March Madness: Kentucky wins to no one’s surprise

In a tournament full of crazy upsets, the No. 1 seed Kentucky took the NCAA Championship title in a 67-59 win over Kansas.

Kentucky wins the NCAA March Madness the CUI brackets are finished with Mark McNeillie coming out on top. (CU Independent/Amy Leder)

1. Mark McNeillie ([email protected]):

If you had told me even a week ago that I would finish this thing in first place, I would have laughed in your face. I had one Final Four team, no way, no how. Kentucky won, and I’m baffled as to why no one else on staff had that, but hey, who cares? I WON! So the best team going in came out on top. That’s a little bit of a surprise, given how these tournaments usually go. Kentucky looked dominant the whole way through, and even with Kansas’ mini-comeback, I never really thought they were going to lose. It’ll be fun to see all those kids in the NBA next year.

2. Joe Wirth ([email protected]):

Well, my “Going to Carolina in my Mind” bracket was a good idea and made for a great opening blurb. The uncertainty of what’s actually going to happen can be devastating to millions, and this year’s March Madness was no different, but the winner this year was obvious. Everyone knew it was a weak field this year. Kentucky was the best; they were so much bigger than everyone else and they knew just how to play to their strengths in every game. Picking them to go to the championship and not win was my rise and then my downfall. Congratulations to the CUI winner Mark McNeille and my old friend Sam Malone, who was on the Kentucky bench with a knee injury. I guess this was y’all’s “One Shining Moment”. I have to admit, the montage of the whole tournament after the game almost brought a tear to my eye. It gets me every year, it’s just so moving!

3. Ryan Sterner ([email protected]):

I wish I had watched this year’s tourney. After the first round I lost interest. This seemed to be the year of the Cinderella, having a lot of upsets early on. But in the end, the favorite prevailed. I based my bracket off of house mom predictions and ended up third in our pool. That goes to show you how unpredictable NCAA basketball can be. Even though making a bracket got me a little more invested in it, overall, March Madness can suck it.

4. Shay Knolle ([email protected]):

Another college basketball season, another $50 wasted. Kudos to Kentucky and coach John Calipari for finally fielding a one-and-done team capable of winning a national title. We’ll see what the NCAA does in the future regarding [spoiler] revoking the title [spoiler] based on what may or may not be true regarding Anthony Davis following in the footsteps of Cam Newton and Reggie Bush. Eleven months until bracket madness begins again. In the meantime, I’ll enjoy the sport at the professional level, where the big boys play.

5. Caryn Maconi (C[email protected]):

After the championship game, I ended up in fifth place in our CUI Sports group. Not bad for my first-ever bracket! I am happy to have beaten both my co-editor Marlee Horn and my former CU SportsMag boss Andy McDonnell, although the 16th percentile nationwide doesn’t sound quite as good. Since I guessed not one team correctly for the Final Four, I was ambivalent about the title game. I would’ve liked to see an upset, but the Jayhawks were no match for Kentucky. Maybe next year, Kansas…  

6. Marlee Horn ([email protected]):

I really hate myself for not picking Kentucky. They truly were the best team this year, and they deserved it. My bracket has been ruined for weeks so I didn’t have too much at stake with this game, but secretly hoped the Jayhawks would win just to screw everyone over. But I only wished that for a second, because then I remembered how much I hate Kansas. Now can we all agree that Anthony Davis’ unibrow needs to go?

7. Andy McDonnell ([email protected]):

The early rounds of March Madness were more exciting than ever this year, since I got to see my Buffs finally head to the Big Dance. After they lost to Baylor, I was dejected, and I knew my bracket wouldn’t be much to brag about. I guessed just three teams correctly for the Elite Eight and ended up with a 9.8 percentile nationwide. I guess I got punished for believing in Colorado’s destiny, but I don’t regret it. I won’t stop believing in the Buffs.

8. Scott Annis ([email protected]):

I hate to admit it, but I finished last out of the whole CUI Sports staff. I got it all wrong — I didn’t think Kentucky would advance beyond the Sweet Sixteen, and I chose Missouri to make it all the way to the championship. Things just didn’t work out for me this year. I don’t want to talk about it.

Contact CU Independent Sports Editors Caryn Maconi and Marlee Horn at [email protected] and [email protected]