March Madness: Bracket busters

It’s called March Madness for a reason.

While it was upsetting that our Buffs lost to Baylor, there were some real upsets that happened in the second and third rounds of the NCAA Tournament. No. 2 seeds Missouri and Duke lost to 15-seeds Lehigh and Norfolk State … who both went on to lose in their third round games. North Carolina State edged out San Diego State and Georgetown, while Ohio beat Michigan and a South Florida team who knocked off Temple. In the last game of the third round, Cincinnati crept past Florida State, putting the cherry on top of the week full of upsets.

Below are the CU Independentstaff’s current brackets with these recent upsets; but with how this tournament has gone so far, it’s still (mostly) anyone’s game.

After three rounds in the NCAA March Madness the CUI brackets are re-addressed. (CU Independent/Amy Leder)

1. Shay Knolle ([email protected]):

I’m sure everyone will conveniently forget to mention that I’m in first place. That’s fine. My Final Four and National Championship game have been destroyed (middles fingers to you, FSU). I expect Kentucky and Baylor to pull through for an eventual face-off in the Elite Eight. Michigan State will do fine, so I’m not worried, and North Carolina is styling. I regret doubting NC State because they’re tearing up my Midwest region right now. As it stands, I’m still leading in one other bracket and in contention for $2,500 in my “real” one.

2. Ryan Sterner ([email protected]):

A lot of things upset me this past week. The Buffaloes losing was a pretty hard blow to take, but not the worst. I know the Buffs. I knew they weren’t going to beat Baylor. It’s the other teams that weren’t supposed to win that hurt the worst. Like Lehigh – who the hell are they? I picked Duke to make it to the Final Four, so the Mountain Hawks really chapped my ass. Not to mention Ohio and Norfolk State. All in all, I really don’t know anything about basketball and have absolutely no stock in this bracket. I think I’m ranked 1,523,023. But I really feel like I’m one more upset away from making it down to the six digits. Cross your fingers.

3. Caryn Maconi ([email protected]):

Well, it looks like my beloved Buffs will not be taking on my brother’s Florida State Seminoles in the Final Four. Both teams are out. I’m upset about Colorado’s loss to Baylor, but it was a fantastic season; the Buffs exceeded everyone’s expectations, and I’m proud of them for that. As for the rest of my bracket, it’s not looking great. I was doing pretty well after the first and second rounds compared to most brackets, since I didn’t have Mizzou or Duke going as far as everyone else predicted. Now, though, my South and East brackets are screwed. I’m just hoping for Michigan State vs. Marquette and UNC vs. Kansas match-ups that put Michigan State and UNC into the Final Four.

4. Mark McNeillie ([email protected]):

I made a cataclysmic leap to the top of the pack. After sitting at the bottom all weekend, the I gained momentum after successfully choosing Baylor, Cincy and Louisville to make it to the Sweet 16. However,  my future doesn’t look too bright beyond the opening rounds since I chose Mizzou and Vanderbilt to make it to the Final Four. 

5. Marlee Horn ([email protected]):

On Thursday, I only had one wrong pick. Now my bracket is completely shot. I’m honestly hoping for more crazy upsets now because I’m apathetic at this point, but obviously, I still want Syracuse to win it all. I regret ever thinking Duke was good. I regret putting so much faith in how good the Mountain West Conference allegedly was and doubting NC State. With all that said, I’m actually only sad that the Buffs, FSU Seminoles and New Mexico Lobos lost. Go Bearcats! Beat the Buckeyes!

5. Scott Annis ([email protected]):

The second day had a few major upsets with two 15 seeds winning. I had Missouri in the finals, and they lost in their first game. I also had Wichita State in the final four, and they fell after their first game as well. Florida State lost Sunday which is another big blow to my bracket. North Carolina is my only final four team left, but they are also who I have winning it all. I don’t have much of a chance in the group, but at least I could pick the champion right.

5. Andy McDonnell ([email protected]):

Devastated. The Buffs will get them next year.

8. Joe Wirth ([email protected]):

I thought I had the winning bracket, but after the first weekend of the 2012 NCAA Tournament, I stand in dead last place. Out of my Sweet 16, half remain. Out of my Final Four, three remain. Although it hasn’t gone my way this year, I have learned a thing or two about making picks for this tournament; the most important being to go with your gut feeling. Yeah, I had VCU and USF upsetting in the first round, but Davidson over Louisville was a little too much of being a homer from North Carolina, even though they lost by just seven points. Then, I didn’t go with being a homer with NC State, the team that was a better option for my “Going to Carolina in my Mind” bracket. The Buffs got whooped by Baylor, go figure, but even the guys that had the Buffs winning the championship are doing better than me!