The first round of the tournament kicks off in a couple of hours— make sure to get your picks in if you’re playing along with the Avocado (password: austinfreak):

http://games.espn.com/tournament-challenge-bracket/2018/en/group?groupID=2535275

16 first round games today— what are your rooting interests?  Upset picks?  Do you have any dark horses to win the whole thing?  Regarding the first and third questions, Slate has tipped my beloved Cincinnati Bearcats as a high-value championship pick, which I think is absolutely nuts.  Perhaps the metrics are there, but the history is weighty:  I think I’ve heard some variation on “Cincinnati always has great defense, but this year they have a high-powered offense!” every year of Mick Cronin’s tenure, and it’s never quite true, though I’d love to see that change over seven games this year!

Happy bracketing!