The idea was simple. Set up a fantasy bracket of 32 classic NCAA Cinderellas from the past 32 years, and have them square off via online votes until one team is crowned the most memorable and miraculous underdog of them all. Well, we’ve reached the championship round of that imaginary tournament, but by a peculiar twist of fate, the two greatest Cinderellas of all-time might already be playing each other this week-- not in our bracket, but in real life.

But before we get to that, let's take a look back at the goings on in Fantasyland over the past four weeks. For those who’ve been following the Cinderella Bracket… first of all, thanks-- you’re making the world a better place. Second of all, you’re probably aware that our Final Four didn’t quite turn out as the pre-tourney seedings might have suggested, as two #1 seeds got bounced in the round of 16 (National Champions ’85 Villanova and ’88 Kansas). Who knows, maybe that’s appropriate for a tournament dedicated to “surprise finishes,” but on closer inspection, it seems more likely that voters simply don’t associate the Cinderella moniker with schools from the Big 6 conferences—even undeniable longshots like the ’86 LSU Tigers (the first #11 seed to make an NCAA Final Four), who lost in the first round of our little tourney. Apparently, if your basketball program can afford really nice slippers, then you’re not really eligible for Cinderella status.

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The Buckeyes built that loss brick by brick. It was a game they should have won, with even an average shooting performance. It was the most infuriating basketball game I've watched since Dec 2nd, 2010. I can't remember what happened that day, but it must have been awful, because just thinking about that date makes me want to run for the bathroom.

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It’s getting to the point where my head and body know exactly how to proceed when a great sports disappointment is visited upon them. It’s like an automated ‘Shut Down’ mode goes into effect and takes over. And why not? They’ve been through any number of these disasters and the mind and body should have this down to a science by this point.

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As the Blue Jackets limp to the finish line, eight points behind the eighth-seeded three-way tie between Anaheim, Dallas, and Calgary, very little seems to be going right. The team has lost 11 of their last 13, including five games in overtime/shootout. Entering Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jackets, Colorado had lost 20 of 22. The Jackets blew three separate leads to the Avs before eventually falling in a shootout.

The Blue Jackets have now lost six straight shootouts and are playing some of their worst hockey at the most crucial time. After Steve Mason’s scorching February that put the team in to the playoff race, he has gone 1-5-4 in March with a 3.02 GAA. Rick Nash has three goals in 12 March games. Matt Calvert has one goal this month. After a lot of people were singing his praises last month, he has seen his ice time cut and may be starting to wear down to the nightly grind of the NHL. Before breaking out with two goals against Colorado, RJ Umberger had four points in 11 March contests.

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