Avid basketball fans spend hours poring over meaningless statistics, ranking teams and players by assist to turnover ratios, average points per game and free throw percentages. Cinderella teams sneak into the Sweet 16 round as experts throw their hands up in desperation as another No.1 team faces an upset. Reigning tournament champions fall out of rank and bracketologists accept defeat as they recognize they failed to pick not even one of the Final Four contenders.

Darkness settles over the realm of college basketball as baseball season swings into play. The NFL Draft gossip starts to stir and NBA rankings become a top priority to die-hard sports fanatics. College basketball becomes a thing of the past; an afterthought to what was just weeks before an unhealthy obsession.

While those who researched their Final Four teams to death start digging their own grave and vowing to never participate in another bracket challenge, there are the remaining participants who are rejoicing in their lack of basketball knowledge. These are the people who by some miracle, are still leading their pool, despite not knowing the mascot of UNC, Michigan State, Villanova and UConn. What do these people do when it comes down to a Jayhawk and an Orangeman? Neither one really exists; do they call a draw?

The people celebrating are the ones who made their selections based on favorite colors, cutest mascots, national rankings or how many letters are in the school’s name. Throw away the idea of individual statistics and previous performances in the Big Dance. These fans base the decision of a lifetime on nothing more than fun and games. It’s these people that leave bracket experts puzzled and furious that they were defeated by someone who gets chills at the thought of sitting still for 40 minutes.

As each round draws to a close, fans rush to ESPN and Yahoo! to check their standings, content to see that they went maybe 15 for 16. But alas, they are only to be disappointed when they discover Michigan State wiped out Kansas and some no-namer correctly selected the Spartans simply because they had 13 letters in their name compared to the six in Kansas. Perhaps the only time this failed was when Cal State Northridge only received 14 letters due to abbreviations.

Then there are the fans who can’t stand the thought of seeing four No.1 teams make it to the Final Four. These are the people who cheer for the Cinderella teams, despite knowing in the back of their minds these teams don’t stand a chance against the higher rankings teams. If Wake Forest and Florida State weren’t strong enough indicators, what could possibly make someone believe Duke and Pitt would be in the Championship game?

The fans who lose sleep and sink into a deep depression in the month of March dedicate their souls to basketball. They slowly sink into their couches as pieces of BBQ wings and salsa accumulate on their protruding gut. Beer bottles stack up as the trash bag finds a new home in the living room. Those who never watch a game spend their time catching up on homework, hitting the gym with friends and in an upbeat mood. They remain oblivious to the destruction or rising prestige of their bracket.

Now, for those of you who take the high road and don’t succumb to the madness of March, don’t worry. The final game is just days away. Your old friends who have gone missing will emerge from their darkened bedrooms red-eyed and sleep deprived and perhaps slightly upset about the outcome. My advice: celebrate in silence. However, if your the friend who won the pool based on thinking a Huskie is just the cutest thing in the world, run.

– Nicole Jacobsen

Editor in Chief