Four days of the NCAA tournament have passed, and I think it's safe to say the name "March Madness" certainly applied for the opening weekend.
You had major upsets, huge blowouts and last-second squeakers from some of the nation's top programs. In BaltimoreRavens.com's Bracket Battle, both Corey Ivy and I were definitely hit with some surprises. Really, who would have thought Western Kentucky would be alive at this stage of the game.
I won't say that we're both busted for the rest of the tournament. In fact, I think we're all but out of the mix. As of now, Corey's bracket is winning over mine with 47 total points. He was 23-9 in the first round, with notable misses when George Mason, Arizona and St. Mary's all failed in their upset bids.
I went 24-8 in the first round, guessing wrong on the Temple-Michigan State and Oklahoma-St. Joseph's games. The biggest clunker was when USC lost to Kansas State, knocking one of my Elite Eight teams out of the tourney.
In the second round, Ivy was hit hard when Davidson took down Georgetown, one of his Final Four squads, and West Virginia upset Duke, whom he had in the Elite Eight.
I went 11-5, as the Pittsburgh Panthers were my most devastating loss for that round. Still, I've still got all my Final Fours on the board, so that could be a big advantage.
Over the course of the next few days, the field will be reduced to four schools vying for the National Championship. Corey and I have some different ideas about exactly who those four teams will be.
I've got the Heels going all the way. He's got Memphis. Between now and then, there are about a thousand different bounces of the ball that could affect the chances of each squad.
But, as Ivy told me as he noted his Hoyas getting dethroned by the upstart Davidson Wildcats, that's why they play the games.
Until next week, Ravens - and basketball - fans, let the games begin!
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