The History Department:
Dr. Hogewood:
Dr. Hogewood is a man of tradition — he has picked Duke as the winner in every men’s and women’s bracket he has made. He is also someone who likes his upsets — picking a total of three 12 seeds to beat their 5-seeded first-round opponents.
Ms. Rizas:
A few of Ms. Rizas’ favorites are UConn because that is where she is from and Maryland because that is where she went to school. She tends to stay away from schools that she has never heard of before. Additionally, she likes the No. 2-seeded Tennessee Vols and picked them to win because of their strong tradition in women’s college basketball.
Mr. Schmidt:
Mr. Schmidt always tries to pick a couple of upsets, but thinks that “chalk” — picking favorites — has been the way to go recently. He is a big fan of Duke’s Cooper Flagg, calling him the best player in the country. And he thinks that Maryland has the best starting five and has them going all the way to the final.
The English Department:
Ms. Fishel and SGA Leadership:
Ms. Fishel and the Leadership class created their bracket together, voting as a class on who they thought would win each game. For some, the look of the mascot came into account.
Ms. Mahoney:
Ms. Mahoney selected her matchup winners primarily based on her familiarity with people who currently attend or have attended the schools involved.
Mr. Kirk:
The Math Department:
Dr. Sawhill:
After watching some of the Big Ten and ACC tournaments, Dr. Sawhill sees Michigan, Maryland, Michigan St., and Wisconsin as strong teams right now. He feels the ACC is a bit overrated but, in the end, believes Duke will top Maryland in the final.
Mr. Maurer:
Mr. Maurer thinks No. 1-seeded Florida is really good. But he said to not take his advice on who to pick as he is not the biggest college basketball fan.
Mr. Melendez:
Mr. Melendez decided to make two brackets: one in which he has Maryland going all the way and winning it all and another where his choice for the champion is St. John’s. He likes to pick his fair share of upsets and dark horses because “anything can happen” — this time he went with McNeese State.
The Science Department:
Ms. Ingalls:
Ms. Ingalls chose a few upsets in the earlier rounds but opted for all the No. 1 seeds to make the Final Four of the tournament. This is her favorite time of year other than Christmas.
Mr. Celatka:
Mr. Celatka is big on Cooper Flagg and Duke — calling them a very good, well-rounded team with amazing starters surrounding Flagg. He watches lots of Big East basketball so naturally he picked No. 2-seeded St. John’s to make a deep run with their dominant offense and thinks Marquette will make it to the Sweet Sixteen because they are a strong team and their losses have come to tough opponents.
