A Weekend of Upsets Fuels March Madness!

Patrick: Thank you, fellas, for giving me the floor. I am very excited about this week’s topic: March Madness, baby!

Russ: I feel you—I’m pumped as well!

Donald: Y’all already know.

Patrick: Well, let’s get to it. Who wants to get it going?

John: I’ll start. Let me say this: This year’s tournament is gonna be like no other, what with 68 teams playing in bubbles due to COVID-19. So, this year, we had a couple of Big Ten teams seeded #1 out of four possible regions: Illinois and Michigan. The interesting thing about these two teams—

Russ: 1989!

John: Yes, 1989. Michigan vs. Illinois. Michigan beat the Illini 83-81 in the Final Four, and then they went on to win the championship.

Patrick: I remember that year; shoot, that was the year just before I joined the I-L-L and I-N-I experience. We—Illinois Fightin’ Illini—had an awesome team: Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle, Steven Bardo, and Lowell Hamilton in the starting five.

Donald: All right, enough of the walk down memory lane—so, what are y’all seeing for this tournament?

Russ: My tough spot in all of this was that the Illini played Loyola-Chicago.

Patrick: I'm an Illini (No. 1 seed) so that's definitely where my loyalties are, despite getting beaten by Loyola (No. 8 seed) on March 21. In the South, I liked Ohio State (No. 2 seed) until that upset by Oral Roberts (No. 15) on March 19. Never seen a weekend blow out so many people's brackets.

John: I was leaning that way, but my money has to go on the #1-seeded Baylor out of the South.

Donald: I’m not picking this year. I believe this might be the best year to just, simply, enjoy the games. Shoot, be happy that we even have games to watch. That we can even gather with a few folks and watch the game with some confidence that we might not contract COVID.

Russ: Well, out of the South, I was going with North Carolina (No. 8) until they lost to Wisconsin (No. 9) on March 19.

Patrick: Nothing wrong with it. So, in the Midwest, I’m staying with Illinois. I’ll be rooting for them because they’re in my friggin’ blood.

John: Well, I now have Loyola out of the Midwest.

Russ: Me too. From Illinois to Loyola.

John: Don, I know you’re not picking-picking, but we’ll come back to you and at least see who you feel will win it all; rather, who you’re pulling for.

Donald: Sounds like a plan.

Patrick: Okay, so out of the East, I was going to go with Texas (No. 3) until they lost to Abilene Christian (No. 14) on March 20. I know Michigan's good, but I am not completely feeling them against LSU.

John: Not a bad pick, Patrick. That’s who I had taking the East. Texas was very deep.

Russ: I am feeling y’all, but I am going with the East’s #1 seed Michigan. I'm still picking Michigan (No. 1) over LSU (No. 8) on March 22 while we're at press.

Patrick: All right, so in the West, I’m going against my better judgment and calling out Gonzaga.

John: Shoot, that’s where the money is—Gonzaga for me as well.

Russ: Let’s make that three Gonzagas out the West.

Donald: Let’s get it on.