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The Crosscut Blog »
Mar 17, 2008 9:22 AM | last updated Mar 17, 2008 9:42 AM
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NewsvineMarch Madness: A rational view
Me, I don't really get March Madness. I mean, I get it as a journalist and armchair shrink, but I don't get it. But I'm happy to feed your madness. Here's a quick guide to Northwest teams and coverage.
First, for those uninitiated in the ways of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its 70th annual Division I Men's Basketball Championship tournament, bear in mind that these guys don't know much about geography. Teams get assigned willy-nilly to all corners of the country. Michigan State plays in the first round of the South regional — in Denver. Connecticut plays in the first round of the West regional — in Tampa, Fla. The so-called Final Four, where the four surviving teams play, sometime this summer, I think it is, will be in San Antonio.
If you download the "bracket" of the pairings of 65 teams (don't ask about that odd number), maybe you can make sense of it. I can't.
The Northwest teams:
| Regional | Seed | First victim | Where and when | |
| Washington State University (24-8) | East | 4 | Winthrop University (22-11) | Denver, Thursday, 3/20 |
| Gonzaga University (25-7) | Midwest | 7 | Davidson College (26-6) | Raleigh, N.C., Friday, 3/21 |
| University of Oregon (18-13) | South | 9 | Mississippi State University (22-10) | Little Rock, Ark., Friday, 3/21 |
| Boise State University (25-8) | East | 14 | University of Louisville (24-8) | Birmingham, Ala., Friday, 3/21 |
| Portland State University (23-9) | Midwest | 16 | University of Kansas (31-3) | Omaha, Thursday, 3/20 |
The coverage:
Seattle Times
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Spokane Spokesman-Review
Oregonian
Eugene Register-Guard
Idaho Statesman
Official NCAA Web site
Then last year I decided to fill in my brackets on ESPN's website, just for the hell of it. I picked teams based on how I felt about the school or part of the country (West Coast ok, Northwest best, East Coast and South -- it depends.)
Not much sports intelligence went into, I admit. Funny thing is, I did better than the sports nuts! No, I didn't win, but I had fun semi-watching the unfolding events. I was part of my husband's (and a good chunk of the country's) world, a world I usually have absolutely no interest in, save for vague interest in the Super Bowl -- for the TV ads, mostly.
As for this year, I expect my picks to do ok; some will win, many will lose. I do have the five Northwest ones winning at least one -- even PSU. My husband just shakes his head!
Report a violationPosted by: Chiro1623@gmail.com on Mar 23, 2008 6:16 PM
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Report a violationPosted by: Mary D Edwards on Mar 18, 2008 10:51 AM