When in doubt ...
• Ask yourself if one of the teams has a transcendent player who might go crazy. Call it the Carmelo Anthony Rule (after Carmelo carried a so-so Syracuse team to a national championship in 2003). If you think Jimmer Fredette, Kemba Walker or Jacob Pullen (that's his name, right?) stands a chance of throwing his team on his back and grabbing the attention of the nation this March, don't pick against them or you'll hate yourself.
• Seek the popular opinion and go the other way. I stole this rule from Simmons' NFL Playoff Gambling Manifesto because I think it works here. What's fun about picking every game just like everybody else? You're not winning anything that way.
• Finally, if you still can't decide, just pick the team you want to win. Look, bracket pools are ultimately about having fun. And it's absolutely no fun to pick a team to win when you know in your heart you'll secretly be rooting for them to lose. That kind of cognitive dissonance can kill a person.
With that in mind, please enjoy my bracket. And the rest of March.
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