Oh, Hello Round Two

Despite some painfully remarkable jetlag last night, I'm doing my best to catch up on all the sports news I missed  -- (the Browns traded Brady Quinn to Denver? Really?) -- but I think I'm doing an alright job of catching up. Jumping right into the swing of the NCAA Tournament is a sticky wicket, however, and I'm having some trouble getting everything in order. Last night at work I was struggling to stay awake and do my job competently let alone watch the tourney.

Evidently, I lost several games without even realizing it in a second day that appears to have been considerably less exciting than the first. No matter. Let's see how I'm doing.

I finished the first round 22-10, which considering I wasn't in this country for most of the last two weeks isn't awfully surprising. Of course it isn't awfully good either. Also, Barack Obama is kicking my ass. A number of my upset picks didn't come through as Louisville, Siena and Florida State all were unable to knock off higher seeds. Siena, who I had getting through to next weekend in one of my more optimistic cinderella picks was particularly painful, but all in all I'm really not shaping up too badly as far as deep teams are concerned.


Siena and Vanderbilt are my only Sweet Sixteen teams that I didn't get through to the second round and my entire Elite Eight is still alive, so if all breaks right I have the potential to come out looking ok. Or pretty good for someone who had read nothing and was on three hours of sleep when he filled out his bracket anyway.

Today only presents me with one game that really gets my stomach anxious and it's already well underway. Villanova is doing a fantastic job of making me look like a complete fool for putting them in the Final Four as they look flat early against St. Mary's on the heels of their great escape against Robert Morris on Thursday. Hopefully the Wildcats can get their feet under them, but if not this bracket could be in the garbage soon. The rest of Saturday's slate isn't too wearying, though it wouldn't surprise me to see Washington knock New Mexico out of my Sweet Sixteen. Every other game ranges from uninteresting to completely dull, particularly that barnburner-in-waiting between Old Dominion and Baylor.

Oh, but it is the NCAA Tournament. There's plenty of time for the games to prove me wrong. And even if they don't, I'm a sap who's going to spend most of a 72-degree day inside watching anyway.

It's called Madness for a reason.