Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Picking the NCAA Madness 64-team basketball tournament has become popular this time of year, but many people have already seen their brackets busted.
Virginia Tech President Tim Sands has stayed within the Commonwealth and in the neighborhood by picking a VT over UVA in the championship game. His Final Four include Gonzaga, Auburn, UVA and VT.
Already Sands’ pick of Florida State has broken his west bracken along with Louisville in the East. He did pick Wofford over Kentucky, LSU over Maryland and Houston to make it to the Sweet 16.
Former President Barack Obama has revealed his picks taking Duke to win the tourney over North Carolina for the title. His Final Four included: Michigan, UNC, Tennessee and Duke. In the final 16, he had no real upsets.
CBS Sports’ writer J. Darin Darst lists the picks of a galaxy of stars in the pop culture and sports firmament:
Eli Manning, quarterback for the New York Giants, is picking Kentucky to win it all, but couldn’t resist picking his school — Ole Miss — to reach the Final Four.
Julie Chen, co-host of CBS’ “The Talk,” is going with Kentucky over Virginia. Her co-host Aisha Tyler also likes Kentucky, picking the Wildcats over Villanova in the final.
Sara Gilbert, who also has a reocurring role of Leslie Winkle on “The Big Bang Theory” is picking Duke over Notre Dame, while Sharon Osbourne likes Wisconsin to win it all, picking the Badgers over Virginia in the final.
Co-host Sheryl Underwood has the craziest bracket, picking Belmont, Lafayette and Texas Southern to all win their first-round games. Underwood doesn’t surprise in the final, picking Kentucky over Louisville.
The cast of CBS’ new hit comedy “The Odd Couple” is also getting involved in the madness. Matthew Perry, who is currently playing the role of Oscar Madison, is going with Kentucky over Gonzaga in the final.
Thomas Lennon, who plays Felix Unger, has a bit of a shocker, picking Valparaiso to beat Georgia in the final.
Co-star Lindsay Sloane is going with Kentucky over Gonzaga, while Yvette Nicole Brown has Kentucky to beat Duke.
Boomer Esiason, who is currently an analyst for CBS’ NFL Today and co-hosts the Boomer and Carton Radio Show, is also picking Kentucky.
Rich Gannon, former Raiders quarterback and current analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage, is going with Kentucky over Villanova. Phil Simms, former Giants quarterback and current analyst for CBS’ NFL coverage, is going with Kentucky over Gonzaga in the final. Meanwhile, Steve Beuerlein doesn’t even have Kentucky in his Final Four, going wtih Wisconsin over Oklahoma in the title game.
The crew from CBS Sports Network’s “We Need to Talk” is also getting involved in the March Madness craze. Former WNBA player Swin Cash is picking Kentucky over Villanova, while Lisa Leslie likes Arizona to beat Gonzaga in the final.
Former Olympians Dara Torres and Summer Sanders are both picking Arizona to win it all as Torres has Arizona beating Gonzaga in the final and Sanders has Arizona over Iowa State.
Joe Mantegna, actor, producer, writer and director, currently starring in the CBS’ drama “Criminal Minds” is going with Kentucky, but has the Wildcats beating Iowa State in the final. Shemar Moore, who co-stars with Mantegna is picking Kentucky over Duke.
Most of the cast from “NCIS: Los Angeles” is involved in the madness and all of them are going with Kentucky.
Chris O’Donnell is going with Kentucky over Georgetown. Eric Christian Olsen is taking Kentucky over Villanova, while Daniela Ruah likes Kentucky over Duke. Barrett Foa is going a different route with Kentucky over Virginia in the final, while Miguel Ferrer is taking Kentucky over Gonzaga and Renee Felice Smith likes Kentucky over Duke.
Two stars of CBS’ new drama “Madam Secretary” are going against the Kentucky bandwagon. Evan Roe likes Gonzaga to beat Indiana, while Katherine Herzer has Michigan State winning it all, beating Ohio State in the final.
A handful of the cast from CBS’ “The Young and the Restless” is going with Kentucky, but there are a few surprises. Joshua Morrow likes Kentucky over Duke in the final, while Lachlan Buchanan is going wtih Kentucky over Gonzaga. Sean Carrigan also likes Kentucky, picking the Wildcats over Gonzaga.
Kate Linder is taking Oregon to beat UCLA in the final, while Bryton James is picking Kansas to beat Duke in the final. The biggest shocked of them all is Melissa Ordway’s bracket as she has Georgia State over Georgia in the championship game.
Kentucky is not a favorite among stars from “The Bold and the Beautiful” as only Alley Mills is picking the Wildcats to win it all, beating Providence in the final. John McCook is taking Wisconsin over Villanova, while Ashleigh Brewer likes Arizona over Providence in the final. Lawrence Saint-Victor does have Kentucky in the final, but losing to Duke in the title game.
For links to the complete brackets of the people on that list, visit www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/celebrity-brackets-stars-like-kentucky-to-win-ncaa-tournament/
