The Baptized Beavers can almost taste those cookies and truffles. Riding on the narrow shoulders of Jon Scheyer, the Beavers are the prohibitive favorites in the BASG March Madness Pool, the only pool that promises homemade chocolate treats to the winner.
I gave up on winning this thing last Saturday, when Villanova and Kansas both lost in the same 3-hour span. Now everyone else can go ahead and throw in the towel as well … except for one other team. Gaucho Locos may be tied for 25th place today, but they’re the only other team that hasn’t been mathematically eliminated, because they picked Bobby Huggins’ West Virginia Mountaineers to win it all.
Thing is, they absolutely have to win it all. If Duke wins the National Championship, the Beavers prevail in the pool. If Michigan State wins the National Championship, the Beavers prevail in the pool. If Butler wins the National Championship, the Beavers prevail in the pool. Only if West Virginia wins do we see a different outcome.
If West Virginia beats Duke on Saturday, the Beavers still sit in first place with 74 points. The Locos wouldn’t even be guaranteed a second place finish if the Mountaineers beat Duke, as that would put them in a third place tie with 68 points along with Jess’s Winning Bracket! and G-Rob (Let’s Go San Jose would finish in 2nd with 71 pts). And nobody picked Butler or Michigan State to even make the Final Four, so they’re irrelevant to this discussion.
But, if West Virginia’s swarming, opponent-confusing defense can go all the way (a distinct possibility, seeing as they made Kentucky look like the Warriors on the road against any team besides the Clippers), Gaucho Locos is going to have to send us his address so we can send him the grand prize.
One bit of information that may or may not be completely irrelevant: No. 7 seed West Virginia upset No. 2 Duke in the 2008 NCAA Tournament (73-67, in the second round). Most Duke-hating college basketball fans wouldn’t mind seeing a repeat of that score on Saturday, especially Gaucho Locos. I’m predicting a National Title for the Butler Bulldogs, so do yourselves a favor and put your money on somebody else.
