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March Madness

This year, if gambling were legal, I would have wagered on the tournament three different ways. One was an auction of teams at which I would have quickly been outbid on any team I really thought could win. At this point I'm hoping that West Virginia and Washington State can somehow win two more games. If I had bet on them and they went to the final four it would be an incredible payday if gambling were legal.
In another pool I play just for fun, with no money changing hands, I picked eight teams, each with a different seed # and only two from each region: UCLA, Georgetown, Stanford, Washington State, Marquette, West Virginia, Arkansas, and Davidson. I got through the first round happy, happy, happy. There's been other years when I tried to pick so that my teams wouldn't be knocking each other off until late in the tourney, but they got knocked off by other teams anyhow. This year Davidson knocked off Georgetown, and Stanford put Marquette out. Oh well.
Finally, you have to just pick the whole bracket before the thing gets going. I got 24 of the first 32 games right, which might be pretty good, since there were four crazy upsets. I got 11 out of the 16 2nd round games right; still pretty good. Of course I have picks ahead that are already wrong, since I thought Kent State could win three games, Clemson two, Georgetown four: you get the picture.
Still, even if I had actually wagered actual money, I might still be in the running, because of the weird upsets named above.
For a few years now, a bunch of us have gotten together for the second weekend, to watch the games, drink beer, and hang out. Sadly, this year it's not happening because another friend is inconsiderately turning fifty and we have to have a party.

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