“MOM?!” he says very loudly.  “You picked Robert Morris to win?”  As is often the case, he is confused by my NCAA March Madness bracket selections.

“Yes.  My cousin played football there, and he’s in the hall of fame.  Plus, his wife is in the hall of fame there for softball.”

Quietly now, “Mom, that doesn’t really have anything to do with basketball.”

“I know, honey, but that’s how I pick them.  There are upsets every year.  This could be the year for Robert Morris.”

But it wasn’t.  And the list goes on.

I picked Pittsburgh because another cousin’s wife attended, they got married at Heinz Chapel, and I have aunts and uncles out the wazoo who live there.

I picked Notre Dame because it seems like they always win in the first round, despite the fact that they were playing a school that briefly looked at me as a bball player waaayyyy back in the day.  (Should’ve gone with ODU for that very reason.  Of course they pulled it off.)

I chose Cornell for one game because my old boss went there, but didn’t choose them again because it’s been such a tough year on that campus.  I wish I would have…first time for the Ivy’s in the sweet 16!  Sweet!

And I picked Duke to win it all for two reasons:  1) I went to high school in NC and always liked Duke, and 2) I wouldn’t pick Kansas to win for nothin’.

I was right about one thing.  There have been upsets left and right…it is, after all, March Madness.  It’s just too bad I didn’t call the right ones.

But for now, at least, Duke’s still in the hunt.  Go Blue Devils!

Everybody else?  Are you wondering, “Why in the heck is she talking about basketball?” or do you have some sweet picks of your own?  Do you go by the numbers or share my method of choosing with the heart?  Who’d you pick to win it all?