Region Preview: West

Just a quick note before we start: My friend has a charitable initiative that he's combining with March Madness. His brother died of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) as an infant, and he's started something to raise money for research to combat the disease. The website is run by a student group at Duke on their funds, so 100% of the donations go to charity. 50% of donations go to fight SIDS, while the top 5 brackets get to designate a charity for 10% of the donations each. The minimum donation is only $2. Obviously, he really appreciates anybody who participates and spreads the word. If this is something that interests you, please follow this link and help a good cause during this March Madness.

www.brackets4life.com

And now for the actual preview...

Jake's Declassified March Madness Survival Guide

Before you read this article it is very important to understand one thing, I watch College Basketball. I don't just watch games where two top-10 teams are playing, or Duke vs. Carolina, or watch Sports Center highlights and say, "wow, Doug McDermott on Creighton is totally the best scorer in the nation, his game is so versatile"¹ I watch the small conference tournaments, I watch mid-majors play, and I actually enjoy watching two unranked teams playing each other. This has been the case for years, and while it usually insures that I fail miserably at March Madness (I overthink literally every matchup). It does mean that I am qualified to tell you a few things that every bracketeer² must know, and then let you do the rest.

The Four Best Teams in the Country (Not in Order)

Win the Pool; Swim in the Money

     March Madness.  The best time of the year.  What December is to Christmas, March is to College Basketball.  In fact, I find various eerie similarities between X-Mas and The Big Dance.  First, you got Santa Claus and Joe Lunardi who are both the faces of their respective fields.  Without Santa, little kids would be leaving cookies and carrots out for only reindeer to devour.  Without Joe Lunardi, we would not know which teams would be in the field until Selection Sunday.  This segues me into my next comparison, Christmas Eve and Selection Sunday.  Both holidays (yes I said holidays) give a taste of what is coming.  On Christmas Eve, Santa frantically tries to get gifts to every (Catholic) person's house throughout the world.  On Selection Sunday, Joe Lunardi frantically tries to retrace his steps and figure out how he missed on predicting 1 of the 64 squads.  Both holidays (yes I said holidays) preview what is on the horizon.

The resemblance is uncanny.  Guy on the left is basically the bracketologist with a mustache and beard. 1

"You Win... or You Die"

I woke up today and watched the trailer for the new season of Game of Thrones a grand total of five times this morning. I swear I only intended to watch it once and move on with my day, but the replay button is just so damn convenient. (Try it. I insist.)

Social Media Ramblings

    In the modern world of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and all that other junk, there is no doubt that people are more connected than ever before.  Does Social Media make the revelation and dissemination of news quicker and more exciting?  Absolutely.  Does Social Media afford for an increase in social interaction, enabling physically separated individuals to maintain camaraderie?  Of Course.  Does Social Media perpetuate social stereotypes and stigmas while also narrowing the borders between different social cliques? Yes, this is true.

    In this piece, I will tackle some of the "most difficult" social-media-based decisions people deal with daily.  To be clear, I will be using the literary technique of hyperbole, breaking down these minuscule decisions by peering into an individual's thought processes.  Although this is meant to be a satire, it can not be denied that people do engage in some of these cognitive processes when making these choices.  Without further ado, I present my top 3 dilemmas.