3 things that torpedoed your bracket before Day One was even over
Did you buy the Iowa State hype? Were you suckered into backing a team just because Larry Brown was the coach?
Do you really hate No. 14 seeds?
If you answered "yes" to any of those questions, chances are you're not faring too well in your NCAA tournament office pool right about now.
But cheer up, because the odds say you aren't alone.
After such a crazy opening day, plenty of other brackets are in shambles, and here's who you need to be blaming:
THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS
Way to go, Baylor.
OK, so Texas Southern had virtually no chance vs. No. 2 Arizona, granted. And the No. 11 Longhorns fell to Butler, which wasn't an upset. But No. 3 Baylor was toppled by Georgia State (Georgia STATE!), and SMU lost to a UCLA team that some say didn't even belong in the field. Everything is bigger in Texas, but especially the disappointment.
THE NUMBER 3
Plenty of pundits had Iowa State making noise this year -- which ended up being true, but that noise was not joyful.
Baylor ate it early, and fellow 3-seed Iowa State -- a trendy pick by many -- fell to UAB. True, No. 3 Notre Dame did pull out a victory vs. Northeastern, but only just barely. As a reward, the Fighting Irish get to play a very good Butler team next and -- if they're REALLY lucky -- they'll probably run into the Kentucky buzzsaw in the regional finals anyway. Sorry, but three's a crowd.
SONS OF COACHES
Bryce Alford (and a goaltending call) basically won the game for UCLA.
Georgia State's R.J. Hunter (son of coach Ron Hunter) broke Baylor's heart with a game-winning three-pointer from several counties away. Later on Thursday, UCLA's Bryce Alford (son of coach Steve Alford) made four three-pointers in the final three minutes and 40 seconds of play vs. SMU (controversial goaltending call notwithstanding). Bad day for anyone who drew these defensive assignments, and really bad day for anyone who penciled in "Baylor" or "SMU" in their Final Fours.
