THERE’S ONE RULE to the bracket business:
Don’t get too cute.
It’s a temptation that is often hard to resist when it comes time to fill out an NCAA men’s basketball tournament bracket.
The Cornells and Siennas of the world are simply too tantalizing.
More than anything, it’s because they might just make you look smarter than you actually are.
Picking those teams to win, then being right, grants one the sort of instant validation insecure men so desperately crave.
In effect, it’s instant street cred, not to mention a good way to avoid having to cheer for such loathsome juggernauts as, say, Duke.
And it’s exactly why I always find myself going gaga over the next Gonzaga (remember, they were underdogs once, too).
The same can be said for picking an out-of-the-blue national champion or Final Four team.
These teams are, after all, the key to winning your office’s March Madness pool (you know, if gambling were legal and all).
But alas, this is likely not the year to make such bold predictions.
There are two teams — Kentucky and Kansas — that are clearly better than everyone else in the NCAA.
Don’t let the stench of having to pull for the Jayhawks and Wildcats coerce you into doing something you might regret.
As some of the North Olympic Peninsula’s top hoops minds attest, they are just about sure things.
Among the basketball coaches polled were Peninsula College men’s coach Peter Stewart, Sequim boys coach Greg Glasser, Port Townsend boys coach John Stroeder and Forks boys coach Scott Justus.
Without further ado, here’s the experts’ picks:
John Stroeder
• Elite Eight — Kansas vs. Ohio State; Kansas State vs. Syracuse; Kentucky vs. West Virginia; Duke vs. Villanova.
• Final Four — Kansas vs. Syracuse; Kentucky vs. Villanova.
• Cinderella — Georgia Tech (10 seed).
“I like them,” Stroeder said. “They are pretty athletic and long. They get after it.
“They’ve been close on some of the games they lost. They have 12 losses, but they have played some tough teams.
“They are my sleeper.”
• Championship Game — Kansas beats Kentucky.
“I really don’t care who wins,” Stroeder said. “I just love watching good games down to the wire. Because Nancy is from Kansas, I’ve got to go with my wife.
“They are so solid and they’ve got a good bench. I think they are deeper. Plus I think they are better inside on both sides.
“[DeMarcus] Cousins is going to have to guard [Kansas center] Cole Aldridge, and who’s going to guard the Morris twins?”
Scott Justus
• Elite Eight — Kansas vs. Ohio State; Butler vs. Kansas State; Kentucky vs. West Virginia; Duke vs. Villanova.
• Final Four — Kansas vs. Kansas State; Kentucky vs. Duke.
• Cinderella — Sienna (13 seed).
“I don’t have any idea [why I’m going with them],” Justus said. “I’ve seen them play one time and they shot it well.
“They don’t have super big guys but they have two [forwards] . . . they were just so stinking athletic.”
• Championship Game — Kansas beats Duke.
“Kansas has so many different weapons,” said Justus, as admitted Duke Blue Devil fan. “[Cole] Aldrich is a good bug guy, [and] they have [point guard] Sherron Collins.
“He’s one of those seniors who stick around and have been with the program forever. I just don’t see anybody from Duke stopping him.
“Kansas has too much depth. Duke plays a lot of guys, too, but I just think Kansas’ bench is a lot better.”
Greg Glasser
• Elite Eight — Kansas vs. Ohio State, Syracuse vs. Kansas State, Kentucky vs. West Virginia, Duke vs. Baylor.
• Final Four — Kansas vs. Syracuse, West Virginia vs. Baylor.
• Cinderella — Cornell.
“Honestly, I’ve just been listening a lot to what the analysts have been saying,” Glasser said.
“They’ve got to play some smart basketball in the Ivy League, so I think they might be able to get past some of those teams.”
• Championship Game — Kansas beats West Virginia.
“I like their senior leadership, I like their presence inside and around the perimeter, and I really like [coach] Bill Self,” Glasser said. “I think he’s a great coach.
“They have a lot of good things going for them.”
Peter Stewart
• Elite Eight — Kansas vs. Oklahoma State; Florida State vs. Kansas State; Kentucky vs. West Virginia; Louisville vs. Villanova.
• Final Four — Kansas vs. Kansas State; Kentucky vs. Villanova.
• Cinderella — Louisville (9).
“I like their coach [Rick Pitino],” Stewart said. “He’s been there.”
• Championship Game — Villanova beats Kansas State.
“I like [Villanova coach] Jay Wright,” Stewart said.
“[Wildcats guard Scott Reynolds] is just a tough, hard-nosed kid. He’s going to get some points, and he’s not relying on his outside game to get those.”
Matt Schubert
• Elite Eight — Kansas vs. Georgetown, Syracuse vs. Kansas State, Kentucky vs. West Virginia, Duke vs. Baylor.
• Final Four — Kansas vs. Kansas State, Kentucky vs. Duke.
• Cinderella — Washington (11 seed).
If there’s one thing the Huskies can’t handle, it’s teams with big men who can control the boards and score in the post.
The Huskies’ two road blocks to the Sweet 16 — Marquette and, likely, New Mexico — have no such player.
• Championship Game — Kansas beats Kentucky.
Perhaps my roommate’s constant gushing over Cole Aldrich has clouded my thinking.
But I think the Wildcats, who have survived by the skin of their teeth on several occasions this year, will run out of lives against the Jaykawks.
Both teams have tons of talent, both down low and on the perimeter.
But Kansas has a good mixture of youth and experience to beat an uber-athletic Kentucky team.
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Matt Schubert is the outdoors and sports columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column regularly appears on Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at matt.schubert@peninsuladailynews.com.