I sit here looking at my bracket chart, unable to begin the process of seeing how soon said bracket will be busted by a team I never considered. I’ve read what the bracketologists have said. None really know, since the games haven’t been played yet. I love college basketball, both women’s and men’s games. So, if I like college basketball so much, why can’t I just fill out the darned bracket? Because I can’t consult my ultimate bracketologist.

My mom, known at this time of the year, as B-ball Mommy, was the ultimate expert at picking the teams. Did she study the statistics? Did she look at bench strength? Nope. She looked at the families of the top players. She studied the mothers and how they supported their sons (no women’s teams when she was active). I’d come home from work to find her marking the status of the afternoon games. She’d be filled with stories about siblings, coaches and their top previous players, everything human about a game that is now all about stats and strength of schedule.

Mom started as a fan of John Wooden, Lew Alcindor (he wasn’t Kareem when he played at UCLA), Michael Warren, and other Bruins. She was devastated when UCLA’s incredible win streak ended, as much as I was and I was a student there at the time. She be equally devastated now that the PAC 8/10/12 is no more. Well, it’s the PAC 2, because two of the original teams didn’t leap when the other teams did this year.

She was a traditionalist. She didn’t really like the three-point line. She foresaw that there would be problems with the “best-of” lists in the future. Several “best-of” lists now contain an asterisk pointing out that there was/wasn’t a three-point line during top players’ active years.

Mom went on to the fall in love with Tim Duncan. Like Lew, Tim was a quiet man who did his job with skill and precision. She liked that he played all four years in college, that he didn’t jump to the pros in his junior year. She would have been horrified by the one-and-done mentality of such coaches as John Calipari whose freshmen and sophomores think their ready for the NBA at 19 or 20. Most aren’t. She was old-school: you went to college to get an education. Everything else was extra. Yes, she knew basketball players made good money when they turned pro, but she was more interested in what they would do after their playing days were over.

I’m glad she never learned about NIL. She faint dead away at the idea of paying college players to play, especially when they were already getting a free education through their scholarships.

I’m old-school as well. How could I not be with her influence? I think I’m ready to fill out my bracket now. Last year mine was busted in the first round. Wish me better luck this year. I’ll keep looking over my shoulder to see what B-ball Mommy’s writing down on her bracket…