As you might have guessed after two years, [mumbled number] blogs and hundreds of thousands of words, I am a bracket fiend.
I love them. I love the simplicity, even for the most complex numbskull brackets out there. If Team wins, they advance; if Team loses, it’s the offseason for y’all1.
This extends to brackets I know nothing about. I have sportswriter friends working beats all over the country; I will absolutely glance at a bracket and, armed with nothing more than vibes and the knowledge gleaned from a Twitter account, think to myself, “Well, West Farmingshire High is one to watch coming out of the bottom of the District VII tournament in Winnetka.” I can’t help myself. I won’t.
So because it’s Tuesday and the big boy conference tourneys are firing up in earnest now, let’s take a look at them one at a time.
The SEC
Just as a bracket, it’s a bit much. Frankly, I don’t think Ole Miss did anything after January to earn any sort of bye, even if it’s just skipping Day One in order to lose to an utterly disappointing Texas A&M on Day Two.
I think Kentucky will win, because that’s what often happens and because the NCAA can’t let a Tennessee that’s suing them for all they’re worth2 have a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
Dark Horse (outside top-four): Florida has been better than anyone could have reasonably expected them to be all season; if they take care of the 14-11 winner, they play Alabama and its theoretical defense and after that, who knows what sort of jiggery-pokery will have occurred up and down the bracket.
Long Shot (outside top-eight): I think Muss hates this team with all of his heart, but Arkansas has as much talent as anyone and could go on a run through Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Auburn—after that, it’s down to fate.