Offbeat analysis

To the editor:

Forget elaborate analysis of defensive schemes and offensive sets. Ignore possible advantages in free throws, rebounds, 3-point shots or turnovers. If I’d wanted to improve the accuracy of my NCAA bracketology, I should have looked at the alphabetic clue: the first letter of the teams’ listed name or initials. Of the first third of the alphabet (A-I), only one of 22 teams moved on to the Sweet Sixteen; the middle eight letters (J-Q), five of 20 are in; but the bottom third (R-Z) advanced ten of 23 teams.

Great formula? Probably not from 16 to No. 1. I’m thinking maybe I should line up the coaches by weight, or check what days of the week their wives were born on. Oh, the heck with it. My bracket’s in the trash, anyway. Maybe I should have buried it in the ground to see if it would grow back into a tree while I pondered global warming. Let’s see, if I’d alphabetically arrange the chemicals released into the atmosphere.

Mark Johnson,

Lawrence