- If you're tired of the tried-and-true NCAA Tournament bracket pool, here's a new game to try. Find seven friends and arrange for a "draft" prior to the start of round three of the tournament on Thursday, March 17. Each player selects a number from 1-8, which determines the draft order. Each player then drafts eight teams, i.e., the player who selects first then waits to select 16th, the player who selects second then waits to select 15th, and so on (following the "S" curve.) In our draft, each player contributes $25 for a total pool of $200. Prizes are awarded for correctly picking the national champion ($50), most wins overall ($50), most teams in the Sweet 16 ($50), and lowest seeded team advancing farthest ($50 for a team seeded at least 11 or lower.)
- In case you decide to fill out your bracket according to team nicknames, here are the best: East Region--There are Golden Eagles, Patriots, and more than one Tiger and Wildcat, but the best has to be the University of Texas-San Antonio Roadrunners; West Region--More Tigers and Wildcats plus some Bison and Bears, but let's go with the Aztecs of San Diego State; Southwest Region--The Jayhawks are the #1 seed but the most fun nickname has to be the Peacocks of St. Peter's of Jersey City, N.J.; Southeast Region--The region of the Bulldogs (Butler, Gonzaga and UNC-Asheville) also has the Monarchs of Old Dominion, the best from this region of 16.
- Texas has an RPI of 11 and is ranked 4th in Ken Pomeroy's power ratings, yet is a four seed. Go figure...
- Third round (Thursday/Friday) upset specials: East--Georgia over Washington; West--Oakland over Texas; Southwest--Richmond over Vanderbilt; Southeast--Utah State over Kansas State.
- Missouri is a one point favorite in their opening game against Cincinnati even though the Tigers are an 11 seed and the Bearcats are a six seed.
- Wacky match-ups, as orchestrated by the Selection Committee: UNLV, coached by former Illinois coach, Lon Kruger, plays his former team, followed by a possible Kansas-Illinois match-up, which would pit another former coach (Bill Self) against the Illini. If Missouri beats Cincinnati and Bucknell beats Connecticut, then the Tigers and Bison would meet--a match-up of another Big 12 team with the school which upset Kansas in 2005. And, of course, Kansas' first opponent is another "B" school--Boston.
- If you buy into the theory that teams which have to travel farthest are at the biggest disadvantage, then pay attention to the following: Washington playing in Charlotte, N.C.; Temple and Penn State playing each other--in Tucscon, AZ; Richmond traveling to Denver, CO; and UCLA journeying to Tampa, FL.
- If you're thinking of picking a 16 seed to beat a one seed, don't--it hasn't happened yet and it won't happen during this tournament.
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