A Girl’s Guide to the ‘Madness’:
“Beware the Ides of March” a soothsayer once warned Julius Ceasar. In the 21st century it’s more important to beware of “bracket-breakers” in the month of March. A what? The month of March is marked by St. Patrick’s Day and Spring Break but the true glory of March is all about basketball. Even if you’re not into sports, once you fill out a NCAA bracket, you’ll be hooked. I’ve been avidly and compulsively filling out my bracket since I was thirteen. When I was fifteen I skipped out on a week of school to go down to San Antonio for the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 with my dad. For me, it has always been a father-daughter common ground and now that I’m away at college it’s a reminder of home.
If you’re already lost with my talk of brackets and Elite Eight then, no worries, I got you covered. Here are the March Madness basics and reasons why all ladies should fill out a bracket this year:
Terms to Make It Sound Like You Know What You’re Talking About:
Bracketology: The art of filling out those complicated looking brackets in which you go through each game picking a winner for each of those games until there is a single team remaining. Fun fact: the chances of you picking a perfect bracket are 9,223,372,036,775,808 to 1, and no I did not just make up that number up. In fact, Warren Buffet is offering $1B to anyone you conquers this nearly impossible feat.
Cinderella team: No, Disney princesses don’t make a special ESPN cameo. Cinderella teams are the underrated, undermining underdogs that by some miracle bestowed upon them by the NCAAB gods defeat the Goliath of basketball teams .
Selection Sunday: This year on March 16th a committee will release the final rankings of each team and determine who-plays-who in the first round. The route each team will have to go through to make it to the championship will be laid out as avid fans scurry to make travel plans.
The Big Dance: The 64 college teams that are invited to play in the tournament are said to be going to the “Big Dance”.
Sweet Sixteen: After three rounds of single-elimination games, 16 teams remain and go on to play for a regional title (North, South, West, East).
Elite Eight: The Sweet Sixteen dwindles down to the Elite Eight, winners of these games are the regional representatives that advance to the Final round .
Final Four: Winners of these games advance to play in the championship. The Final Four this year will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington.
Reasons to Get Off the Bench and Into the Game:
1. Without a favorite team to rout for and 64 games, it can grow monotonous for some girls that aren’t fully enthralled by the sport itself. Filling out a bracket, especially with a cash incentive to buy those new shoes, automatically makes you an invested fan.
2. March Madness and arguments over who’s bracket is better/who picked the Cinderella team first/etc. will be all the guys can think or talk about this month. If you can’t beat ‘em join em. And if you join ‘em maybe you can even beat ‘em.
3. You can’t argue you don’t have any time to fill one out. Even the leader of the free world, Barack Obama has time for a Barack-et. He probably has more pressing matters than debating whether Wichita State is the ‘real thing’ but, hey, this isn’t a political post.
Teams (and Players) To Love:
Doug McDermott: If you’re looking to expand your fandom beyond Moody Magic, look no further than Creighton star player, Doug McDermott. The 6’8″ 215 pound forward will be NBA-bound after this season as he tries to take the Creighton Bluejays to the Big D.McDermott is averaging 26.0 points and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 44.3 percent from 3-point range. His father, Greg, also serves as Creighton’s head coach, making this Midwest duo seemingly unstoppable.
The Wall Street Journal has come out with a simple way to fill out a bracket without having to have watched a single game this year. They give you the facts you pick a team. Keep in mind, solid defense or one superstar point guard who can dish it out and light it up will win over three-pointers and a selfish offense. Take that bracket and then if you want substitute into the team with the best jerseys, hottest shooting guard or even your hometown team. Having fun is the most important part in the midst of all the madness. After Selection Sunday, look for WSJ to promote their 2014 Blind Bracket.
SEE ALSO: Idiot’s Guide to Filling Out a Bracket