Let the Madness Begin

Final Four | Indianapolis 

One shining moment is made possible by the millions of moments that unravel during March Madness—the greatest American sporting event. Portland, Seattle and LA play host out west for some of the rounds leading to the Final Four. The first weekend is obviously the most chaotic, and perhaps, the most fun to watch. Is this the year a number one seed falls? Can Gonzaga make it to the Final Four? Or will the Kentucky Wildcats go unscathed for an undefeated season? There are two prevailing trends when filling out your bracket—using your head or following your heart. Which will you listen to? Let the madness begin.

eightychoices. 

F1NAL 4

Final 4 - April 5th & 7th

March Madness may end in April, but don't let the four teams remaining fool you. The Florida Gators, winners of the South region and 30 in a row, will take on the East region champions, the Huskies of Connecticut. The last time these two teams met, on December 2nd, was also the last time Florida lost. I'm rooting for Connecticut in the rematch. I relish the grit and intensity of OG Big East teams and Shabazz Napier is the epitome of why I love college hoops. The West region is represented by the Wisconsin Badgers (the only other team to beat Florida this year), taking Bo Ryan to his first Final 4. They will be pitted against the villainous, Kentucky Wildcats. Coached by Darth Vader, aka John Calipari, Kentucky is redefining what a team of freshman can do. Needless to say, go Badgers. North Texas plays host to the Final 4 this year. A special shout out to all the collegiate players and coaches who have battled to make this one of the most exciting tournaments in years. Every round has been filled with dramatic, down-to-the-wire action. Seven overtime games have been played and another thirteen have been decided by three points or less. One can only hope that the three remaining games will be as riveting. For the schedule click here.

eightychoices.

April Fools

Hotlanta = Hoops Heaven

What a tournament, madness is most definitely the best word to describe it. Wichita State is, at least for this year, the best team from Kansas. My pick, the Orange of Syracuse, are playing the 2-3 zone with an almost mutant amoeba type level of intensity and movement. Michigan is in the Final 4 for the first time since the good old days of the fab 5. The Wolverines played amazing ball down the stretch to pull off one of the greatest comebacks I've seen in recent memory. Trey Burke is the tournament's M.O.P. thus far. And then there's Louisville, who is making a return trip to the Final Four. My thoughts are with their young teammate, Mr. Ware, I wish him the best. It was nice to see the Cardinals prevail for their fallen comrade. I have Syracuse over Louisville in the championship - the Big East going out in style.

Congratulations to the Orange, the Shockers, the Wolverines and the Cardinals.

Final 4 teams: Syracuse, Wichita State, Michigan & Louisville

Thanks for making this one of the most chaotic marches through madness in quite some time. I'm pretty stoked to see what unfolds in the Michigan versus Syracuse game. It's going to be interesting to watch the number 9 seed Shockers, full of talent and heart, go up against the overall number 1 seeded Cardinals, who pride themselves on defensive pressure, tempo and strong guard play. Let the Madness continue.    

eightychoices

ps. Happy belated Easter. Happy Opening Day too.