March Maddening

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me thrice...what the heck was I thinking?!

Every year, when the NCAA brackets are announced, I fill one out. And every time I see BYU, I pick them to win at least their opening round game.

And every year, it comes back to bite me.

This year, BYU was the #8 seed in the West. That means, at least in theory, they should have been favored to beat #9 Texas A&M. And this year, just like the last two years, they botched it.

The most telling comment from the story: "An outstanding perimeter-shooting team during the season, the Cougars couldn't make a shot early."

BYU lost to the same team this afternoon that they lost to in the first round last year. In both cases, BYU was seeded higher. The year before, BYU was a ninth seed with a very winnable game against eighth-seeded Xavier. Three eminently winnable games, three losses.

Why do I continue to pick these guys in the tournament? For that matter, why does the NCAA continue to invite them? Maybe next year the folks behind March Madness could do the Cougs a big favor and just leave them out of the tournament. That way, they'd get an invite to the NIT and probably draw a home game in the first round. They could probably win at least one in the NIT, especially if they're playing at home.

Well, at least the BYU basketball team doesn't have to suffer alone. They can take comfort in knowing that the football team botched their postseason appearance, too.

Way to go, guys.