Who to Root Against

The tournament starts up again tomorrow, so let's check out where we're at.

Believe it or not, I'm still in the running for the thirty bucks that goes to the winner of my pool. That is the beauty of playing smaller pools, I guess: fewer people means higher odds of actually finishing first. But because there have been so few upsets this year, I need everything to go my way, and the people ahead of me to fail.

So let's figure out who to root for (or more importantly, AGAINST) in the next round of the NCAA tournament. Remember: there's thirty bucks on the line, and we all know what thirty bucks buys.

Or this.

Matchup: Louisville vs. Arizona
My Pick: Louisville
Rooting For: Arizona. Unlikely to happen, but a Louisville loss knocks out "Reigning Champ" 's national champ pick. That would obviously deny her a ton of points, and create an easier path for Michigan State to the Final Four where they belong.

Matchup: Kansas vs. Michigan State
My Pick: Michigan State
Rooting For: Michigan State. They are a Final Four team. Need the points.

Matchup: UConn vs. Purdue
My Pick: UConn
Rooting For: UConn. They are a Final Four team. Need the points.

Matchup: Missouri vs. Memphis
My Pick: Memphis
Rooting For: Missouri. The second place player, "Bracket Ninja," picked Memphis as a national champ. I need them/him to go down as quickly as possible.

Matchup: Pittsburgh vs. Xavier
My Pick: Pittsburgh
Rooting For: a good game. I just want Duke to advance. I suppose Xavier would be an easier opponent for the Dukies (see below).

Matchup: Villanova vs. Duke
My Pick: Duke
Rooting For: Duke. They are a Final Four team, but also because I have a side wager that very well may boil down to this game. My worthy opponent (aka blog co-author) picked Nova to win it all.

Matchup: North Carolina vs. Gonzaga
My Pick: UNC
Rooting For: UNC. My national champs.

Matchup: Syracuse vs. Oklahoma
My Pick: Syracuse
Rooting For: Cuse. Reigning Champ picked Oklahoma all the way to the finals.

I'll touch base with the Bracket Pickin' Kitty to see if he's interested in a return engagement. He's currently napping on the couch, but I think I can get a word with him later. If so, look for a return of the spooky Oracle kitty picture.

We don't have a webcam here at TMMPF.com, but a real-time picture of the Bracket Pickin' Kitty would look something like this.