Anyone's Guess

Aside from baseball (Home Opener (technically night this year) arrives on Sunday! Hoorah!) I don’t really follow sports all that closely. I mean no disrespect and I think it’s totally cool if that is your thing but I’ve just never fallen into the sports junkie category.

Knowing this, you can imagine my quick dismissal when I went home for a weekend earlier in March to visit my Dad and he started talking to me about March Madness brackets over dinner one night. “The important thing to remember, Kel, is seeding. No 16 has ever taken over a 1. When you make your picks remember that.”

“Dad, I have no idea what you just said to me. That's why I never play the brackets.”

But then on the drive home, I started thinking about the couple of invites I’d received to do a pool and began to think maybe I should give this bracket thing a shot. What the hell, right?

So, following Dad’s seeding advice and relying on a bit of blind luck I filled out my brackets. One of the pools I’m in works by new picks each round and the woman in charge emails our results after each round of games. A few weeks ago I started out in an average spot – coming in fifth or so, out of about 20 participants. Each weekend I would email her my picks, fingers crossed as I hit send, and then went about my daily routine. Until last Saturday. I have never been as glued to televised college basketball as I was while watching the Tennessee/Michigan State game that came down to the wire.

I had picked Tennessee for that game, but no matter. My other three picks were solid.

My Dad called me Sunday night.

“Kel. You’re in first place.”

“I am?!”

“Yup. You’ve got people trailing you by just two points but right now you’re in the lead.”

Me. My Brackets. In the lead.

You guys. I never win anything. And now that I’ve had a taste of life at the top? I WANT TO WIN THIS POOL. I stand to walk away with close to $100 and year-long gloating rights if I do.

Here’s my problem.

I don’t know who to pick.

I’m sort of leaning toward Duke but I have also been pulling for West Virginia all month and it doesn’t seem right to give up on them now.

And on the Butler, Michigan State side? Well I just have no idea. Can Butler pull off another win? Or do I lean to the other side and go with Michigan even though they made it through their game against Tennessee by the skin of their teeth?

At this point every team that’s playing deserves to be there and my picks are a crapshoot.

But, gang. I want to win.

My Dad says to trust my gut.

This is good advice. Except my gut doesn’t quite know what to think, who to pick, or what the final answer should be.

Wish me luck.