The first “weekend” is almost over
We’re halfway through second round games in the “Notre Dame Things” bracket. The matchups are getting juicy, so let’s see who advances.
Eliminated
- No. 5 Big Ten Hate
- No. 8 Bengal/Baraka Bouts
- No. 10 Mendoza College of Business
- No. 11 Zahm House
- No. 13 Purcell Pavilion
- No. 14 The Shirt
- No. 15 The Reflecting Pool
- No. 16 Notre Dame Bookstore
Notre Dame’s independence in football has lasted more than one hundred years. But how much longer can it last in this bracket? My money would be on it to advance past Bookstore Basketball, but the 5-on-5 tournament dealt with Bengal/Baraka Bouts fairly easily in the opening round, so perhaps the challenge is greater than it seems.
George Gipp put the Mendoza College of Business’s upset bid to rest, but now he tries to pull his own long-shot upset of the Victory March. “What though the odds be great or small,” as the song goes…
Speaking from personal experience, these two things can be polar opposites on either side of the spectrum. The Grotto is often a bastion of peace and tranquility while The Observer staff often has to scramble to publish breaking news. However, the Grotto can also be very busy when tourists descend upon it while The Observer office can be a nice, quiet place to get work done (after six hours of late-night work to produce the paper). I’d love for that versatility to make this a competitive matchup, but I have an inkling that the Grotto will run away with this one.
Two things that often go hand-in-hand. After all, mascots are perfect B-roll material for a TV broadcast. But now the stereotypical, mythical encapsulation of the Irish must compete with Notre Dame’s 30+ year relationship with a single network. This feels like a win for the higher seed, but after a strong showing in the opening round the NBC Deal may be a true Cinderella.
Voting in the North Quad region closes Thursday, Mar. 28 at 9 AM. The final slate of second-round games begins tomorrow in the Mod Quad region.