I'm about to go mad!

The 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball National Champions will be...

Wishful thinking? Yea, pretty much.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Time for the madness I love so much. Time to spend four straight days on the over-sized recliner downstairs with an over-sized bowl of Cheetos sitting in my lap and an over-sized plastic cup of ice-cold Coca Cola on the table next to me. Yes, I said "Coca Cola". It's a bit difficult to binge drink with a toddler in the house, not to mention a 41-year old body that can't take any more senseless damage. But I still have fond (yet fuzzy) memories of sitting in my dilapidated mobile home trailer at the University of SoDak skipping class to watch hoops and swill beer with my roommates. Back then, I was all about Duke University. I'm still a big fan of the Blue Devils, but this year I'm really excited to watch #12 Cornell take on #5 Temple for two reasons: 1) I like Cornell's mascot, Bear, and 2) my favorite character on The Office - Andy Bernard - is a Cornell alum. What other reasons do you need? I filled out an NCAA bracket again this year in the hopes of striking it rich. But while I'm hoping to see the Cornell-Temple game televised, I'm not picking Cornell to actually win this game. Claire, on the other hand, did pick Cornell to advance in her bracket. She saw the Cornell mascot and thought he looked fierce (go HERE and place your mouse over the Cornell Bear - Claire loves it). She also has the Louisville Cardinals in the Final Four because she loves birds, so please don't tell her the Temple mascot is an owl. It would only upset her to know she's choosing a bear over a bird.

I'm sure my four faithful readers are pulling their collective hairs out in anticipation of our upset picks, so wait no further. This year Bogey is giving up on his Georgetown Hoyas and their bulldog mascot and going instead with the Siena Saints. He likes the Siena mascot a whole lot more, and I have to say I agree. It reminds us of our pal, Berkley, who is a Bernese Mountain Dog... who almost looks like a Saint Bernard if you squint your eyes and stand on your head when looking at him. Linda's upset team to watch is #3 seed Baylor Bears to make it to the Final Four, while I'm hoping Michigan State wins it all (even though I haven't picked them to do so on my bracket).

Instead, my team to watch is UTEP (University of Texas - El Paso). They're a quality team and have a rich history. Specifically, back in 1966, UTEP (then known as Texas-Western) was the first NCAA team to feature an all-black starting line-up when they took on - and defeated - the University of Kentucky's all-white squad for the national championship. That game helped pave the way for racial integration throughout collegiate athletics, and the 2006 movie Glory Road tells the complete story. Plus, the late coach of the '66 team, Don Haskins, was known as "The Bear" due to his hard-nose approach to coaching while prowling the sideline. So I'm keeping in line with my family's bear-strategy for picking teams.  I also have a brother who's an alum of the SD School of Mines & Technology, which makes him a Hardrocker - which is the same thing as a miner - so there you go. I also created a pretty intense algorithm that tells me UTEP will win two games before being defeated by the Syracuse Orangemen. Oh and keep an eye on #13 Murray State. I'm just sayin'...