas? If they did, it would be the first time since 1962 that two teams from the same state played for the championship, when Cincinnati beat Ohio State for the NCAA Championship in 1961 and 1962. However, it probably won't happen here.

At least yesterday wasn't a disaster. I went 1-1, scoring 20 points. My West record is now 4-6, with 50 points. That's the best I can do today. The Ole Miss vs LaSalle game is an automatic loss, since I picked against both teams in the first round. I picked Ohio State over Iowa State (originally Notre Dame).

East

So far, so good. I went 2-0 here, scoring 40 points, and still sporting a perfect bracket at 10-0 and 120 points. In today's games, I chose Indiana over Temple, and Miami over Illinois.


A fellow Phantom Regiment alum brought up a good point that should be covered here. Although I've been talking about wins and losses, the point totals from those picks are more important and better reflect the accuracy AND impact of my picks, because they increase in value as the tournament progresses. The win/loss totals reflect the accuracy without the impact.

I went 6-2 so far in the Round of 32, bringing the total to 29-11. Here is why the point totals are more important. The Main Entry scored a 120, bringing my overall score to 350. That puts me in a tie for the lead in The Virtual Beer Tent with my Really? bracket. However. as previously stated, the Really? bracket is officially dead.

The Main Entry is also my best performing bracket right now. My worst performing bracket is the No #1, with an overall score of 310. In the First Take group, my Take 3 bracket has a score of 340, placing 3,450.

Who will stand? Who will fall? Will Wichita State or Florida Gulf Coast be this year's Cinderella team?

Stay tuned.