Dancing, Dancing, Dancing!

Like most people in America, my bracket is in pretty decent shape. Nothing too funky went down last weekend in the NCAA's. Wisco lost, but not too many folks had them beating Florida.

Then, for all you people out there on the Kevin Durant bandwagon out there, a lot of you saw your hopes crushed by a USC team filled with sweet shooters and dudes who look like Nick Cannon.

So last Thursday I am sitting with two members of my gambling crew at the Sportsbook in Caesar's. I went down to Vegas just because I wanted a sense of the atmosphere come tourney time. I left my ATM card at home and put a couple of hundred dollars in my back pocket. This was business not pleasure.

Of my "crew" 8 of us decided to do a $100 winner take all. I know it's steep, but these are good friends, which means win or lose, no one is seeing that money for about 6 months.

(Side note: I think the biggest short coming of our generation is the inability to put things in the mail. I don't think I have ever had a stamp and an envelope at the same time and I don't know to0 many 20-somethings that do.)

Anyway, it was me Coach, and J Schubes having a few 9 a.m. cocktails to get the tourney started right. (Hey pops, mine was a virgin.) A couple of legends in the Momo circle and we were all excited for the "Madness" to begin.

Coach: Who's your final 4?
ME: I have Florida beating A&M with G-Town and Kansas
Schubes: Wait, seriously. FUCK! Me too.
Coach: You gotta be shitting me. Me three.
Schubes: I thought I was being clever
Coach: You know that's the Sports Guy's final 4 too.
ME: Kill me!!!

Three dudes in a pool of 8 people and we all had the same final 4 and finals. We all watch our fair share of college basketball and I guess we all talk to each other about it a lot. But seriously?

Knowing that my entire bracket rested on the fist three rounds of the tourney, I geared up.

The result: I think I had less games right than every single woman in the world.

Yeah, I know it's a pretty cliched joke, but what is it about women and office pools? Why are they so damn good at them? What's next? (The Old Sip would insert a sexist joke right here, but no more. Coop, you have changed my perspective on your team sex).

Tonight begins the round of 16 and most of my picks are of course identicial to Coach and Schubes.

Which means that one game and one game only will determine if I have a chance to win my bracket, even if I hit my entire final 4, finals and winner.

North Carolina vs. USC

Having developed a slight man crush on Kevin Durant over the course of this season, I was pretty confident that Texas would not make a run. Durant is the greatest 1 on 1 player in the history of the college game and if you think he is amazing in college, wait till he gets to the pros, adds 30 lbs and plays in a style catered to 1 on 1 play.

I'll say it. Durant should go #1

But I had Texas losing to USC. The Pac-10 was the best conference in the country all year and SC has three guards that can play and some athletes. When they are hitting their shots, they can play with anyone... so let's hit those shots boys.

Nick Young will be a lottery pick come June after he carries the Trojans to the Final 4. You heard it hear first and you will hear the first denial of this statement on Monday morning.

Because it's the tourney and its fun to pick a few upsets, I took USC to beat UNC in my bracket. At the time I didn't think much of it. Now I know this will determine whether or not my bracket is still alive on Saturday morning.

UNC to me is the most up and down team in the tourney. The reason is simple. Tyler Hansborough can disappear from games.

Without a dominant three point arsenal, especially with Ty Lawson now seeing more minutes, the Tar Heels depend on balance, depth and athleticism to win games. Most times this works. But on the nights when they are not hitting their shots, and Hansborough isn't bullying the paint, the Tar Heels are extremely vulnerable.

They showed it twice against Va Tech. They look awful against Gonzaga. And god willing, with the support of this community, they will lose again Friday night. Yes, AND I will bring you your 23rd district title. Go Pack! Go Pack!

PS:Word on the street is Rayshaun Terry has strep. That helps.

Otherwise, though, not a lot has changed. This tourney is so up and down. To pick winners is to be female, so most likely you should just fade the Sip.

But there you have it. Give me a Florida/ A&M final and give me a USC win Friday night and the first round of beers are on me, April 9th at Shea.

With that in mind, anyone have any tickets for me and the big fella?

PLEASE?!

Vaya con dios,
Sip

Pic courtesy of (Bodog.com, collegepublisher.com)