Tourney Do's and Don'ts
"Do as I say, not as I do."
DO pick a 12 over a 5. A 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed in 15 of the 17 seasons since they went to 64 teams. Manhattan and BYU are the most likely candidates.
DONT pick a 15 or a 16. #1 seeds are a perfect 76-0 in the tournament, and only 4 15 seeds have ever won in the first round. Picking an upset will make you look like a genius, but knocking out a Final Four contender in the first round will be bracket suicide.
DO focus on star power. Last year's final four teams were each lead by a lottery pick from the last draft, with the two final teams each boasting 2 lottery picks (Hakim Warrick is a future lotto pick). Balance is good, but when the game gets tight, a team must have someone it can go to to hit the big shot, or draw attention away from lesser players. Stars to watch: Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, UConn; Josh Childress, Stanford; Julius Hodge, NC St; Jameer Nelson, St Joes; Lawrence Roberts, MSU; Luol Deng, Duke; Andre Iguadola, Arizona. Teams lacking star power: Kentucky, Pitt, Texas.
DONT think you are going to win. You aren't. So dont over think your picks. Go with your gut, and if you are wrong, so be it. Just know that things didnt play out as you imagined.
DO concentrate on teams with strong records in power conferences. The top conferences this season were the ACC, Big East, SEC and Big 12.
DONT gloat when you pick a 14 over a 3. You were lucky. No one does this consistently, so dont think you are the bomb. Karma is a bitch, and the brackets are big on karma.
DO punch the person who gloats over a 14 over a 3. They are just asking for it. Even if they dont gloat, punch them anyways. Its part of getting that lucky, the abuse balances out the karma.
DONT share you sleepers. Its bad enough the stupid analysts ruin everyone's sleeper picks by blabbing them on tv.
DO put at least one #1 seed in the Final Four. Only once has the Final Four featured 4 non 1 seeds.
DONT pick a team just because you went there, your mom went there, your barber went there, or your gardener worked there.
DO root as hard as you can against your friends' alma maters. If their school makes the Final Four, you will never hear the end of it. Feel free to pick against them too. The above rule does work in the inverse. Unless your friend went to Duke. That's just crazy.
DONT pay more than 10 bucks for a pool. Anything more than that, and you better be able to afford it.
DO ask for help from your knowledgable friends. That little bit of info may save you from a really bad pick.
DONT help your friends if you are the knowledgable one. Screw them!
DO pick a 12 over a 5. A 12 seed has beaten a 5 seed in 15 of the 17 seasons since they went to 64 teams. Manhattan and BYU are the most likely candidates.
DONT pick a 15 or a 16. #1 seeds are a perfect 76-0 in the tournament, and only 4 15 seeds have ever won in the first round. Picking an upset will make you look like a genius, but knocking out a Final Four contender in the first round will be bracket suicide.
DO focus on star power. Last year's final four teams were each lead by a lottery pick from the last draft, with the two final teams each boasting 2 lottery picks (Hakim Warrick is a future lotto pick). Balance is good, but when the game gets tight, a team must have someone it can go to to hit the big shot, or draw attention away from lesser players. Stars to watch: Ben Gordon and Emeka Okafor, UConn; Josh Childress, Stanford; Julius Hodge, NC St; Jameer Nelson, St Joes; Lawrence Roberts, MSU; Luol Deng, Duke; Andre Iguadola, Arizona. Teams lacking star power: Kentucky, Pitt, Texas.
DONT think you are going to win. You aren't. So dont over think your picks. Go with your gut, and if you are wrong, so be it. Just know that things didnt play out as you imagined.
DO concentrate on teams with strong records in power conferences. The top conferences this season were the ACC, Big East, SEC and Big 12.
DONT gloat when you pick a 14 over a 3. You were lucky. No one does this consistently, so dont think you are the bomb. Karma is a bitch, and the brackets are big on karma.
DO punch the person who gloats over a 14 over a 3. They are just asking for it. Even if they dont gloat, punch them anyways. Its part of getting that lucky, the abuse balances out the karma.
DONT share you sleepers. Its bad enough the stupid analysts ruin everyone's sleeper picks by blabbing them on tv.
DO put at least one #1 seed in the Final Four. Only once has the Final Four featured 4 non 1 seeds.
DONT pick a team just because you went there, your mom went there, your barber went there, or your gardener worked there.
DO root as hard as you can against your friends' alma maters. If their school makes the Final Four, you will never hear the end of it. Feel free to pick against them too. The above rule does work in the inverse. Unless your friend went to Duke. That's just crazy.
DONT pay more than 10 bucks for a pool. Anything more than that, and you better be able to afford it.
DO ask for help from your knowledgable friends. That little bit of info may save you from a really bad pick.
DONT help your friends if you are the knowledgable one. Screw them!
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