Sadly, Picking Chalk Seems to Be the Only Option

By Chris Mottram
Unlike most years when I immediately tear into a bracket and start soiling it with my chicken scratch, this time around I didn’t even print one out until around 3PM today. That’s like an eight-year-old waiting until nightfall on Christmas Day to open his presents. It’s unheard of, at least for me.
[img=http://i.tsn.com/i/photos/20080317/87669.jpg]
How can you pick against a coach who wears futuristic spaceman tracksuits?
But something about this year’s bracket just didn’t really excite me. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but as I started to fill out my selections this afternoon I realized the problem: I’m basically going with all chalk this year. And I don’t think I have much choice. Where are the upsets? I just can’t find any that come close to actually being based on logic. So, I’m stuck with chalk. And I absolutely hate picking chalk.
I don’t know how others fill out their brackets – it’s not really a topic of discussion in casual conversations I have with people – but I always just go with my formidable gut. I print out the bracket and it’s completed within about five minutes. And once it’s done, it’s done. I stick with it. This year was no different. Here are the chalky results…
Elite Eight:
UNC, Tennessee, Kansas, Georgetown, Memphis, Texas, UCLA, Duke
Final Four:
Tennessee, Kansas, Texas, UCLA
Championship Game:
Tennessee vs. UCLA, Tennessee wins
Super Awesome, Surely Won’t Actually Happen Upsets:
Baylor over Xavier, USC over Wisconsin, and Marquette over Stanford, all in the second round.
Yep, about as exciting as Jay Bilas picking all the No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four, but what options do I have? A non 1 or 2 seed is bound to make it to the Elite Eight and/or Final Four, but who? Louisville maybe, but I don’t see them beating Tennessee or UNC. Wisconsin? My “Big Ten sucks†bias won’t give them a chance. I think Stanford or Pitt probably has the best shot, but I can’t possibly pick those teams to beat Texas and Memphis.
This bracket is doomed. At least I’ll get to watch my George Mason Patriots take down Notre Dame in the first round. Although, of course, I picked the Irish to win. They have a smaller number next to their name. ↵