Seriously, is there anything better than March? St. Patrick' Day, spring break, the start of baseball season and the NCAA Tournament all occur during these glorious 31 days. It's the only month so crazy that it literally has an alliterative adjective affixed to the end and requires capital letters to explain it. March Madness. The best month of the year.
Sorry other 11, you've just lost the charm. August isn't so great, because I'm usually moving into school on my birthday. Once I stopped believing in Santa last year, December went downhill. And don't get me started on February and Valentine's Day.
But boy does March rule. And even though my bold predictions made earlier don't appear to be panning out so well — seriously Tennessee, that's the effort you give in the SEC Championship? You looked like the Nets. I'm going to give it one last shot as the Madness officially begins today, even though no one really cares about Arkansas−Pine Bluff against Winthrop. I'm pretty sure those are just made−up schools anyway (says the kid who goes to Tufts).
In any case, allow me to present to you my fearless predictions for the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Be sure to catch my podcast with Ethan Landy on Wednesday night, in which we debate the bracket and reveal our selections. For now, though, here's a sampling.
Has there even been a No. 16 seed with a better shot to upset a top−ranked team than Vermont has in taking on No. 1 Syracuse? After all, the Catamounts, as a 13 seed in 2005, upset the Orange. Clearly, the odds are completely against them, but wouldn't it be cool if it happened? Unless, of course, you're a Syracuse fan. Bummer for you then.
Murray State and Vanderbilt are 120 miles apart. The first−round game between the two is in San Jose, Calif. Snaps to the Selection Committee for making this one happen.
Even though I want to doubt Villanova, I should know better than to pick against senior Scottie Reynolds. The Wildcats enter the tournament having lost five out of their last seven — including an 80−76 loss to Marquette that gift−wrapped the Golden Eagles a spot in the bracket — and an embarrassing nine−point defeat to an underachieving Connecticut team at home on Feb. 15.
Reynolds, though, perhaps best−known for his thrilling coast−to−coast layup that beat Pittsburgh in last year's Elite Eight, could single−handedly push Villanova back to the Final Four in an unbelievably underwhelming region of the bracket. The 18.5 points per game and .399 field goal percentage speak for themselves.
What makes me more inclined to pick for him, though, is the fact that he is by far the most famous person I've ever played a sport against. In a summer league basketball game, Reynolds would literally move across mid−court and launch a successful three from the volleyball line. How can you argue with familiarity?
The most underrated boring game of the first round? Texas versus Wake Forest. Both are programs with rich histories, and both are teams that bottomed out this year. I'm anticipating getting checked for colon cancer more than this.
The most underrated exciting game of the first round? How about Maryland against Houston, a game that featured the upstart Cougars, who were seeded seventh in the Conference USA tournament and somehow managed to win, and the Terrapins, led by the versatile Greivis Vasquez. Houston, though, has senior Aubrey Coleman, the nation's top scorer at 25.6 points per game. Upset potential?
Speaking of upsets, here are a few more for you to munch on. Missouri over Clemson — Clemson coach Oliver Purnell is 0−5 in the NCAA Tournament. Cornell over Temple — I'm all for teams nicknamed after gum. Or is it the other way around? San Diego State over Tennessee — cut to me weeping.
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Alex Prewitt is a sophomore who has not yet declared a major. He can be reached at Alexander.Prewitt@tufts.edu.
