Bonnie's Bracketology

It's the best time of the year again...March Madness! It's everywhere and I love it. Even though, just like every other aspect of my life, I get stressed out. My breathing gets rushed, my heart pounds, and I shake a little. And this is just filling out brackets. Before the games even start. (You can see why I am convinced I am going to die of a heart attack during a UNC game.)

During the season, I only pay attention to Carolina, and whomever they’re playing at the time. I rarely ever watch other games, unless Duke is getting killed or it’s the last minute in a game that has rankings implications for us. Therefore, I rely too heavily on the seeds and my own predisposed notions of the teams. Below, for no other reason then the fact that this is my blog and I am terribly self-involved, my bracket habits.

• Without fail, every year, I will call my brother to compare brackets. And by compare I mean defend some of my more hopeful choices against his mocking, and frantically change three or four after second and third guessing. He, in his ever-present, ever-annoying coolness, will not waver in his picks. It will end with him telling me how bad he thinks his are. (Then the tourney ends and he’s either won the family pool or at least finished in the top five.)
• I used to always pick a #16 over a #1. I let this lapse the past two years, but I still hold it in my heart that one day a #16 will rise above and squash the mighty #1, and I just hope it’s the year I put it on my bracket. And that it's UConn or Duke.
• I always get swayed by the seeds and end up with at least three #1s in the final four. I hate myself when I do it this way.

I will pick you if:

• You have a cool name. See: Gonzaga, Villanova, Marquette.
• You are the underdog or it is your first time in the tournament ever or in 20+ years. And I will cry when they interview you, too. It's just what I do.
  
• You have a cool mascot or pretty colors

I will not pick you if:

• You have beat Carolina in the tournament in the recent past. See: George Mason, Georgetown, Kansas (This last one may be hard.)
• You set fire to the street after we beat you. See: Michigan State, 2005. (Difficult this year, though.)
  
• Your colors are ugly, I find your mascot stupid, or your school/campus pretentious. Or if you had questionable recruiting practices for your football team. See: Colorado (Do they even have b-ball? My support of them has come up at some point, I know.)
  
• I hate you but I can’t remember way. See: UConn (Also may be difficult this year.)
  
  
• And lastly, I will vow that this will be the year to finish last in the family pool, not counting the second/third/fiftieth brackets some put up. I will never be first, so I will absolutely settle for last.

Now to figure out how I'm going to wear this year's lucky gear to work tomorrow. The socks shouldn't be a problem. The jersey, however, may prove more difficult. GO HEELS!!!!!