It might seem like a ridiculous question for college basketball fans. After all, the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is a tradition rich with upsets, brackets and the occasional unforgettable buzzer-beater. How could anybody hate that?
We don’t, but there are some things about March Madness that have run their course. It annoys us just enough that, the more we see it, the more we. …
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That’s why Sporting News had to create a bracket about the 32 things we hate most about March Madness. We’ll vote all this week to determine what the one thing we hate most about the NCAA Tournament is.
Sporting News will run a Twitter poll of each day this week (Monday, March 18, through Monday, March 25) until we find the “champion” among the 32 things we love to hate about the NCAA Tournament. That’s what March Madness is all about, right?
Here’s a region-by-region guide of our selections:
I Hate March Madness Bracket
Social Media Region
Crying fan shots Northwestern kid. Piccolo girl. Who’s next?
Crying Jordan memes Made by millennials who think LeBron had a better college basketball career.
Drink cup complaint tweets We no longer care that you have to drink water out of a cup that says “NCAA” on it.
Novelty brackets They have a bracket for everything but the bracket — including this bracket. How meta of us. Is that what meta means?
Repeat commercials We know Enterprise will pick us up. We also have “That’s Spandau Ballet, man” is still stuck in our head from 2012.
TruTV jokes Channel 148 on Dish. Channel 246 on DirecTV. We’re done.
#Charbage Welcome to college basketball’s version of, “Is it a catch?”
NBA trolls The quality of play in the NBA is soooooo much better. Hey, did Anthony Davis get traded to Golden State yet?
SN REMEMBERS:March Madness heartbreakers | Best March Madness memories
“Trash” Talk Region
‘I called that 2-15 upset’ We had the No. 2 seed in the Final Four and don’t want to hear it.
‘I don’t do brackets’ OK, but you’re not some moral crusader. We like to waste our money, thank you very much.
‘My bracket is busted’ How is it busted when the first set of games isn’t over yet?
‘I haven’t lost in any of my brackets’ You’re already lying midway through Day 2.
‘A 5-12 upset happens every year’ (All the No. 5 seeds won in 2018, by the way).
Sudden basketball expert They saw Markus Howard in eighth grade because he played for their brother’s friend’s cousin’s niece’s uncle.
‘One Shining Moment’ hot takes Luther sings. Highlights roll. Watch. Don’t watch. Move on. Please move on.
One-and-done talk In a million variations: “Imagine if Duke’s freshmen came back for their sophomore year.” Just leave Zion Williamson out of it, please.
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“Fix the Format” Region
Expanded Selection ShowJust give us the picks! Now! Now! How about now?
Dome game shooting U.S. Bank Stadium isn’t really a dome, so. …
Play-in games Why can’t be it be 64? Because you have to wait until Thursday morning to finish your bracket, that’s why.
Sweet 16 games with double-digit seeds They’re great to root for in the first weekend. Then you see the ratings on No. 12 vs. No. 13, which gets buried in the late slot on Sweet 16 weekend.
Monday night title game Imagine if they did the Final Four on Thursday and Saturday. Now go do it.
Bubble team talk/watch parties This is why the NIT was created.
Weird tip-off times Don’t worry, that 11:34 p.m. ET tip-off in San Jose will get over before the second round starts. We think.
Weird courts Why do they have the NCAA logo on it? It’s the NCAA Tournament.
MORE: Printable bracket for 2019 tournament
Overkill Region
NBA guys in studio You will tweet the second you see Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith talking about Purdue.
Random in-game analysts Why is that guy calling that game? You’ll have to Google to read more on Jim Spanarkel, too.
Celebrity super-fans We love Sister Jean, Bill Murray and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. We just don’t need to see them on camera every five seconds.
Gonzaga’s seeding This could be the third time they’ve been a No. 1 this decade. It’s old news now.
UK’s seed/location Within 15 minutes of the Selection Show, John Calipari will let you know how you should think about it.
Jim Nantz’s championship one-liner What pun works best with Zion?
“And the shoe still fits” Cinderella, now happily married in the castle, will not be watching another tournament game until she gets her royalty check.
Christian Laettner highlight What does Verne Lundquist say when the shot goes in?