Arguably the greatest month in college sports, March brings us another lopsided one-verse-sixteen type challenge of The Sports Union’s March Madness office pool.  Although our office resembles that of a Coffee Bean, or worse a janky one-room apartment in sketchy south Los Angeles (“South Central” is no longer the accepted nomenclature, evidently it has a “negative” connotation), this pool is not to be taken lightly as it is worth more than pride and a few adult beverages.  With the two co-founders adept at taking any mundane task and morphing it into a full-out betting war, an event like the big dance is the crème de la crème for our two writers.  The picks are in, the wager set and the games are in progress.  Check back to see how you do against our esteemed writers (they have mothers who love them) and keep track of The Sports Union scoreboard.

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J.David’s Final Four Picks             Kevin Patra’s Final Four Picks

Louisville                                                                                        Kansas

Missouri                                                                                          Memphis

Pittsburgh                                                                                       Villanova

Oklahoma                                                                                        North Carolina

 

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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Midwest Region

 

J.David – Hey Patra, there is one thing I love about your picks and one thing (OK, not true there are many things I hate about your pics including the “other school from the great state” winning any games … and you call yourself a Michigan fan?!). First of all, I love that both of us picked USC to lose in the first round–of course, they didn’t which just means USC screwed us again–because of the amount of time we watched this under-achieving and oft disinterested team.

Patra – OK, I’m late to the dance, but who really had faith in USC to play consistently?  If it wasn’t the first game Taj Gibson was going to play like the ninny we watched all year it was going to be the second one.  I have to say your pick of ND State (that’s North Dakota State, not Notre Dame State, for all you Irish yaks out there) was just awesome.  Wrong, but awesome.  There is nothing better than calling a team and then sticking with them even when they have no chance.

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West Region

 

J.David - Two of the four teams remaining in this region are scrugglin’, and the third team is Purdue … leaving the sole survivor in this region as UCONN.  My hatred of all-things east including Storrs, CT, explains why I didn’t pick them, but what is your reason of total insanity?

The Sweet 16 West Regional matchup has your champion verse mine.  Friendly wager?

Patra – Have I ever said no to a wager?  You’ll have to define “win” for me know, somehow you’ll come up with a way to claim it as a “push” when Memphis dusts the floor with your Mizzou “wait how did we not lose that game” Tigers.  Could UConn have had an easier schedule in the first two rounds? Seriously.  Joke.  If you didn’t hate UConn so much I’d love to put money on Purdue this weekend, love to.

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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East Region

 

J.David - Patra, you are a Tubby lover aren’t ya?  Check that, you are Big 10 homer!  Minnesota over Texas?  It was a great run for the Golden Gophers, but that run is over as they are given the golden shower from Bevo and his boys from Texas (Texas guys like that sort of thing according to confidential sources).  The Gophers are lucky they won the Big 10 tournament and received an automatic bid, no doubt a-boat it.  What?  Purdue won!?  Then, how the hell did Minnesota get invited?  And a better question is, “Why would you ever think they could win their first round game?”

Seven Big-10 teams in the Big Dance.  Patra picks the Big-10 to go 5-2 in the first round, though his pick against The Ohio State Buckeyes should be thrown out due to his clear Michigan bias.  Only legit pick against the Big-10 was Illinois, whose star and team leader was sitting in street clothes making the Fighting Illini look more like the chubby kid on the playground wearing a glove to play tetherball; a bad joke!  Good pick, Patra, good pick!

Patra – Less Minn love and more I FREAKING HATE RICK BARNES.  Really I would rather have the 300-pound dike chick from the beginning of Boondock Saints as my coach than Rick Barnes.  The guy just can’t win big games. Can’t. Fact.  Whether I was writing this today or three weeks before the tournament I would have hated on you for your UCLA pick.  Really? Elite Eight? Really?  Did Kevin Love just re-eligiblize (yes i just made that word up) himself for the tournament.  It’s true that they were the only Pac-10 team I had making it out of the first round.  It’s also true that only Arizona is left.  Sorry Pac-10 lovers.  They all went as far as they should have gone, one and done.  Hey I wondered where Michigan would have finished in the Pac-10?

Hate on my Big 10 picks all you want JD all I got to say is was I right or was I right?  I was wrong on one Big 10 pick through 2 rounds.  One.  Hate the player not the game [said in the most white-boy tone possible].

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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South Region

J.David – Three things for you to think about:

1.  Gonzaga is soooooo overrated, and the selection committee continues to promote this mirage as they seed them against the Akrons and the Western Kentuckys/Illionois.  They are awful and I would bet that North Carolina beats them by 20.

2.  Please, Please, Please can we see Psycho-T go against Blake Griffin?  What would be the over/under on stitches for that game?  My money is on Blake Griffin making Hansbrough look like an awkward version of Jon Koncak.

3.  How BIG was that WIN for Michigan?  HUGE!

PS – Do you feel like the older you get the more disappointing Christmas is?

Patra – God do I love Dionte Christmas.  He may never win anything, but I’d pay to watch him street ball.  Just stepping across half court gunning. Love it.

I’m going to assume that you thought Ty Lawson (the best player on North Carolina–and for anyone who thinks to themselves “I thought Hansbrough was the best player” please do me and favor place your flaccid member in a blender and hit the “smoothie” button (sorry mom)–wasn’t going to play.  That can be your only reasoning for thinking NC would lose.  As for your Griffin-Handsboroughedinmypants match-up, there is no doubt Blake would eat Tyler for lunch inside.  Oklahoma is vulnerable if they aren’t knocking down shots–as their perimeter defense is non-existent at times not abling them to extend leads.  And I wouldn’t be surprised at this point if ‘Cuse pulled the upset (of course that is easy for me to say since I picked them to lose in the second round to my boy Dionte).

Michigan is back baby!!!!!

Sorry, there are no polls available at the moment.

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Final Four

J.David – Friendly wager?   Most teams in the Final Four?  And how did we end up with four different teams in the Final Four?

Patra – Of course. Yes.  Because one of us is a genius, and the other an idiot.

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Please feel free to add your own feedback in the comment section.  Agree, disagree or just make fun.  Share your Final Four thoughts or your March Madness picks.  Enjoy this, because it is the best time of the year for a college basketball fan!

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2. ⊚  10 Ways College Basketball is Better than the Pros
3. ⊚  The Oscars collide with The Sports Union
4. ⊚  10 Ways College Basketball is Better than the Pros (Part 2)
5. ⊚  The Sports Union’s NFL Divisional Playoff Predictions

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