Craaaaaaaack!

What you just heard was the sound of my bracket busting and the large egg being dropped on my face.

My ever-so-bold prediction of Duke dominating the rest of the tournament boomeranged right back around and whacked me upside the head.

How, Duke? How?? With the consensus Top 3 NBA draft picks on its roster, Duke struggled through the second round and Sweet 16 and got outsmarted in the Elite 8. Michigan State is a very talented team, I know, but I expected the Blue Devils to shoot better from the perimeter and not get so many blocked shots inside the paint.

I think both UCF and Virginia Tech gave the Spartans a great blueprint to beat Duke. Their sacrifices were not made in vain.

Unfortunately, Michigan State has to play the second best team in the Final Four, the Red Raiders of Texas Tech. This team has a great defense, but unlike other schools who seem to get a little boring with a defensive philosophy, Texas Tech can make explosive plays on offense. They score, plenty. I think they’ll slowly suffocate Michigan State in a low-scoring, highly intensive game.

Auburn is the best team in the Final Four, without a doubt. The Tigers are fundamentally sound and smoking hot from the 3-point line. When the Tigers get going and start building on their lead, you can see the confidence disappear from their opponent’s faces. Regular readers of my columns will know that it takes a heck of an Auburn team to get this kind of praise from me, but they’re just that good. Virginia, their opponent on Friday, plays a little too slow for a team like Auburn. We might even have a blowout. The championship game will be between Auburn and Texas Tech, I think. Both teams belong at this stage of the tournament. Both are capable of hoisting the trophy. Which will it be?

The good news is I can watch the rest of the tournament stress-free, along with the rest of my coworkers. My bracket is ruined, but so is everyone else’s. Only two people in our pool have a Final Four team correct, and one of them came in second place. Our winner is Ralph Dobson. If you see him out and about, be sure to give him a big congratulations.