As for the ongoing Walter Simmons Bracket Challenge, it’s all said and done.
Tim Simmons has clinched the win over me, as we both had Duke and Michigan State making it to the Championship and Duke winning it all. I had the lead last week and was excited, but spoke too soon.
Simmons picked a few more games right in the “Sweet 16” and “Elite 8,” as he only got two games wrong, which were Saint Mary’s in the regional semifinals and Michigan State winning over Auburn in the finals.
I, however, picked five wrong over the regional rounds, which hurt my standings. Here is the breakdown of the games I chose wrong to give him the lead.
- My picks of Kansas and Wisconsin still haunted me as I had them each making it to the “Sweet 16,” which meant I was two games wrong.
- I had Purdue beating Houston, which turned into a real nail biter with Houston scoring on the final baseline out of bounds play to give them the lead.
- I also had Kentucky beating Tennessee and then beating Purdue to make it to the “Final Four,” which hurt me with another two games wrong.
- Lastly, I had Michigan State beating Auburn to make it to the “Final Four” and then beating Florida to make it to the National Championship.
With Florida and Auburn playing each other in the “Final Four,” the SEC will have a team in the National Championship no matter what. With the strength of the SEC this year, they had a record-breaking year with 14 teams from one conference making the dance, it is not surprising that they will have a team make it all the way.
At this point, I predict that Duke will beat Houston and make it to the championship. Houston can defend, but I believe that Duke is a more talented team with more guys who can put the ball in the basket, which results in wins. I’m not saying that Houston can’t score the ball; I believe Duke will give them problems they didn’t have with Purdue and Tennessee struggling to shoot the ball.
As for the other side, I have difficulty making a pick. I want to root for Florida, but my gut tells me it will be Auburn. I think the deciding factor in the game will be how healthy Johni Broome is after sustaining the injuries against Michigan State. I do still believe that Duke is going to win it all, and that is what I put with my bracket and am going to roll with it until I see it disproven.
