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Living in Connecticut and being born in Florida, I’ve had the privilege of rooting for some great basketball teams. Though UConn didn’t make the tournament this year, the Gators fought its way to a 4 seed in the Eastern quarter of the bracket. However, my 2017 champion stems from a state somewhere in between Connecticut and the deep South.
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I’ve been watching a lot of Duke basketball of late, as my brother is currently a Cameron Crazy. Easily the most talented team in the country, they’re starting to come together at the right time, which is why I had a hard time picking against them.
I asked the rest of the BFTB Staff who they have cutting down the nets in Phoenix:
Derrick Browne: Kansas.
Kyle Posey: The only team that matters—UCLA.
Roger Hinojosa: Duke, but UCLA's always my team.
Louis Gorini: Kansas, but I’m sure Bill Self will find a way to choke.
Jeff Siniard: I hate Steve Alford and will hate on UCLA until he's not there anymore. I actually like the Zags.
Matthew Stanley: Rock Chalk [Jayhawk].
Garrett Sisti: Am I the only one who has the Tar Heels?
Ryan Doyle: I picked UNC too.
Richard Wade: I picked Nova because I hardly watched any college basketball this season and 538 had them as their favorites.
Jamie Sewell: I picked UVA because I have no idea about college basketball but I fill out a bracket every year and they just felt right to me.
In total, the staff was pretty split. Two for Duke, UNC, and Kansas, along with one for Nova, UVA, Gonzaga, and UCLA.
Who did you pick to take home the hardware? What upsets did you pick? I have UNC-Wilmington over British Jamie’s champion Cavaliers, along with Princeton over Notre Dame, Middle Tennessee over Minnesota, and Northwestern over Gonzaga.
One thing I’ve learned about March Madness—always make sure to get your upset picks down on paper first. That way, that obscure selection makes you look like a basketball savant, even though the whole thing is luck anyway.
Comment below and get pumped for one of the best days of the year tomorrow!