Bracket muckery

 So I guess this is the part where the Blob launches its newest get-rich-quick scheme.

What do you think the market would be for Pre-Ignited NCAA Brackets?

That's right, boys and girls, now you can purchase your brackets already burned to a cinder, thanks to what happened last night in the play-in games. I mean, you had Michigan State going deep, right?

Sure you did. After all, Tom Izzo always has Sparty ready to take someone down at tournament time. March Madness wouldn't be March Madness if MSU wasn't on one of your Sweet Sixteen lines. And these Spartans look like just the sort of pick astute bracketeers would pick, because, remember, they beat one of the No. 1 seeds (Michigan) and als-

Wait. What?

What do you mean they LOST THEIR PLAY-IN GAME??

Yes, that's right. UCLA got Sparty in overtime last night, 86-80, and, hey, no fair, the upsets aren't supposed to begin until today. Seriously, who saw some lame Pac-12 school taking them out? Who saw Izzo grabbing a fistful of one of his kids shirts like he was, I don't know, channeling his inner Bob Knight?

Today and tomorrow are gonna be three rings of fun if that's any indication.

I don't know how the games come out and neither do you, but this is already one of the madder Madnesses in a stretch. And we haven't even gotten to the good part yet.

Duke and Kentucky and Louisville and Izzo are out, but Hartford is in for the first time ever. Drake beat Wichita State last night for its first NCAA Tournament win in 50 years. Two HBCU schools (Norfolk State and Texas Southern) won their play-in games last night, and a football school (Alabama) is a 2-seed.

Six schools from Texas are in, speaking of football places. Grand Canyon is in, but the rest of Arizona is not. On and on.

The Blob's favorite for the traditional 12-over-5 upset?

Winthrop over Villanova.

Ghosts of Upsets Past Special?

Cleveland State (Remember when it beat Indiana?) over Houston.

Traditional MAC School Surprise?

Ohio over Virginia.

Naturally, none of that will probably happen. 

But as this guy liked to say: Be cooler if it did.