What's better than being the smart (lucky) person to correctly choose an obsure team to upset a much higher seed in the first round of the NCAA Tournament? (pause for stupid and outlandish responses) Thats right.....being the smart (lucky) person who correctly chooses those teams BEFORE the conference tournaments even happen, let alone the brackets for the NCAA Tournament. With little to no research, and way too much time on my hands...here is the first in a series of 5 teams that I think could become sexy/trendy first-round upset picks come next month. Then again, these teams might not even make the tournament. This is what makes these picks so exciting and meaningless right now. Every first-round upset pick is stolen from somewhere else (newspaper, espn, radio, friend, etc.), so please remember, you heard it here first. (These teams are in no particular order, I think that goes without saying...although you should all pay me $20 a piece if all 5 teams make the Tourney)
>
#1 BRACKET BUSTER:
>
It's the UMBC Retrievers (19-7, 11-2)!!! From the always beloved come Tournament time, America East Conference, which also sports recent sexy first-round upset picks Albany and Vermont. UMBC (which is the University of Maryland Baltimore County for those who did not already know) currently has a two game lead over Hartford (Go Whale!) in the America East with an 11-2 record. I know that it is never smart to go with the best team in these minor conferences because come conference tournament time, everything goes to shit and the 5th seed moves on to the Big Dance. But UMBC has a few things going for them - their mascot is a retriever, they sport the black and gold, they sound like a Pittsburgh area health care subsidiary, Kathleen Turner is perhaps their most noted alumni, and they have NEVER made the NCAA Tournament (as far as I could tell). Soon enough Baltimore will be known for three things: crab cakes, The Wire, and UMBC Basketball.
Where is the mad groupie love for my boy John Calipari and Memphis. In case you didn't know, Calipari is a Clarion University of Pennsylvania graduate and after last night's defeat coaches the No. 2 basketball team in the country. I think a loss is exactly what this team needed and they are now in a better position to meet up with the University of Notre Dame in the national championship game at the Alamo Dome.
ReplyDeletefirst of all...why would Memphis be mentioned in a 'Bracket Buster' conversation? second of all...i haven't gotten around to talking about good teams yet. third of all...you're putting ND in the national championship game? damn you're loyal. fourth of all...John Calipari was an assistant coach at Pitt in the 80's...so don't hate on the Panthers so much.
ReplyDelete