The Wisconsin Badgers are dancing in the West Regional of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
For the teams involved, this becomes a series (every fan hopes) of two games a weekend for three weeks.
My favorite time of year for quite some time now is the NCAA tourney - especially the first weekend.
Journeys to the Final Four are an obstacle course filled with upsets and hold-your-breath finishes which make the three weeks of games so much fan for the hard core and casual fans. The first weekend (which starts tomorrow in Dayton with the first 2 of 4 First Round games) is where the upsets and close calls come quickly. It's great - unless it's your team on the L side of the scoreboard.
It's a time for even the most casual fan to fill out a bracket that starts with Thursday's games and play them out on paper all the way to the Championship game in Indianapolis April 6.
Laying out a bracket can be done using chalk (always picking the higher seeded team), mascot (which mascot is the toughest), or color. Others try to analyze matchups down to the 12th man on the bench, but these folks usually don't fare any better than the person choosing by mascot.
Yielding a perfect bracket is virtually impossible, so much so that Warren Buffet last year put up a Billion dollars for the person choosing 68 games correctly. He was out of danger by the second weekend.
I'll offer a bracket for you in Thursday's blog with an early look at the Badger's upcoming trip to Omaha, Nebraska.
These are exciting times in Cheesehead country for hoops fans. This is Wisconsin's first number one seed in the tournament, a well-earned accomplishment by a hard working and gritty bunch. Congrats, Badgers!
Awaiting the double B1G Champs 31 - 3 (Regular season and tournament winner) is a Friday game with Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (24 - 9). The games matching the highest seed and the lowest seed has never had an upset in NCAA history. Some 16 seeds have come close, but still no cigar.
These Badgers fell one game short of the title game last year and have played with a purpose all season long. Frank Kaminsky is an amazing player, chosen Player of the Year in the B1G and likely to get the national award as well, and he's surrounded by good players who don't get rattled.
Bucky's boys faced adversity a couple times in the just finished Big Ten tournament with Purdue and Michigan State and hung in there and fought back for the wins.
The team's goal was to win the regular season crown; win the conference tournament; and win the National Championship. Two down, one to go with six more victories required.
Recent reports indicate Traevon Jackson could be ready to play again for the first time since he broke his foot in January. If so, that adds some defense and key leadership to a squad that didn't lose much of a step without him. Coach Ryan is a great coach and this team seems determined.
I think they need to leave room in their suitcase for two more W's (beating Coastal Carolina and then Oregon) before meeting North Carolina in the Sweet Sixteen.
Coach Bo would remind me to take one game at a team... so I'll leave at that for now.
I'll show you my bracket later this week.
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