Well folks, March Madness is now officially in full swing. With the NCAA men’s tournament bracket announced on Sunday and the women’s on Monday, it is without question time to get obsessed with that orange ball with which the entire commonwealth of Kentucky seems to be perpetually fascinated.
So, where are our local teams?
Louisville
After a heart-breaking loss to UConn on Saturday in the Big East championship, the Cards secured a number four seed in the Southwest division beginning their tournament run against bluegrass backyard rival (13) Morehead on Thursday in Denver.
Kentucky
Claiming their latest SEC title in Georgia over the weekend, culminating with a victory over Florida, the Cats enter the East division at number four as well. They square off against Ivy League powerhouse Princeton on Thursday in Tampa.
Ohio State
Proving to be the strongest team to come out of the Big Ten, Ohio State has clinched first in the East and will tip off on Friday in their home state in Cleveland.
West Virginia
The Mountaineers of Morgantown, of the Big East, will play either University of Alabama- Birmingham or Clemson depending on who wins that first round game in Dayton.
Indiana State
Coming out of the bottom of the East, Indiana State nabbed the number fourteen seed, where they have a tough order against #3 Syracuse.
Tennessee
The Orange of the Vols will take the court in the West Division against (8) Michigan on Friday.
Cincinnati
In the West division, the Bearcats tip off against a decidedly underrated (11) Missouri.
Vanderbilt
The Commodores (the ones in Nashville, not the ones with Lionel Richie) tip off in the Southwest division against (12) Richmond on Thursday.
Purdue
Number three in the Southwest division, the Boilermakers of Purdue will see (14) St. Peter’s during their opening game in the tourney.
Notre Dame The Fightin’ Irish of the Big East, (2) Notre Dame is set to play out of the Southwest division against the Zips of (15) Akron.
Of course, these are just a few of the games. And, of course, eventually you’ll be expected to fill out your own bracket at work, school, or anywhere else where somebody can say, “Ha ha, I’m better than you.” So, before that comes up, take a look at these sites to see the brackets and get some info about the teams, so you can make an informed decision. Do you feel like this is some sort of election after that statement? I know I do.
I’ll leave you with an argument if these were an election: Who would be the eight members of the U.S. Supreme Court? I think I might be able to start some sort of feud with that.
Division 1 Men’s Bracket
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/ncaa-tournament/brackets/viewable_men
NCAA men’s basketball tournament
http://www.ncaa.com/brackets/basketball-men/d1/2011
Photo: www.ncaa.com
