The Louisville Cardinal Staff make their March Madness picks

By The Louisville Cardinal Staff

Then comes the zenith of man’s pleasure.

Then comes the Madness—March Madness.

And what better way to celebrate all the crazy times that come each spring than to try our hands at the impossible: a perfect NCAA tournament bracket.

Nine writers on staff have thrown their hats in the ring, and will duke it out (no pun intended) for the title of most knowledgable/luckiest writer.

Jai’Michael Anderson – News Editor

I will not pretend like I have been paying attention to any college basketball since Rick Pitino’s departure from Louisville in 2017. But like many basketball agnostics, I’m a big fan of mascots and wonder what each character would be like in real life. Naturally I have decided to base my picks on which mascots seem the most trustworthy. Of course, Illinois and Michigan do not have official mascots and were exempt from consideration.

Call it bias, but Louie ended up taking the cake. I can tell you from firsthand experience (many fist bumps, high-fives and pictures) that he’s a great guy, despite the fact he’s a cardinal with teeth. Tony the Landshark (Ole Miss) on the other hand was notably low in my rankings. I’ve never met him, but something about that smile feels like a devious cover-up.

Sydney Ball – staff writer

For someone with no knowledge of basketball or March Madness, it might seem impossible to determine which team will come out on top. However, you don’t need to understand statistics—or even the rules of the sport—to create a bracket! I was able to do so by comparing the mascots of the 68 teams competing in the tournament. My process factored in cuteness, confidence, uniqueness, creativity and perceived “school spirit” of the mascots.

Many of the mascots were chosen to advance because I simply liked the way they looked. The dogs tended to make it quite far, with a standout being Reveille from Texas A&M. I have dubbed Reveille the “ender of the Cardinals,” because this mascot was able to beat both Louie and Cy the Cardinal from Iowa State.

The final winner of the Mascot March Madness was Cam the Ram from Colorado State. In the beginning, I did not expect Cam to make it far. However, there is a strong sense of confidence exuded by this mascot. Also, the ram brought to Rams games is very cute. Cam the Ram became the champion, and the avenger of the Cardinals!

Harry Barsan – sports writer

As a Kentucky fan, I like UK to win it all. They’ve already swept Tennessee this season and beat Duke while they had Cooper Flagg. Needless to say, I see them easily coasting through their region and straight to the finals.

Their opponent is one of my favorite stories in basketball this year: St. John’s. I’m a huge Pitino fan (minus his Louisville years), and love what he’s done to revitalize a program that hasn’t made much noise since the ’90s.

Last and least, I like Louisville to make the Sweet 16. The comitte disrespected them with an eight-seed, and I think they’ll prove themselves early against a tough Creighton team. I like their chances against an Auburn team with one win in four games before they meet a Texas A&M squad who just recently beat Auburn.

For the rest of my picks, I love my brackets to reflect big storylines of the seasons even logic tells you otherwise at times.

Payton Carns – Editor in Chief

I’ve filled out a bracket pretty much every year since I was 10. What started as picking the cute mascots has evolved into a more logical decision-making process, but I can’t say I do all this research while I’m filling mine out. I like to choose based on seeding, and then throw in a couple upsets here and there so I don’t end up with only one-seeds in the Final Four.

My admiration of Pitino as a coach is what motivated me to pick St. John’s as my champion. I watched the Big East Championship game and they looked very strong.

I also have UK getting eliminated second round, for good measure.

Morgan Davenport – sports writer

I can be the first to say that I am definitely not well versed in basketball. With that being said, I chose my bracket based on which mascots I would rather party with. Obviously Louie is on top, but my second favorite is the Tennessee Volunteer. I have been to Knoxville, and I know that it would be a great time with either teams mascot. Overall, Go Cards!

Derek DeBurger – Sports Editor

I like to fill out my brackets based on what happens historically: 12- and 13-seeds pulling off upsets, one of the First Four teams advancing, a Cinderella in the Final Four and ultimately one of the favorites winning it.

History doesn’t always repeat itself, but the NCAA never seems to learn its lesson so let’s just call it a pattern of behavior.

Florida is my national champion. I think they and Duke are the teams with the biggest shots, but I actually have Arizona upsetting Duke in the Sweet 16. I think when Caleb Love gets hot Arizona can beat anybody. But they’re not in my Final Four, because I think it’s not unlikely they’ll cool off against my Cinderella: VCU!

Vinny Porco – Photo Editor

I hate to choose against my beloved Cardinals, but I don’t see a world in which they beat a team like Auburn. After struggling against SEC opponents of arguably lesser quality than Auburn, consider a second round exit a formidable bounce back from the Kenny Payne era.

Other than that, look for Alabama to turn on the jets in the East Region and face Florida in the Championship. Also consider a potential Final Four run from First Four winner North Carolina. Or don’t. I’m just going off vibes.

Elizabeth Scanland – sports writer

Both Duke and Florida are the two most overwhelming favorites to win it all. Both being one-seeds, they have proven all season long why they are the teams to beat. However, Florida is slightly better and more experienced which will give them the advantage.

Josie Simpson – sports and staff writer