Fo Fo Fo!

Wont win my basketball pool, but did manage a perfect Final Four bracket - the only one of 190 or so entrants. So, I'm fo fo fo. Or wicked smaaaht. Or Something.

How did I do it, besides luck? Here's some assumptions:

1. North Carolina and UConn are the two best teams in the field, in terms of depth of talent, coaching and experience/poise in tough games. Ty Lawson's toe is the biggest unknown (variable) in the field, but these are both teams that can absorb a serious issue and win - even against good teams. (I still got lucky with Lawson's toe.)

2. Louisville is a bit of a paper tiger - at least in terms of being the overall #1 seed. Not quite as athletic as the top two, but still beautifully balanced and well coached. Vulnerable if you can handle their pressure. Lost their edge after humiliating an inferior Arizona squad.

3. Michigan St and Villanova are highly seeded, well-coached teams capable of knocking off higher seeds (ie #1's) and Villanova beat Pitt earlier in the year.

4. In a big pool, it doesnt always make sense to pick the team most likely to win. Sometimes it pays to go with slight underdogs who are perceived as solid underdogs.

5. Memphis played a weak schedule, even for them, and would struggle against quality back to back opposition. Truth is, I never know what to do with Memphis. My assumption didnt directly apply, as they lost on the front end of the regional (Missouri) before reaching the second game(UConn).

5. Duke sucks - intelligent, hardworking kids programmed to play the refs as much as their opponents, by a holier-than-thou, unsportsmanlike tyrant. The Bobby Knight disciple who institutionalized flopping, cheap shots and asanine crowd behavior to the game. An utter disgrace to college basketball, and easy regional out.