A Grip on Sports: When it comes to filling out an NCAA bracket, there is only one piece of advice you need, though I don’t know what it is

A GRIP ON SPORTS • Like a lot of us, my bracket is due today. It’s something I’ve done forever, if by forever you mean since 2024. After being shamed into it at my 50th high school reunion. If the guy who wrote the highly esteemed Knight Breeze sports column, Grippi’s Gripes, isn’t in the pool, what are we even doing here?

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• If I was undergoing torture for information vital to national security and the evil henchmen thrust a pencil in my hand and held out an NCAA bracket, you know what would happen? I would cave. In a second. “No, not that,” I would scream. “What do you want to know?”

That’s how much I hate filling out the darn thing. But, you know, expectations, old friends and peer pressure. Ya, the root causes of more stupid decisions than alcohol. Though that usually is involved too. Not in my case. Not when it came to me assuring everyone I was in for their pool.

Which gets us to today.

I have a foolproof plan. If by foolproof you mean ensuring I am donating my entry fee to someone else’s bank account. And, no, I’m not sharing my plan. I don’t want the blowback when your bracket blows sky high before the Elite Eight.

I will, however, share who I believe will win the men’s tournament.

Michigan. Or Duke. Or Arizona. One of those three schools. No one else.

I’m actually leaning toward the Wolverines, though I’ve not rooted for the school in anything since the Fab Five ruined a whole generation’s basketball photos with their fashion sense. I mean, have you seen some pictures of the shorts back then? And I thought parachute pants were awful. Parachute shorts were even worse.

But even without LJ Cason (out with an ACL tear) UM is better than a Caleb Foster-less Duke team. What if Foster returns from his broken foot? Not counting on that, any more than I’m counting on Braden Huff returning from his dislocated kneecap to help Gonzaga’s run.

Are the Wolverines better than Big 12 champion Arizona? Maybe not. But the Wildcats’ wild card is Jaden Bradley’s left wrist, injured in the conference title win over Houston. It seems OK, but who knows? Bradley, the Big 12 player of the year, is the Superglue that holds the Cats together. He is the key for their chances. Then again, injury or not, he still hit the shot that crushed Houston.

At some point I will have to pick between those three schools. Those three teams. The only three who seem viable.

Maybe I’ll just throw a dart. Or flip coins. Or go with whichever coach I’ve shared an adult beverage or two with back in the day. See, of such motivations is failure born. And why I hate the whole darn bracket thing.

• Will the U.S. baseball team bring home the gold in tonight’s final of the World Baseball Classic (5, Fox)? With a youngster on the mound? One who pitches for the Mets, also known as baseball’s most-dependable franchise – to choke in the clutch.

It has everything to do with the Classic’s rules, designed to protect the players’ health. Wait a second. I have to stop laughing. The rules are designed for that, yes, but more importantly they are designed to protect the owners’ financial health. The players are their most-important assets. And the players get paid healthy or not. If Tarik Skubel is not ready to pitch opening day or if Matthew Boyd could not be guaranteed to pitch enough innings to build up arm strength for the regular season, then the owners forced them to bail. Which left Nolan McLean, coming off an exceptional rookie season, albeit only consisting of eight starts, with New York.

Or, if you want to look more recently, a three-runs-in-three-innings outing against Italy in the loss that sent the U.S. to a different side of the bracket.

He’ll have to do better tonight or Venezuela will be the team raising the trophy.

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WSU: A recent ESPN report was news to Washington State wing Ri Vavers. The self-proclaimed WorldWide Leader assured everyone Vavers had decided to enter the transfer portal. To quote a retired ESPN personality, “not so fast my friend.” Vavers made it clear Monday he hasn’t made up his mind. Not yet anyway. The portal doesn’t open until April 7, so there is no hurry. Greg Woods has this story. … Elsewhere in the (current, old and future) Pac-12 and the nation, Jon Wilner has an overview of the men’s tournament in the S-R and some picks in the Mercury News. … If you are mad because I didn’t share my bracket strategy I have no earthly reason why you should be. I never win. But if you feel you need a strategy, I’ll pass on these thoughts from The Athletic Austin Mock in today’s S-R. … There are two play-in games today, both on TruTV (3:40 and 6:15 p.m.). Could they be decided by a new rule? … John Canzano writes about new Oregon State basketball coach Justin Joyner, who was formally introduced on Monday. Canzano focuses on the family getting back together, as Joyner’s wife Tracy is the soccer coach for, ahem, the Ducks. … Canzano also has his weekly mailbag from Monday. … There is more to pass along from the introductory event in Corvallis. … Washington’s men are staying home as the College Basketball Crown tournament didn’t call. … The Crown announced its field Monday and Stanford was included. … So was Colorado. … UCLA is in the Big Dance and it hopes to freshen up before the first note plays. … How much is Arizona State spending on basketball? Will that be enough to attract the right coach or will more be needed? … Arizona is trying to keep the same routine despite the changing pressure that being a No. 1 seed brings. By the way, Tommy Lloyd has earned an extra $160,000 this season. He is buying next time. … Colorado State will host Saint Joseph’s in what could be a big opportunity for the Rams. … Playing in the NCAA tourney is a dream come true for the Colorado women.

• In football news, Washington held its pro day on Monday. … Oregon quarterback Dante Moore opened up about his mental health challenges. … Utah will begin spring practices this week. … Arizona is in the middle of its workouts. … Finally, one of my favorite West Coast sports columnists, Scott Ostler, is retiring. He’s younger than me so that makes me older than dirt.

Gonzaga: Before I began to delve into all the stories today, here’s one link that rules them all. It is to the S-R’s 2026 NCAA Tournament Central, one spot where each tournament-centric story resides. … One of them is Jim Meehan’s story on the current Zags’ favorite NCAA memories. … Theo Lawson has this story on a players-only meeting GU held after the Saint Mary’s loss. … Jim returns with a story on the final regular season Associated Press poll ­– the Bulldogs finished 12th – and his weekly Zags Basketball Insiders podcast with Richard Fox.

Idaho: Madison McCord has a notebook that examines this year’s team and how the men stack up with their first-round opponent, Houston. … Dave Boling looks back at the last Vandal team to play in the NCAA tourney, the one from 1990, and what has happened since. … Elsewhere in the Big Sky, the Northern Colorado women visit red-hot Air Force in an WNIT first-round game.

Mariners: Cole Young is turning heads in the M’s camp. That can’t be bad, can it?

Seahawks: The contracts former and current Hawks players signed tell us a lot about Seattle’s priorities.

Sounders: Iran was supposed to play a match in Seattle. It seems as if that might be moved to Mexico as the Iranian team worries about coming to the U.S.

Storm: The negotiations continue to drag on. But there is still no WNBA deal.

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• There is only one basketball game on tonight I truly care about. UC Irvine’s men hosting UNLV in the NIT (8, ESPNU). There was a time these schools were in the same conference. And it never went well for the Anteaters. At least when I was covering their games for the Orange County Register. Not sure it will go well from them tonight either. Until later …