The Sports Monitor

This is the fifth version of Bracket Racket, my way of picking the NCAA champion. Last year was a darn good year for the Racket. Heck, let's be honest. It was an excellent year. My formula correctly picked the championship game -- Kentucky vs. Kansas -- and it picked the winner. How do you top it? I guess simply do it again. I've tweaked the equation over the years, and after last year's success, there's not much to update. Here's the path to narrow your picks to one champion: First things first, first-round games are a joke: Honestly, no national champion will emerge from this group. And why does Dayton get to host this every year? The Sour 16: While we're being honest, no 16 seed has beaten a No. 1 seed. Go with history. Capital losses : It's easier to say UNLV instead of University of Nevada at Las Vegas. It still doesn't make them a threat to win it all. Take all teams that use capital letters off your list (UNLV, UCLA, VCU). Let...

There are many ways to pick an NCAA tournament champion. Some might pick their alma mater, others could go for a long-time favorite team while some could pull a name out of a hat. Me? I have a pretty good formula going. It's called Bracket Racket. The success is uncanny. Here's how we go from 68 to 1: First things first, first-round games are a joke: Seriously, the NCAA wants us to think the eight teams playing "first-round" games have a chance while 60 others get a bye into the second round? Missouri Valley State, Western Kentucky, BYU, Iona, Lamar, Vermont, Cal and South Florida all are eliminated. It's not sweet being a 16: Don't be a hero, scratch off the No. 16 seeds remaining. Capital losses : Teams that go by capital letters are outta here: VCU, UNLV, WVU (go home, Mountaineers). Wrong statement : I hate to break it to you, but schools with state in its name won't win it all this year. That means Iowa State, Wichita State, New Mexico...