I might have lost some friends this week. I hate that for them, but it had to be done.
A man's got to have a creed, and all that. A line in the sand. Some wrongs are just too much to stomach.
It's not that I cannot forgive.
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Bracket busters:8 unpredictable top seeds who may ruin NCAA Tournament bracket
If I loan a friend my car, and he returns it with a dent in it, I'm sure we'll bury the hatchet. After all, my car has nearly 140,000 miles on it, and a couple of zip ties are holding my skid plate in place. (As Dave Ramsey would say, that's better than having a car note.) What's a dent going to do that I haven't done already?
If you're my pal and you suck down a few beers too many and make a fool of yourself before crashing on my couch, we'll have a laugh about it the next day.
VCU Rams (27-7)VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Miami (Ohio) RedHawks (31-1)With 90.7 points per game, Miami was second in the nation in points per game, trailing only Alabama, while leading the nation with 52.4% shooting from the field." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
South Florida Bulls (24-8)South Florida enters the NCAA Tournament on an 11-game winning streak. winning the American Conference tournament championship game 70-55 over Wichita State." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Troy Trojans (22-11)Troy could be the biggest Cinderella this year after winning back-to-back Sun Belt tournament titles. Nebraska is officially on upset alert with a matchup against Troy." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
Saint Louis Billikens (28-5)Saint Louis can light up the scoreboard, averaging 87.2 points per game, and ranking among the national leaders in 3-pointers per game." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
High Point Panthers (30-4)The Panthers offense is explosive enough to threaten any higher seed it faces. They average 90 points per game shooting 49.1% from the field." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
March Madness bracket busters eye the next big upset
VCU Rams (27-7)VCU closed the season with a 21-3 record over the final 24 games and won 16 of its last 17 games. A matchup against No. 6 North Carolina in the first round, before a potential matchup against No. 3 Illinois, sets up the Rams as well as an 11-seed can be set up.
Insult my haircut, and we're all good.
Don't vote for the same elected officials as I do? That's OK, because I don't choose my friends based on how they vote.
Neglect to pay back that $20 I loaned you? I'll manage. We'll call it a friend-tax and move on.
I'm a loyal guy, but everyone's got their limits.
Mine is this: If you let AI fill out yourNCAA Tournament bracket, we cannot be friends.
Where's the fun in an AI March Madness bracket simulator?
Let the robot take your job if you must, but don't let it wrestle away creative control of your bracket.
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Apparently, bot brackets are all the rage this year.
Toppmeyer:Bruce Pearl, kindly pipe down now. Miami Ohio shows it belongs in March Madness
Seriously, have we lost all pride in our Nostradamus skills? Surrendered our desire for bragging rights? Lost the urge to shout, "Called it!" and lord our ingenuity over anyone and everyone within earshot, when the 13-seed you picked upsets the No. 4?
Because, if the robot fills out your bracket and happens to pick an upset correctly, you didn't call squat. Your bot pal did, while your brain hit snooze and your clever streak withered.
[This column first published in ourSEC Unfilterednewsletter, emailedfreeto your inbox.Sign up herefor more commentary like this.]
Trust your gut to spot NCAA Tournament Cinderella
Anyway, how sure are you this bot knows ball or understands how points are awarded in your office bracket pool?
Do we trust the bot to spot a Cinderella? I received one email this week from a flack informing me his outfit's AI product of choice spit out a bracket with four 1-seeds in the Final Four. Well, knock me over with a feather. That's genius, R2-D2!
No shame in picking the 1-seeds to the Final Four. That would have been a great strategy last year. But, do you really need HAL 9000 to tell you Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida are quite good? The little "1" next to their name ought to be a strong hint.
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Understand that the bot learns by reading and consuming data, so when you're using a bot bracket, you're likely just getting a conglomerate ofexpert picksand analysis. If you need assistance with your bracket, is it too much to glance at KenPom metrics for 10 minutes that Bot Buddy's got to do it for you?
If you really need some bracket help and don't trust your gut, phone a friend. That's what friends are for, right? That, and looking the other way when you ding their car. Never mind the dent, just tell me all about the 12-seed you picked to reach the Sweet 16.
Blake Toppmeyeris a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him atBToppmeyer@gannett.comand follow him on X@btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:AI March Madness bracket ends friendships. Call your own NCAA upsets
