It Is Madness For Sure

During the first round of the NCAA basketball tournaments (men’s & women’s) I wrote about how the wife and I like to have a friendly competition and see who can do better at picking games. Again for recapping sake, we do two brackets for the men and two for the women. We will pick one bracket all the way through and one that we choose winners in a round by round scenario.

In the past I have been very diligent about keeping up with the happenings and what-nots of college basketball, including the women. This year life has not permitted me this luxury. In the past The School Girl has known and understood that basketball is being played and not much else. This year she knew that Vandy, UT and Memphis had all done well. We were truly on a decently level playing field if you will.

This weekend the Final Four is being played and it is a good point as any in the tournament to review how we have both done.

Let us start off with the more popular men’s tournament. First of all, the end result is pretty boring for me. I don’t have any teams that I like and there is not a single underdog in the hunt. Boooooriiiiiiing!

In the men’s bracket where we chose all the way through I had a final four of Louisville (lost) and Texas (lost), and a National Championship game of UCLA (still playing) losing to Georgetown (lost). That didn’t work out too well. My overall win/loss record: 36-25. Not too wonderful.

My wife had a final four of Connecticut (lost) and Washington State (lost), and a National Championship game of Kansas (still playing) losing to Memphis (still playing). Wow, her title game teams have made it to the FInal Four. Her overall win/loss record: 39-22. Pretty good…better than me. With three games to be played I have a guarantee of 2 losses which clinches this bracket for my wife. She is 1-0 so far.

The other men’s bracket (picking round by round) did not fare any better for me. Normally my chances of picking winning teams will go up as I am just picking between the actual teams that are playing. Regardless, I still floundered and currently have a record of 38-23. The wife on the other hand, 43-18! Well there is another clinched bracket for her. At 2-0 she swept the men’s tournament. I can only hope for a tie at this point.

Moving on to the women’s tournament, we have found that generally, in the past, the higher seeds tend to hold serve but that never stops me from picking upsets. Good call right? Pshaw! In my women’s bracket picking all the way through I chose a final four of Baylor (lost) and LSU (still playing) with a title game of Rutgers (lost) losing to Tennessee (still playing). I have an overall record of 40-20. Much better for me.

Let’s move to the wife’s bracket. She had a final four of Rutgers (lost) and Tennessee (still playing) and a title game of Kansas State (lost) losing to Maryland (lost). It sounds like I may have a chance in this thing right? Her record…45-15. She clinched another one! Holy crap. She is now 3-0. I have lost the competition and have another bracket to go through. I can only hope that I don’t get swept.

Finally, on to the women’s bracket that we choose round by round. This is by far my best showing. I managed to pick 47 correctly versus 13 wrong. Nice! The School Girl has a record of 47-13! Oh my God we are tied! Both of us chose Tennessee and Connecticut to advance to the title game which means I can take the loser’s way out and pick the same as she does for the championship to preserve the tie or go all in to try and win ONE bracket.

Well folks, I will definitely not be laying up and let her pick her title game winner and I will choose the opposite. Hopefully this will allow me to save face, if not then I will have let all of my male counterparts down and my wife will have won a victory in the gender wars. Bragging about my vast sports knowledge will be a bit more toned down in the future as my wonderful wife has just put me in my place. Congratulations on your victory, I hope it is sweet.

I will be gunning for you next year, you just watch out! It truly is march madness in my house.