Let the Games Begin

Spring is my favorite time of the year . . . warmer weather, flowers blooming and the NCAA Tournament. In less than an hour, the magical, three-week ride that is March Madness begins in earnest. Last year's tournament ended with me celebrating a Tar Heel championship on Franklin Street.

I've filled out my bracket, but don't have a good feeling about any of my picks. So after making my picks, just for fun I decided to match wits the fortune-telling Magic 8-ball that we have in our office. Now I'm actually concerned about losing to the 8-ball in our office pool.

While the 8-ball picked what would be the upset of all tournament upsets in predicted 16th-seeded Southern would topple top-seeded Duke in the first round (No 16 seed has ever beaten a No. 1 seed in the history of the tournament, mind you), the 8-ball does have good picks the rest of the way.

The 8-ball's Final Four is LSU, UCLA, Connecticut and Villanova, with Connecticut beating LSU for the national championship. My Final Four picks are Duke, Kansas, Connecticut and Villanova with Connecticut beating Duke for the championship.

Along with the rest of my coworkers, I am genuinely concerned about losing to the 8-ball in this year's tournament pool. So during the course of the tournament, I'll keep you updated about where I stand with regard to the 8-ball.