NCAA Tournament a Sure Pick.

Well, the wait is over, and all of the conference tournaments are finished, the Big Kahunas of the NCAA have made their picks, and we all know where our teams stand, or sit for the next several weeks.

It has been an exciting, unpredictable season, a season filled with "bigs" using their "length" and "physicality" to impose their will on the smaller, insignificant "bigs" (who have a much tinier supply of "physicality") from the other team.

Many of the games went right down to the last few minutes, where one team had such a small advantage in points that the "differential" between the shot clock and the game clock was a very important and widely discussed, consideration, and had a profound affect on the point "differential" when the game clock and shot clock had no "differential," and both read 00:00.

As always, some people are very happy, in this case the Virginia Cavaliers, who had a wonderful season, and a fantastic ACC tournament.   They won both the regular season and the tournament championship, managing to beat the Duke Blue Devils in the championship game.  It was to be one of the best basketball games of the year, and  they re a well deserved #1 seed.  Plus, they have a coach named Tony Bennett, that is a plus no matter who you root for.

Some people are less thrilled, like the Louisville Cardinals, who are playing basketball so well right now that many people felt they deserve a better seed than #4.  I feel that way, but I am a Cardinals fan, and a little biased.

And there are some people who are unhappy, as is the case in Dallas, Texas where SMU was not even invited, after having a very good season, and are the first ranked team to miss the tournament since 2004.  But, that is the nature of this tournament, and the selection committee works in strange and mysterious ways, or at least strange ways.

I am very happy, my team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, are in the tournament, and an 11 seed, facing the Bears of Baylor.  True, the Cornhuskers started the season slow, and got beat in the conference tournament, and has no true "bigs" bristling with menacing "physicality."  But, they are young, fast, and enthusiastic, and a late season streak of success increased their chances of inclusion.  And, when they are playing well, their defense is so agile and quick it almost looks as though they have 6 players on the court.

And almost as good as the Huskers making it to the NCAA tournament, almost, but not quite, I am planning on winning the Warren Buffett/Quicken Loans Bracket Challenge.  If you pick every game correctly you will win a billion dollars.  That will be cool, too.

So, thank you Warren Buffett, Quicken Loans, the NCAA selection committee, and a special thanks to you, Tim Miles, your hard working, wonderfully young team, and my parents, my teachers, the directors, and the Academy... oh, sorry I accidentally started reciting from my Oscar acceptance speech.

Anyway, enjoy the tournament, root for your team, and enjoy the snacks, I am going with chips, and dip, or crackers, and cheese, or cookies, and milk, well I will have it figured out by Thursday.