Jovenitti: What to know in gearing up for March Madness

It’s almost the end of February, which means just one thing — college basketball’s March… It’s almost the end of February, which means just one thing — college basketball’s March Madness is almost here.

But I understand that not everyone on campus understands or cares about sports. If you are one of those people, March can be particularly obnoxious, since probably all your friends talk about is how No. 15-seeded Robert Morris should have beaten No. 2 Villanova in that first-round game last year.

If your only response to the above conversation is, “My friend goes to Robert Morris!” then this Top 10 is for you.

I’m going to give a little gift to our sports-illiterate/indifferent friends. Here are 10 things you can say to people to make them think you know what you’re talking about next month.

10. “I like the extra three teams in the tournament.” Impress your friends by letting them know that you’re aware of the fact that the NCAA Tournament expanded to 68 teams this year, up from the usual 65. Mention the fact that the First Four event — in which the last four teams invited will compete to make the field of 64 — is an intriguing addition, and you will appear to know what you’re talking about.

9. “I think the Big East can get 11 teams.” If you only know one thing, make sure you know that the Big East — Pitt’s conference — is the best conference by far. It already holds the record for most teams in the Tournament with eight, but it is looking very possible that 11 teams could make it this year. If you want to look even smarter, say that Marquette is the only team that might struggle to get in.

8. “Duke is overrated.” Calling the Blue Devils overrated will win you brownie points with almost any basketball fan — except, of course, Duke fans. And better yet, it’s actually true this year. Sure, Duke only has two losses, but the Blue Devils don’t have very many impressive wins, and they got blown out by St. John’s.

7. “The ACC is awful.” You can include this in your “Duke is overrated” conversation. The ACC typically challenges the Big East for the title of best conference, but this year, outside of Duke and North Carolina, the conference is laughably weak. You’ll get bonus points if you bring up the fact that Wake Forest lost to Stetson.

6. “I really think that (insert decent team here) can make it to Houston.” Once the bracket comes out, go ahead and pick any of the No. 1, 2 or 3 seeds and tell your friends that you think they will make it to Houston. The key thing here is mentioning the city. People will assume you’ve at least been paying attention when you know where the Final Four will be held.

5. “I don’t think San Diego State is legit.” If you haven’t been paying attention to college hoops, then you probably have never even heard of San Diego State. Well here’s the skinny on the Aztecs. They lost only one game to a really good team (BYU), but they don’t play any other tough teams. It’s easy to say they are overrated, so go ahead and do it. People will assume you know what’s going on.

4. “Which 12-seed do you think will win?” It is almost a certainty that a No. 12 seed will beat a No. 5 seed. It happens almost every year. If you know this fun fact, people will be impressed.

3. “This is finally Pitt’s year.” Say this anywhere on campus, and people will not only think you’re knowledgeable, but they will also love you.

2. “Pitt is the deepest team in the country.” If you tell people you think Pitt can win it all and someone engages you in conversation, don’t be scared. Just talk about how Pitt goes 10 players deep, making the Panthers deeper than any other contender.

1. “Jimmer Fredette is awesome.” You don’t have to know who Fredette is or where he goes to school (it’s BYU, for the record), you just need to know he’s the most exciting player in college basketball right now. Fans are falling all over him, partly because of his sweet name, partly because of his skill. Talk about how great he is, and you will instantly appear to be a smart college basketball fan.

Happy March!