It’s become a Cardinal and Cream tradition that every year the staff fills out March Madness brackets and takes a quick exit survey after the fact to give readers a glimpse into the mind of an editor filling out his or her bracket. Since Cardinal and Cream’s nickname game is as strong as ever, here’s a quick guide to some of the nicknames you’ll be seeing in this piece: Elizabeth “Lu Lu” Caldwell, Michael “ChapDaddy” Chapman, SaraBeth “SB” Conley, Seth “Fubs” Horton, Ted “TK” Kluck, Austin “Dad Calves” Maddox, Campbell “Not Mark Campbell” Padgett, Daniel “Pottsy” Potts, Suzanne “Suzy” Rhodes, and Joshua “Papa Clark” Hubbard. Below are the answers we gathered from the staff.
1. What is your strategy when it comes to filling out a bracket?
Lu Lu: My strategy when it comes to filling out my bracket is very meticulous. First, I start with Google. I google “how to fill out a bracket.” Then, I call my brother, Davis Caldwell, the premiere bracket-filler-outer this side of the Mississippi. He’s a lean mean bracket-filling machine. Knows it like the back of his hand. Loves it. Loves it so much that when I ask him how to fill out my bracket he says, “You’re the worst.” So I write that on my mirror in permanent marker. Then I continue to flip coins to fill out the rest of my bracket.
ChapDaddy: My strategy is usually either to have Vanderbilt win it all or, if they’re not in the tournament, cross Duke out, put Vandy in and have Vandy win it all. I’m more than a little discouraged after how this season went for my Commodores, though, so I decided to put seven goldfish in a bowl and drop a picture of the opposing mascots in, and whichever mascot had four or more goldfish on its side of the tank after 47 seconds lost, because everyone knows goldfish are horrible luck in college basketball.
SB: I picked a few historically good teams with standout players, a few teams that are good and on the rise, and then some were underdog picks.
Fubs: I like to pick the teams that are going to win.
TK: I watch zero minutes of college basketball per year (Union notwithstanding), but I do watch a lot of NBA. I choose based on the following criteria: a.) Quality of football program b.) Whether or not any friends played football there c.) How much I do/don’t like the uniform and/or fan base d.) whether or not my kids are rabid fans of the program e.) Nostalgic value (see: Villanova, Seton Hall, Georgetown) f.) Quirkiness (see: Radford, last year) g.) Number of players on the roster named “Grayson,” which is perhaps the best “villain” name of all time. It’s really easy to dislike a kid named Grayson.
Dad Calves: My strategy includes looking at the seeds of each team, picking the highest one when it is a large difference, and picking the upset when it is closer.
Not Mark Campbell: Try to look at the brackets of previous winners. I don’t go past 2 years.
Pottsy: Well I really only keep up with SEC basketball, so there is that issue. Do not get me wrong, I participate in this tradition as a sports fan year round and take pride in the fact that I have won groups in the past, beating out the masses (like 3 other people.) Yeah, honestly I just go with what my gut tells me.
Suzy: I pronounce each name of the teams on the bracket and pick the ones that sound the most ~silly~ when I say them in a trashy Scottish accent.
Papa Clark: Here’s the thing. Chaos theory? Entropy/Second Law of Thermodynamics? Einstein? Exactly. With all this in mind, I originally intended to pit 64 Luigis against each other in Super Smash Bros for the Switch, naming them after all the teams, and choosing based off of that. You see, being a Christian, I don’t believe in using Ouija boards, but I am 100% on board with Luigi boards. However, I didn’t have time to do this, and simply trusted my gutsy, gutsy instincts.
2. How much research did you do before filling it out?
Lu Lu: None. I like to fill out my brackets like I prepare for tests or taekwondo tournaments when I don’t know I have them. Wing it (Editor’s note: listen to Lu Lu’s podcast, Wing Tips, on Apple Music).
ChapDaddy: Honestly who needs research when you have the fishies?
SB: There are some teams that I already know a good bit about, especially SEC teams. For the ones I wasn’t so sure about, I looked up recent games and looked at the stats provided in the bracket. I also got some insight from a few friends.
Fubs: An unhealthy amount. Enough to be considered a “nerd.”
TK: 30 seconds, which consisted of me checking Belmont’s roster to see if an acquaintance of mine still plays there (he does).
Dad Calves: I do absolutely no research prior to filling out a bracket. I don’t watch a lick of basketball until March Madness.
Not Mark Campbell: Like 30 minutes. I don’t know much about basketball.
Pottsy: Other than watching SEC basketball and faithfully following my beloved Mississippi State Bulldogs (Hail State), I would have to say… none.
Suzy: How do you even research for basketball?
Papa Clark: I googled who Duke was and liked how rebellious they seemed.
3. Who are you rooting for to win it all?
Lu Lu: Whoever Davis tells me to.
ChapDaddy: No one. Vanderbilt isn’t in it, and I’m boycotting after such an unaccceptable snub.
SB: Volz. Catch me wearing my “gaudy” orange for the rest of the month.
Fubs: Am I allowed to say Virginia? I mean, they’re a one seed again and I don’t wanna jinx anything.
TK: Michigan, because my kid is a rabid fan and I like the nostalgia (Fab Five), the football, and the uniform; Kentucky, because one of my best friends played football there in the ’90s; and Syracuse, because they play basketball in a domed football stadium. Though words can’t really express how little I care. I only have heart/mind space for caring about football, and to a much lesser degree, the NBA.
Dad Calves: North Carolina, because someone said that it would be a good matchup.
Not Mark Campbell: Either Duke, Tennessee, or some unknown underdog team. I want spectacle.
Pottsy: I believe I answered that in the last question. Hold on, in case you have forgotten, let me say it again for the people in the back: HAIL STATE.
Suzy: I feel like I gotta stay loyal to the Christian colleges, so I am rooting for Abilene Christian.
Papa Clark: Duke all the way. It sounds too much like Green Day’s third studio album to not win.
4. Who are your Final Four teams, and why?
Lu Lu: Whoever Google tells me to because after asking my brother I learned, once again, of his incompetence and his lack of passion toward basketball that only extends as far as the NBA, not NCAA.
ChapDaddy: Duke, because they will win. Kentucky, because every time I’ve bet against Kentucky they make it to the Final Four. Tennessee, because they’re in the same region as Virginia, who will inevitably get upset. Texas Tech, because they beat Murray State five fishes to two.
SB: Tennessee, because #VFL. I love Grant Williams. Rick Barnes is the man. Lucas Campbell is my spirit animal. One fly we all fly. (Please give me a job when I graduate, UT athletics.) Duke, because as much as I don’t want to admit it, Duke is good. It helps that Zion is back. Coach K is a legend, and Duke will probably be good until he retires (who am I kidding? I think he’s immortal.) UNC because, like Duke, UNC has collected a good bit of hardware over the years. With two top-10 prospects, the Tar Heels have a lot of fresh talent. They’re the one-seed going into the NCAA Tournament, and it looks like they have a good shot at a title (plus baby blue is one of my favorite colors). FSU because the Seminoles took down number one Virginia in the ACC Tournament to advance to the finals against Duke. Though they dropped the game against Duke, they showed potential throughout the tournament.
Fubs: Duke because they will win, Virginia because I want them to win, Gonzaga because you need 3 one seeds in the final four, and Houston because it just kind of happened that way.
TK: Michigan and Kentucky (because of the above), Duke because they’re allegedly really good, and Tennessee because I needed a fourth and currently live there.
Dad Calves: Duke vs. Florida State and Tennessee vs. North Carolina because that’s how I feel the stars are aligning. You know, astrology.
Not Mark Campbell: Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Duke. Michigan, because the Western Conference is kind of a joke. North Carolina, because Michael Jordan. Tennessee, because they have actually been killing it lately. And Duke, because c’mon you guys.
Pottsy: I have Duke, because it is their tournament to lose. Then I have Virginia, just because. Following that, I have Kentucky. They did not win either of the SEC titles this season, but I still believe they are overall the most talented team out of the conference. I know, what a huge shock. And finally, I decided to have a First Four team in there, because I wanted to shake it up and I felt my Cinderella senses tingling (my gosh that is a weird image). Also I suppose I just really do not want to win this group apparently. So yeah, watch out for Arizona State or St. John’s, either one.
Suzy: Marquette, because it kinda sounds like Baguette, and that’s my second favorite word to say in a crappy French accent. Abilene Christian, because a school that worships Jesus is a school worthy of getting on my top four (I know nothing about this school other than the fact they have Christian in their name, so don’t hold me accountable if they’re actually the top 10 party school in the US). Mississippi State, because as a Mississippi kid and being raised at every single Mississippi State football game, I feel like I have to remain loyal to my roots (even though I know they’re prolly not gonna get past the third round). Ole Miss, because we all love a good rivalry, and I know the whole state of Mississippi would lose their minds if two of their teams actually made it this far.
Clark: Duke, Wisconsin, Michigan, Kentucky. Duke for reasons already mentioned, Wisconsin because I miss Brett Favre, Michigan because it’s cold, and Kentucky due to all the horses.
5. If Duke doesn’t win the title, where does that rank among all-time failed seasons? What, if any, implications does it have on the one-and-done rule?
Lu Lu: Yes?
ChapDaddy: Honestly, I think if Duke loses, it’s less of an indictment on Duke or Coach K and more on the one-and-done culture. It seems like even in this era of one-and-done players going to big schools every year, you still need experienced veterans leading your team if you want to win a championship. One-and-done is in danger anyways with the NBA looking at a semi-pro option for players out of high school, and Duke losing this season on top of Romeo Langford and Indiana missing the tournament entirely could do it in completely.
SB: Duke has been in a title drought since 2015, so they’re kind of due for one. With a legendary program and incredibly talented players, they have a good shot. This has been seen all season. This year without a title would rank pretty high among failed seasons since there has been so much hype around this season. As for the one-and-done rule, Duke claims 3 of the top 5 draft prospects. Without these players, Duke wouldn’t have the depth they have now. These players could have gone straight to the NBA, but they brought a high hope for the title for Duke fans.
Fubs: Hahahahaha.
TK: One-and-done is the worst! I’d love to go back to kids declaring for the NBA right out of high school! I loved being around for the Kobe/Garnett years, and even the Leon Smiths and Korleone Youngs of the world. It’s a free country…if those guys can make money playing ball, then God bless them! Also, it makes a mockery of higher education to have Zion Williamson basically just sleeping and playing basketball at Duke for 7 months until somebody decides it’s okay for him to make a living at the thing he’s really good at. Regarding Duke and failed seasons: I feel like the 1998 Minnesota Vikings and the recent Patriots season where they went 16-0 but still lost in the Super Bowl to Eli Manning’s corpse still rank higher, in terms of overall disappointments.
Dad Calves: Really I think it depends on the ratio of wins to losses. If a team has more wins, then obviously, they will be considered better. However, if they have more losses, than that would imply that they are not as good as other teams that are better than them. As far as the one and done rule, it has major implications. Huge.
Not Mark Campbell: If Duke doesn’t win I will riot, unless of course, they are beat by some underdog team like Florida State.
Pottsy: It has no implications on the one-and-done rule. Whether or not Duke chokes is irrelevant, but yeah if Duke loses it’s a choke. It would not be as bad of a choke as the Falcons versus the Pats, nor would it be as bad as Tennessee’s most recent attempt at finding a college football coach, but it would still be a choke.
Suzy: I have no idea what kind of language you’re speaking right now, but sure.
Clark: Oh, 100%.
