[U -- 03.19.26 @ 8 AM Mountain] My Third (Mostly Trivial) Passion…

Second Update @ 10 PM on 3.19: It seems that my brackets are likely already busted -- at the end of night one -- since North Carolina lost -- and the Badgers did too, to High Point (who?!) in pathetic fashion. Sadly, I had UNC to go on to beat Illinois. Mr. Obama did not make that mistake. But he does have Mizzou to win over Miami tomorrow. Now, if I can take that one from him, I might still have a chance. Overall, though I am highly unlikely to win any of the pools I am in (six of them), since Wisconsin also lost. End second update.

Perhaps it is not as trivial as I might have initially thought, in so far as BHO 44 shows us that there is still much light, laughter and infectious joy -- in this rather dark epoch -- of Tangerine 2.0.

Indeed, I've stayed up late working on my brackets in large part because Mr. Obama (the cad!) forever discloses his at the last moment -- this time, coming after 6 PM Eastern time when brackets close at noon Eastern tomorrow. In now two long decades, I've only ever beaten him three times.

Updated 8 am Mountain 03.19.26: Here are the final brackets; with my differences from Mr. Obama in green (click to embiggify):

[I suppose it would be more truthful to say that my mountain based charge here had fallen asleep -- and so I was then free to work on it.] At the moment, I'm thinking Houston or Duke, while he sees Arizona as the men's champion. Hmmm. We both agree it is UConn -- on the women's brackets. [I do think Colorado's Lady Buffs might upset a power-packed Illini squad, while Mr. Obama makes a safe pick there and chooses Illinois.]

S M I L E -- mine (the full braketology) will post mañana!

नमस्ते