March Madness My 2012 Bracket

I become consumed with basketball this time of year.  I'm mainly a Tarheel fan (my kids and grandkids have Carolina Blue blood coursing their veins), my husband is a retired Duke professor (but not a big basketball fan), I have a master's from Duke, but my Ph.D. is from NC State.  So I could pull for the team that is winning among these three, and all three are in the NCAA tournament this year. 

Final four and final from my bracket this year.

Each year I enter my son Michael's office pool, Trust Company of the South.  Usually I end up on the bottom (in which case I get my $5.00 back), but last year I was number 27 out of 38.  My granddaughter, Grace, picked teams based upon the outfits of the cheerleaders last year, and she came in second. Perhaps I should get some advice from her. 

I wonder who Grace is picking this year (Photo by Meredith Palmer).

I'm picking Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Michigan State and Carolina for the final four with Carolina and Kentucky playing for the championship and Kentucky winning. I think it is going to be a very good tournament.  So basketball fans enjoy, and let the fun begin!

March Madness 1955 A Look Back

On Saturday, March 5, 1955, the finals for the Cleveland County Basketball Tournament were played at the City Park Community Center in Shelby, NC. This was before the schools of Cleveland County, NC were consolidated.  I was a forward (Patsy Greene) on the Lattimore High School girls team that defeated the Casar High School girls for the county championship that year.This was my March Madness 57 years ago. I remember it like it was yesterday.

The game was close until the end.  Here's part of the account of that game from The Shelby Daily Star (from my scrapbook).

  

Our championship trophy. From left to right Janice Cabaniss, Mary Helton and me. (A scan from my scrapbook).

Left to right: Sportsmanship Trophy (me), Mary Helton, MVP, Clyde Earl, MVP, Micky Beam, Sportsmanship.

As I look back to this championship game of 1955, I realize there will never be another March Madness like that one for me.