Win Money!
The NCAA tournament field was announced yesterday, and when the office gambling addict passes around the blank sheet of brackets for the company pool, you may notice something strange in the middle of the left hand side of the page. The word "Washington" and, immediately to its right, a "1."
The NCAA yesterday awarded the University of Washington Huskies one of the four #1 seeds in the 2005 Men's basketball tournament, which was as unexpected as it is improbable.
Being named a #1 seed is the basketball equivalent of being nominated for an Oscar. It’s the ultimate sign of respect. This for a school that, four years ago, got about as much respect for basketball playing as Pauly Shore does for acting.
In practice, a #1 seed means that you face less talented teams as you advance in the tournament. For example, on Thursday at noon in Boise, Idaho, the Huskies play the #16 seeded University of Montana Grizzlies. A #1 seed has NEVER lost to a #16.
The seeds are the key to winning your office pool. Seattlest ignores them. We like to pore over all available information and carefully pick each game of the tournament based on hours of research. And, for 16 years in a row, we have lost. If you want to actually win your office pool, may we suggest the tactic of our friend David's mother, an Englishwoman who may never have touched a basketball. She simply picks the higher seeded teams in every game, and regularly claims the pot. The lesson? Never, ever, gamble with an Englishwoman.
