SognCenter: Beaches are great, brackets are better

When Friday, March 18 hits, many people are headed to the beaches of Florida or California.  Some are headed to Las Vegas and some are headed home. 

Me?  I'm headed where all sport fans should find themselves this next week.

My couch.

Now, yes, I'd love to be in Ft. Myers, Fla., watching my beloved Twins, but my couch will do justice for this break.

And, after two months of straight chaos (known as spring semester), I deserve a break. 

I, like many other students, have elected to probably "check out" of classes a bit early. 

What am I doing in my spare time? Filling out my NCAA bracket.

For some, picking a bracket is all about allegiance to a university. 

Others, what team has the best shooting percentage. 

Still others base their decisions off of what team colors look best together.

I'm an over-thinker.

Round one game between Xavier and Marquette?  Hmm.  Xavier comes out of the Atlantic 10 Conference, which hasn't been too strong this season, but Marquette hasn't been that impressive in the Big East. 

Still, it's the Big East.  We'll go with the Golden Eagles on this one.

Round one game between Brigham Young University and Wofford. 

Really? Why am I debating picking Wofford?  Don't do it.  Jimmer-mania is sure to guarantee at least one win in the tournament for BYU. 

No more than one, but I'll gamble a first round pick on someone named Jimmer any day of the week.

Michigan State versus Florida in the second round.  Tough choice. 

Michigan State has had a rough season, but head coach Tom Izzo just has this aura around him when the tournament hits. 

Florida's in the SEC, and even though former Roosevelt player Cody Larson is on the roster, let's choose the SEC.  Heck, they're pretty good at most sports.

Another round two game, West Virginia and Kentucky has me second-guessing myself. 

I hate Kentucky's head coach John Calipari.  Can't stand the guy.  He seems like a slime-ball off the court and obnoxious on it.

West Virginia's coach is equally as hated. 

Bob Huggins is more focused on winning than he is the future success of any of the players.

While coaching at Cincinnati, 27 of his 95 players graduated.  28 percent.  Awful.

Plus, he did that creepy hugging/near kissing scene on the court last year with DeSean Butler.

So, let's go with Kentucky. 

Next up, who's going to the Elite Eight.

San Diego State has been playing really tough this season, but it's a Pacific coast team. 

Not a fan of those, and Kemba Walker of the Connecticut Huskies has been lights-out as of late.

Also, I like the Big East this year, not to win the championship (they never do), but to knock off some big names in the tournament.

Duke and Texas should be an interesting match-up if it happens, but Duke's too good for anybody to stop them this March.

Another game I'm interested in seeing is Louisville and Kansas.  Two teams that both play smart, have great coaches and wear the color red (for you "color-code" bracket folks).  Still, Louisville lost Rakeem Buckles for the year with an Anterior Cruciate Ligament tear, so that hurts their competitive edge.

The Final Four.  A round that has notoriously cost me any chance at winning any pools I've entered in the past.

So, here we go.

North Carolina, Duke, Kansas and Florida.

I scribbled over Florida on my bracket twice, but I'll keep them. 

Pittsburgh is good, but it's hard to see a Big East team making it that far after such a grueling conference schedule.

As far as the championship matchup, I'm going to go with Duke and Kansas.  North Carolina can't contend with Duke when it comes to tournament season, and Florida has a Roosevelt Rough Rider on the team. 

Go Lincoln High, for you we always will try.

Now, here's where I switch from over-thinker to loyalty. 

Do I think Duke can beat Kansas? Yes. 

Do I think Duke will beat Kansas? Not sure. 

But, I've yet to pick a different team when March Madness hits, so I'm staying true with Duke.

Enjoy your beaches.