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Biggest item: Don't forget to enter your bracket in the "Daily Quickie Readers" group of ESPN.com's Tournament Challenge!
UPDATE: Here is a column I did for today's Wall Street Journal Online. It's an overview of the Tournament field, key storylines, etc. Really fun to put together.Now, all sorts of random day-after thoughts about the NCAA Tournament bracket...
Toughest Bracket: East, no question. UNC at the top.
This Year's George Mason: The bandwagon behind
Top 5 Toughest First-Round Games to Pick:
1. Creighton-Nevada (South)
2. UNLV-GA Tech (
3. Butler-Old Dominion (
4. BC-Texas Tech (East)
5. BYU-Xavier (South)
Bubble Screw-Jobs: Count me among those who think Drexel got screwed. I'm less sympathetic toward
Five Upset Specials:
1. Georgia Tech over UNLV (And here is a classic example of where my pre-existing bias is going to derail my pool. You just know I'm going to go long on Tech just because I picked them for the Final Four in the preseason -- and watch them lose to UNLV in the first round en route to a Rebels trip to the Sweet 16. Just watch.)
(Wow, am I down on the ACC or what?)
In-My-Gut Final Four (Subject to Change):
(Just saw: Same 4 as Wilbon. Same first 3 as Tony K. So much for unconventional. Update: AND I have the same Final Four as Andy Katz. Oh, and the NYT's Pete Thamel. Yeesh: I'm in so much trouble...)
Beat the Experts: The terrific site FanIQ is MADE for this event. They'll be tracking all of the "expert" picks, but -- more important -- allowing you to compete against them. All of them. In one place. Now THAT is what the Web was made for. Check out this link.
Full bracket picks coming soon.
Wait: There's other stuff in sports today besides the brackets?
NIT: Who's with me on an office pool? I got Drexel!
CBB: "Tubby's our basketball coach," the Kentucky AD said, in what can only be presumed as the least convincing vote of confidence of the year.
NBA: Mavs win 17th straight. When do the playoffs start again?
NBA: Isiah gets an extension. He's an easy target but he out-performed Larry Brown and, amazingly, has the Knicks in contention for a playoff spot.
NFL: Stallworth to Pats. Between him and Welker, an upgrade at WR.
Media: Emmitt Smith is joining ESPN as an NFL analyst. And, one presumes, resident expert on all things ballroom dance.
MLB: Matsuzaka allows 4R (4 IP), including 2 HR to non-roster players.
NHL: Chris Simon suspended for rest of season. Good.
Tennis: Federer 41-match win streak ends: Zzz...
Back to my bracket...-- D.S.


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subset: commoncrawl