March into Madness

Bracket-ology: When you aren't playing for money, but playing nonetheless...
10 Things to Love about March Madness

1. Conversations starting, "How's your bracket?" instead of the banal "Hey, what's up?"

2. You don't have to have extensive basketball knowledge to play. Anyone can play; in fact, anyone can win. While many sports gurus boast the hours they spent analyzing three point shooting, turnovers, and forcing turnovers or walking the fine line between choosing safe picks and sexy upsets, it's just that: a tourney of upsets. So picking based on your feelings about the team mascot or perhaps based on favorite colors or even which uniforms don't wash out their players (that's for you Georgetown, oh, and thanks for that loss), you have a shot.

*Note, I've never won a pool I entered, not even come close. Maybe some of that analysis actually helps.

3. Feeling the need to create your own March Madness soundtrack with a song like "Forever" to capture clips of buzzer beaters, a bench on their feet, and fist pumping athletes striding down the court after dunking on some foolish defender or nailing a well-arced three pointer "straight netted" style. (March Madness releases an inner announcer allowing one to create such phrases.)

4. College bands playing Muse's "Resistance."

5. Fun facts like this one, one to keep in mind for my future basketball superstar son.

6. Being introduced to "the Gusser." Ladies, I'm told if if Gus Johnson is announcing the game you are watching, you know you are in for some excitement if it gets close. Take a preview here.

7. Having enough sports talk to avoid constant hen house chatter about Tim Tebow's new and improved throwing motion.

8. Buzzer beaters. Whether they wreck your bracket world or bring you one step closer to the ever-evasive bracket perfection, you can't ignore their glory. ESPN's Stories of Joy:



9. Unsuspecting sports fan females coming out of their shells. Who knew queso-lovin', Apple-bashing', fall weekends aren't meant to watch football games friend Julia was all about some M. Madness?

10. CBS between game segments such as one detailing Kentucky's trip to the dance with a quartet of dynamic freshmen touting nicknames like "Crank the Mustard," " Jive Buggin" "Boogie" and "Two-Step" (a segment that, according to my sports analyst husband, is simply "bad joo-joo" and gives him utmost confidence in his picking of Wisconsin to beat them in the third round) and introducing the weekend sports fan such as myself to the John Wall Dance. While they may now be jinxed and have no one but CBS to thank, who can't help but want to hang out with these guys?




Bonus (Like overtime is "free basketball" right?)--Who doesn't love an extra dose of sports hyperbole. This tournament has "the most ever!"