The New Era Continues to Dawn

So I've got tickets to the national semifinals next Saturday in Indy. Fyall and I are driving out to see them with my dad. Of course, I should have known that all the teams I like who had a shot at making it that far would immediately lose. Duke dropped a deuce. Gonzaga gagged. (Any team except UConn) lost to Uconn. Oh well. Maybe George Mason will win! Seriously though, at least I can still pull for the delightful Wildcats.

But those questions will be answered tomorrow. Let's talk about today. LSU? Impressive. First they shut down JJ Redick. Then they outlast the talented, underachieving Longhorns to ensure that none of us have to hear the Texas fight song for another five months. Gotta hand it to them.

UCLA? Should've lost to Gonzaga. But they stifled Memphis tonight. If we learned anything about the Bruins, it's that Ben Howland is a great defensive coach.

The biggest news was my best bracket went down the tubes. I had Texas, Memphis (winning it all), UConn, and Villanova in the final four in one of only two pools I entered that wasn't a national Internet competition. Just for fun, if you catch my drift. But oh well. There is clearly no skill involved in picking these brackets. I'm just going to stick to my yearly golf pool from now on.

Back to the issue at hand. Did the cream rise to the top? Maybe, in UCLA's case. I certainly didn't buy into them coming in. But a bunch of people did pick them to Indy, and they'll be heavy favorites on Saturday.

But LSU? Are they really better than Duke? Texas? West Virginia? Couple shots here or there and any of those three could be headed to Indy.

What's my point? As usual, I don't have one. It's March. It's Madness. Whaddya gonna do??

I would like to announce that I'll be rooting for LSU on Saturday, based on the underdog factor. And if the Gators win tomorrow, it will be for me the least likable Final Four I've ever witnessed. But I'll still use my ticket.