The NCAA men’s basketball tournament begins tonight with 64 teams fighting for their one shining moment. The teams’ adrenaline factor does not compare to the millions of fans completing their brackets before the first game tonight, though.
For some, filling in their bracket takes long hours of research and a few erase marks as they go back and forth between No. 8 and No. 9-seed opponents. These basketball scholars already have made their first mistake — over-analyzation.
Each year’s tournament proves to have a few shockers, upsets and cinderella teams. That is why this year I left it up to fate for my Final Four. I tore a sheet of paper into 15 squares for each seed and drew for each region.
For Austin I drew a nine which translates into Mississippi State, which let’s face it cannot even beat LSU twice. Therefore, plan B — gut instinct — said Duke. Syracuse region was next and I drew a three — Kansas. Alright, that’s more like it, basketball gods. Albuquerque was more difficult as I found myself drawing nothing but double-digit seeds. Finally another three came up and Gonzaga seemed way better than No. 15 Chattanooga — who I drew first. I saved the Chicago region for last because this is the region LSU will compete in. The No. 6 Tigers did not come up in my draw, however. Instead I picked No. 4 Boston College out of the hat.
So there you have it. Duke will dominate in Austin. Kansas will upset in Syracuse. Gonzaga will tell the same story in Albuquerque, and Boston College in Chicago. These four picks brought me to the decision of a national champion. This decision was anything but educational. I figured Chicago is where the Cubs play and No. 4 is my brother’s baseball number, therefore, Boston College will take the 2005 NCAA Tournament.
Some of you may not believe in the basketball gods including, my other fellow sports writers. So, they give their owns picks and explained why.
 
Dennis Mitchell
(Sports Editor):
 
TS: Who is in your Final Four?
DM: Oklahoma State, Wake Forest, Florida and Duke.
TS: Who will win it all?
DM: Wake Forest.
TS: Why?
DM: They have the most all-around team.
 
Walter Gabriel
(Assistant
Sports Editor):
Final Four: Oklahoma State, Louisville, UConn and Duke.
Champion: Oklahoma State, because everyone else is not that good.
 
Ronnie McLellan:
Final Four: Louisville, Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina.
Champion: North Carolina. They have the most talent and deepest team. They play in the toughest conference — the ACC.
 
Elliott Brown:
Final Four: Illinois, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Duke.
Champion: Wake Forest. They have the best player in the tournament — Chris Paul.
 
Jeff Sentell:
Final Four: Illinois, Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina.
Champion: Illinois, because they have the best guards in the nation.
 
Bill Sanders:
Final Four: Kansas, Duke, Illinois and Louisville
Champion: Kansas. This is the year Kansas brings it all together.
 
Michael McNeil:
Final Four: Oklahoma State, Washington, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Champion: Washington. They are overlooked.
 
Clinton Duckworth:
Final Four: Wake Forest, North Carolina, Oklahoma State and Syracuse.
Champion: North Carolina, because they have Sean May, the best coach and the most talented team.
 
Jeffrey Martin:
Final Four: LSU, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Champion: North Carolina. They have too much talent. You can’t deny talent in the post season.
 
Shea Dixon:
Final Four: Arizona, Pittsburgh, North Carolina and Syracuse.
Champion: North Carolina. They spread the floor better than anyone in the country.
 
Zachary Broussard:
Final Four: Texas, Wake Forest, Stanford and Villanova.
Champion: Stanford, because they are the smartest. Aren’t they an Ivy League school?
 
There you have it. Good luck in your pools, and Happy St. Patrick’s Day.