Brackets?

Each year during the NCAA tournament I get asked how my bracket is doing and I always answer I don’t do brackets because I would pick teams that I want to win instead of investing time figuring out which team matches up better against an opponent. That is really time consuming and I wouldn’t enjoy watching the games.

I think one of my uncles had the right idea when he bet on a game. He would take the opposing team and let you take the team we both really wanted to win. He said, “If I win the bet I get the money, and if I lose the bet my team wins!” It was a little quirky but so was my uncle.

Last week the WSU Cougars went to Madison Square Garden to play the Texas A&M Aggies in a semi-final game of the NIT basketball tournament. The Cougs were overmatched against a team that I felt was snubbed by the selection committee to go to the NCAA tournament. But the Cougs did a good job making it that far in the NIT since they had to play two games on the road at BYU and SMU which are not easy places to play.

I have to hand it to the coaches of these teams because every team’s goal is to play in the Big Dance but when their name wasn’t called and the invite came for the NIT they took advantage of the opportunity and set a goal of winning games in the NIT. The Cougars went 3-1 with some very impressive wins that should carry the team into next year. Coach Kyle Smith did a great job with this group they were just overmatched by a really good Aggie team coached by Buzz Williams. A&M did lose to Xavier in the final on a last second jump hook in the final seconds of the contest. It was a great game.

A lot of coaches look at the NIT as second rate but there were some really good teams playing in that tournament many that had high hopes of winning a couple of games in the March Madness event. But an injury here or a shooting slump there and all of a sudden the season starts to reel a bit. And a losing streak may take you from a last four in to a first four out. It’s not always fair but it is what it is.

I believe the chances of winning the NIT are better than winning the NCAA so you might as well give it your best shot as opposed to mailing it in. Every practice and game is vital to the improvement of any team and the really good, motivating coaches know this and having the chance to play on is really a cool thing.

Back to the NCAA, there were a couple of Big 10 teams that were invited to the NCAA tournament because the Big 10 was supposedly the ‘BEST’ conference this year. They also said the ACC was having a down year and two of their teams made it to the Final Four while the Big 10 had nine teams invited and all were eliminated with only two making it to the Sweet 16.

Remember, two years ago the tournaments were cancelled before the brackets were even announced and last year teams played in front of cardboard cutouts. This year the teams played in front of crowds that were masked and unmasked depending on what state or city the game was being played. At least the teams didn’t need to wear a mask or social distance while sitting in the bench area. It was more normal but not completely normal yet. We’ll get there in due time.

I hope your bracket looks a lot better than many of the basketball experts. They don’t have a crystal ball either or at least one that works. The old saying goes may the best team win but it comes down to the best team on that day in that game in that venue. That can certainly destroy anyone’s bracket.