The NCAA Tournament first round is in the rear-view mirror, and there was a nice share of madness. In fact, nearly 5,000 entries in USA TODAY’s NCAA Men’s Tournament Survivor Pool were eliminated on Day 1.
Major upsets of No. 2 seed Arizona (by 15th-seeded Princeton) and 4th-seeded Virginia (by 13th-seeded Furman) knocked out a bunch of those entries. Losses by 10th-seeded Utah State (a small favorite vs. 7th-seeded Missouri) and 7th-seeded Texas A&M (a loss to No. 10 seed Penn State) also sent a few people out the door.
Unfortunately, I was also shown the door because of the Arizona loss. My strategy was to play conservative in Round 1 and aim for big points in Round 2 after some expected upsets. However, I never thought in a million years that the undersized Ivy League team in Princeton would take down mighty Arizona, a squad many had winning the whole ball of wax.
As an employee, I’m not eligible to win this NCAA Tournament Survivor Pool contest. While I’m now in the “Loser’s Lounge,” I can still assist those of you who have a shot at the $5K first prize — but I’d understand if you don’t want my advice.
After Day 2 (Friday), 2,988 entries remain out of the 8,107 who signed up.
So, here’s my strategy of how to advance out of Round 2 and eventually win the Men’s Basketball Tournament Survivor Pool.