Jackson Free Press

East
North Carolina and Washington State. I like it when there is a bi-coastal match up whenever possible.

St. Joe's and Tennessee. St. Joe's sounds like a university where you can get an education and a good burger. Eat at St. Joe's. Maybe he was the saint of diners. Tennessee is a favorite of mine because they are orange and use a large letter "T" in their logo. This is by far a better logo than the ugly Texas burnt orange with a "T."

Midwest
Kansas and Villanova because Kansas doesn't have a lot else going on, so at least they should have basketball. And Villanova sounds like a far away galaxy where people are born out of basketballs. How can you beat a team like that?

Kansas State and Davidson. To be honest with you, the only thing that excites me about the Midwest, as a section of the country or as a bracket, is Davidson's Stephan Curry. He's spicy. He's hot. And I like him to take the Daves all the way. Or at least another round. As a side note, the Davidson Wildcats should consider changing their mascot to "The Daves." Imagine a bunch of high-fiving-white-guys. Way funnier.

South
Memphis and Michigan State. I got a lot of flack in the office for not choosing Mississippi State, but come on. All your well wishing isn't going to make an average team beat an awesome team. And we can root for Memphis because they are really like northern Mississippi.

Stanford and Miami because Stanford's Fighting Trees are some of the most inspirational mascots I've ever seen. One time at a Stanford football game the tree was out on the field at the end of the game and the crowd came rushing down and toppled it. It was like real life logging on a football field. Since that day, I always want the trees to win.

West
UCLA and Connecticut. But I'm confused. Why is Connecticut in the West? Maybe they are confused. Maybe no one has noticed because they are all in the middle of the March Madness frenzy. I also really like UCLA because my high school mentor went there, and she was really amazing.

Xavier and Duke. These sound like names I would choose for my dogs, and I will always favor a name that starts with the letter "X." It implies more strength and power. And Duke has little blue devils as their mascot.

ELITE 8

East
North Carolina and Tennessee. This is a really strong match up. Not just because they are a No. 1 and No. 2 seed, but because their basketball teams are really good.

Midwest
Villanova and The Daves. I had to pick an upset section of the country and since we have already determined that the Midwest is boring, it was the lucky one. Intergalactic basketball versus the team with spice (curry, to be specific)? I'll take The Daves and their spice all day long.

South
Memphis and Stanford. Memphis because they are the "hometown" team and Stanford because I love the trees.

West
UCLA and Xavier because the power of the "X" is so strong, and UCLA will probably beat the directionally challenged team. Huskies can't survive in the west. Duh.

FINAL 4

North Carolina and The Daves. Tough one. This is where all sports fans, male and female alike, are forced to look at their bracket and decide how far to that underdog. How can you drop a team now when you've defended them for this long? How can I give up on The Daves now? I'll tell you how. You put them against North Carolina. That's how. Also, North Carolina has a really good women's soccer team that I dreamed about playing for when I was in high school.

Memphis and UCLA is the new hometown vs. my old hometown. Intense.

CHAMPIONSHIP

Now, I acknowledge that I have three No. 1 seeds and a No. 2 seed in my Final 4. Not too creative. Not too risky. But hey, folks, that's how you win championships: with the fundamentals. So in the championship game, I have a sweet bi-coastal match up with North Carolina and UCLA. Final score: NC 72 UCLA 77. Can't mess with the hometown love. Go Bruins!