INSIDE: - The Liberty Lake Splash

sports14 • mARCH 11, 2010The SplashElite Eight rules to fill out your bracketBy Chad KimberleySplash Staff WriterStudy bracket. Fill out bracket. Debatebracket. Erase bracket. Repeat.I love this time of year. March Madness.This is the time to take those two personaldays at the office, fire up the grill and enjoya Thursday and Friday of feasting on hoopsand food.The beauty of March Madness is nearlyeveryone fills out a bracket. Some pickbased on their favorite colors, which mascotcan beat up another mascot (sharp-toothedland animals generally beat up the winged32˝ LCD TelevisionBragging RightsFree Baked GoodsPersonalTraining Sessions32˝ LCD TelevisionPersonalTraining Sessionsmascots) or what states they have lived in.But if you want to enjoy some braggingrights or want a more highly calculatedpicking guide, here are eight rules for fillingout the bracket (all statistics and rulesare based off when the NCAA expanded thefield to 64 in 1985). I will use each of therules as I make my Splash Madness picks,so sign up online (at www.libertylakesplash.com), play along for free and see how manyof these theories play true.Pick two top seeds to make the FinalFour. Nearly two No. 1 seeds — 1.84 to beexact — make it to the Final Four each year.There was only one year in the last 25 inwhich not one top seed made it to the finalweekend of play, and that was 2006. Threeof those top seeds, however, were in theElite Eight. Also consider, though, that onlyonce in 25 years have all four No. 1 seedsmade it through their region.Don’t pick with your heart. Yes, you want32˝ LCD Television Gonzaga to win it all, but can they? Sincethey made their run to the Regional Final in1999 they have never made it past the SweetSixteen. Picking with your heart can poisonyou quickly. My team, the Iowa Hawkeyes,was a number three seed in 2006; I pickedthem for the Final Four even though myhead said they weren’t that strong. They lostin the first round.Never place a number seven in the titlegame. Hasn’t happened and probably won’tthis year. In fact, every seed between oneand eight has made it to a championshipgame and won a NCAA title in the last 25years but the seventh seed. So if your favoriteteam is a seven, you might want toplan that weekend getaway during the FinalFour.Flip a coin. Seriously. At least do it whenyou are dealing with the first round eightversus-ninematch-up. Over the past 25years, the ninth seed has won 54 percentof the time. So when in doubt or facing amatch-up in which you can’t pick a winner— flip a coin. Odds are you will be right halfthe time!Consider advancing a 10 to the SweetSixteen. First off, the reality: Seventh seedshistorically win the majority of their gamesin the first round against the number 10seed. Although when a number 10 seedadvances to the second round, they typicallyhave a better chance of pulling off anupset, going 17-21 in the last 25 years. Sopick more number sevens than 10s but takea gamble on one 10 to win two games.Sports BriefsRunning group formsThe Liberty Lake Running Club is agroup that runs every Thursday night at6 p.m. from March through November.The group meets at 5:45 p.m. at PalenqueMexican Restaurant, 1102 N. Liberty LakeRoad, and then runs or walks a three-mileroute. For more information, contact KathyWhybrew at kathyawhybrew@msn.com.Nine-hole club starts seasonThe Liberty Lake Nine-Hole Ladies GolfClub is holding a sign-up meeting at 9 a.m.March 25 at the Trailhead Golf Course.Continental breakfast will be served. Duesare $35.ScoreboardSCHEDULEMARCH 1111 a.m. CV Boys Golf Esmeralda Golf CourseMARCH 131 p.m. CV Softball Jamboree at University1 p.m. CV at Baseball Jamboree at East ValleyTBD CV Soccer at East Valley HSMARCH 156 p.m. CV Soccer vs. LakesideDo some homework. Some great tournamentruns have come from low seeds suchas number 11 seed George Mason’s run tothe Final Four in 2006. The reality is manyindividuals see names of schools they havenever heard from and assume they willlose to big name programs. Gonzaga fans,remember Davidson? Don’t assume a nonameschool has no game.Play the percentages. Since 1985 thehighest seed (number 11 or greater) thathas the best winning percentage in the firstround is the number 12 seed, which winson average 34 percent of the time. Whichmeans out of the four number 12 seeds inthis year’s tournament, statistics say one ofthem is going to win their first game (threewon their first round game last year).Go on a limb — just don’t go twice. Everyoneloves to pick the crazy upset, and thenumber 15 seed is the lowest seed to everwin a first-round game (meaning, DON’Tpick a number 16 seed to win). In the last25 years numbers 13, 14 and 15 seeds havewon 40 times BUT only six have made it tothe Sweet Sixteen. So, if you pick the lowestseeds to pull the huge upset — congrats.But history says that team won’t win two ina row.And remember if your bracket goes bustafter the first weekend of games, there is oneconsolation — opening day of the baseballyear is the same day of the championshipgame, April 5, and the Mariners with all oftheir off-season acquisitions are looking likea potential playoff team this season.The club invites new members and willresume golfing at the newly remodeledLiberty Lake Golf Course in June.National judo on tap at HUBThe HUB Sports Center in Liberty Lakeis hosting this weekend the 2010 ScholasticNationals for Judo.Locally hosted by Pacific Judo Academy,a nonprofit club based out of the SpokaneRegional Police Training Center, kids ages 5and up from across the nation will participateon Saturday and Sunday.For more information, visit www.usjudo.org.MARCH 173 p.m. CV Boys Tennis vs. Gonzaga Prep3 p.m. CV Girls Tennis vs. Gonzaga Prep4 p.m. CV Soccer at Mead HSMARCH 183:30 p.m. CV Boys Tennis at University3:30 p.m. CV Girls Tennis vs. University4 p.m. CV Softball at Rogers4 p.m. CV Baseball at Rogers