My tradition continues

I've taken part in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament since I was 6. Yes, that was the age when I made my first basket a mere few feet away from the basket. Instantly, I became hooked on the game of basketball. My height helped me gain an advantage over those my age and some older. The strengths to my game were outside shooting and defense. Today, I still enjoy watching others duke it out on the court.

Last year, I was extremely lucky when picking Kansas to win it all. All Memphis had to do was make a few free throws down the stretch and foul the ball handler who received an inbounds pass with less than 10 seconds remaining and this pick would've been all for naught. Luckily, Mario Chalmers drained a three and the Jayhawks prevailed in overtime. This year, I see a lot of similarities in Louisville to that Kansas team, so I've got Rick Pitino's team winning it all.

The same can be said about pundits you see on cable news networks. My advice is don't listen to the ESPN analysts. I was hopeful that Creighton (attended basketball camp there in Omaha, Neb.) was going to be the last team in based on this bracketology expert, Joe Lunardi. He was practically wrong on every team that he believed would be selected as the last ones. I've seen just about every one of the teams in this field play this year, so I can make informed decisions based on matchups. It's funny how the ones who usually win their office pools or other contests don't even follow the game. I think those who enjoy the college hoops game tend to overanalyze.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! If you're not wearing green, I'm gonna' virtually pinch ya'. Some prefer wearing the orange.