Sportsbyfletch NCAA bracket challenge

There will be no cash prizes, only the pride of winning the 1st ever SBF bracket challenge. I will reveal my picks and you are encouraged to put as many picks as you'd like under the comments section. Winner will get my respect and when Roomie wins again, I am sure I will owe her yet another fondue dinner.....after June 13th likely.

Here we go....Fletcher's picks and breakdown.

Midwest
1st round
1Louisville over 16Alabama State (I have the Hornets beating Morehead State in the playin game). Come on. I DID read that Bama State has a PLUS-size dance team called the Honey Bees that perform at halftime of the football games. I hope the Honey Bees come to the Big Dance. Their cousins will likely have to bring them....

8Ohio State over 9Siena. Really Siena? Isn't that a color in the Crayola box? Burnt Siena or something? Siena will be burnt after this game. HA!

12 Arizona over 5 Utah. On a side note, look at Utah's jerseys. Where the name normally is, they have UTAH written on them. At first I thought, "Wow, a kid named Utah went to UTAH. That's funny." then I realized everyone was like that....unless this is a Big Love situation.

4 Wake over Cleveland State. First appearance since Prosser died for Wake. Let's just hope Aminu doesn't celebrate by going out and shooting people with a bb gun.

6WestVa over 11 Dayton. Know why they call a toothbrush a toothbrush? If it had been invented anywhere other than West Va, it would be called a teethbrush!

3KU over 14North Dakota State. Gotta go with the defending champs here. I wonder if UND is jealous of its "State" brother.

10USC over 7 BC. Taking the upset. USC is SOOOOO hot right now. Thanks, Mugatu.

2Michigan State over 15Robert Morris. I don't care how good Robert Morris is, Michigan State plays 5 players. Robbie is going to have a tough time 1 on 5.

2nd round
Louisville over Duh Ohio State. Gosh, tOSU losing against a real team after feasting on weak competition? Is it Bowl season already?

Wake over Zona. Yep, this seems about right for Arizona to bow out...

KU over West Va. You know what a WestVA divorce and an Oklahoma tornado have in common? In both cases, you're losing the trailer!

Michigan State over USC. Not THAT hot, Mugatu!

Third round
Louisville over Wake. I just hope Aminu isn't so depressed he goes out and shoots a lady with a bb gun

Michigan State over KU. Anddddddd the defending champs are donezo!

Elite 8
Michigan State over Louisville. I hope Pitino comes out in his Col. Sanders suit. Sparty in the F4 YET AGAIN. Izzo should just set up an apartment there.

WEST
1st round
1UConn over 16Chattavegas. They don't like to be called UConn. It's Connecticut...cut UConn is SO much easier to spell!

9TAMU over 8BYU. Big Love goes down. PS, do we think Billy Gillespie maybe wishes he never left College State for the Bluegrass state!

5Purdue over 12Northern Iowa. Didn't Kurt Warner (Future HoFer) go to Northern Iowa? Why is a football school in the big dance?

4U-Dub over 13MissState. Last year's SEC Champ was a 14 seed. This year is it a 13 seed. So in 2018, we'll have a 1 seed! GO SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE!

6Marquette over 11Utah State. I think marquette was too high as of right now. No Dominic James means Marquette sucks. But they're still better than the Aggies.

3Mizzou over 14Cornell. In life, a team of Cornell students is clearly better than a team of Mizzou students. Too bad this is basketball. Tigers win.

10Maryland over 7 Cali. I like to see Gary Williams smile. It is like a solar eclipse. It is rare. It could happen after this game...

2Memphis over 15Cal St Northridge. Is CSNU in Memphis' conference? Might as well be

2nd round
UConn over TAMU. Jim Calhoun brings 12M into that school PER YEAR! 4M for this one game!

Purdue over UDub. This is a safety pick as Miss state might upset UDub in the first round. Covering my bases here!

Mizzou over Marquette. A Tiger would crush an eagle in a fight. Especially when the eagle is injured and cannot fly (like James is)

Memphis over Maryland. The scowl is BACK! Coach Cal takes this one. BOY I wish Robert Dozier was allowed to play at UGA...

3rd round
UConn over Purdue. "I have a suggestion, shut up!" THANKS Coach Calhoun!

Memphis over Mizzou. a lineup of Toney Douglas (from Jonesboro, GA but went to FSU!),TWood,Thompkins,Dozier and AJax....not bad.

Elite 8
UConn over Memphis. Hey Coach Cal, you either lose in the elite 8 to UConn or in the F4, take your pick!

EAST
1st round
1Pitt over 16East Tennessee State. A 16 has NEVER beaten a 1. This game won't be the first.

9Tennessee over 8OkieState. Sorry Pokes, but Tennasty has Bruce Pearl and SHOULD have been SEC champs.

5FSU over 12Wisco MAN Toney Douglas would look good in a UGA jersey. He poured in 25+ after 25+ in the ACC tourney....crud. THANKS FELTON! Ass.

4Xavier over 13Portland State. The Musketeers should beat Portland State. One for all and ALL FOR ONE!

11VCU over 6UCLA. GO ANTHONY GRANT! But don't do TOO well. Do well enough for recruits to want to come and play for UGA, but not too well that UGA has to shell out1M+ to get you!

3Nova over 14American. Daddio said that he would have American's coach Jeff Jones back at UVa if they could castrate him first. WOW. That's something to think about...

7Texas over 10Minny. Hey Tubby, good for you. Way to make Kentucky fans wish you were still there! Good for you!

2Duke over 15Binghamton. Tony from PTI went to Binghamton. That won't help them in THIS game.

2nd round
Pitt over Tennessee. And I hope Pearl wears his orange jacket for this loss!

Xavier over FSU. The french v the indians. Old allies now squaring off. Normally I wouldn't think the French would win anything but a frogleg eating contest, but they are playing a group that sold NYC for a bunch of beads.

Nova over VCU. There you go Anthony Grant. Way to stay in that 750K/yr range!

Duke over Texas. The Rat King v Rick Barnes....advantage Dookies.

3rd round
Pitt over Xavier. Jamie Dixon keeps driving that price tag up for Arizona. Don't worry Mr. Pierce. It just may cost a little more.

Nova over Duke. Yep, seems about right for this Dook team. Sweet 16.

Elite8
Pitt over Nova. And cue all of the stories about how strong the Big East is....NOW!

SOUTH
1st round
1UNC over 16Radford. Hey Ty Lawson, why don't you sit this one out too....

8LSU over 9Butler. I have to have SOME conference pride here....

12WestKY over 5 Illinois. Yet ANOTHER WKY coach that is better than Felton. COME ON GEORGIA!

4Gonzaga over Akron. Don't the Zags have a guy that was kicked off the team a few years back for shrooming it up?

6Arizona State over 11Temple. Is my anti-Philly bias showing up here?

3DaCuse over 14 Stephen F Austin. I know Syracuse is tired, but 5 beats one ANYDAY of the week!

10Michigan over 7 Clemson. Called this one back in January-check that November. Easiest pick of the first round!

2Oklahoma over 15 Morgan State. It stinks my pick for the title game will happen in the Elite8. I guess I am no Brackatologist!

2nd round
UNC over LSU. UNC will only need Lawson for the first half. REST THAT TOE!

Zaga over WKU. Freaking shrooms?

Arizona State over Cuse. HEY HEY, Fletcher is picking an upset that will come back to bite him in the butt!

OU over Michigan. Blake Griffin is good, man. And I am trying to get that guy to comment on my blog again with another wrestling reference (hopefully nothing about Test dying though. PS, cause of death not known at this time. Ummmm DRUGS?)

3rd round
UNC over Gonzaga. Could UNC's road to the E8 BE any easier?

Oklahoma over Arizona state. Because of Willie Warren though. I think Hardin outplays Griffin. Just throwing this out there!

Elite8
UNC over Oklahoma in the first of 3 grueling contest for the Heels. Great game. ratings thru the roof!

FINAL Four predictions...
UNC over Pitt. The Panthers are a great team with Blair and Fields, but UNC is just too good. THIS is what Lawson and Ellington and Psycho T came back for! (That and to boost draft status.)

UConn over Michigan State. An easy game for UConn, setting up the game EVERYONE wanted to see at the start of the season....

UNC over UConn. Roy gets his second and denies JimmyC his third.