It's 2012. It's the 12th year of the Bailey Bracket Challenge. Coach wore #12 in high school. I'd never been beaten... The odds weren't in my favor this year.
I had a bad feeling about my bracket from the start. The only thing I felt sure of was writing Kentucky in that last empty space. I'd seen them play enough to feel good about their chances. The thing that impressed me the most was how strong they finished, how they never gave up. I've seen team after team show up ready to play against UK. Many times this season, the Wildcats would be down at halftime, but it didn't matter. They'd take charge of the 4th quarter and show you once again why there was a little number 1 by their name. I saw them play in person at Auburn early in the year. Impressive, even in a hard-fought game against a not-so-great AU squad. They were my pick to win all the way.
I took a rather commanding lead in the first round. Being up something like 7 games along with Coach losing 2 of his sweet sixteen's, I felt like it was in the bag. Ol' number 12. But, as the tournament progressed and the field shrank, Coach had more teams remaining than I did. He had over half of the elite eight still on his bracket. I hadn't seen his bracket or even looked at mine since turning it in. I started to get nervous...
As the final four squared off, Coach still had both of his championship teams alive. And they won out, Kentucky and Kansas. He'd picked Kansas to go on and defeat my Kentucky pick. It looked like it might come down to a championship game head-to-head to name a winner. But after running the numbers, there was already a 4 game lead for the winner.
Like Kentucky, who came out of the locker room shooting lights out and playing inspired basketball in the final game and then had to hold Kansas off in the last few minutes, I claimed my 12th championship. I'd like to congratulate Coach on another good effort. Losing by 5 games is respectable, even if it is to your wife ;-). No hard feelings about to pulling against my teams! I'm looking forward to the next 3 months of Sunday meals with you.
12-0!!!
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