It’s March Madness once again, which means that the NCAA Basketball Tournament is going on.

That’s right, that means I get a free pass this weekend to be a couch potato and the next one too. Gosh, I love my wife Laura so much for allowing this. After all, we’re still right in the middle of getting situated at home again after Harvey and six months of mass craziness. Maybe I can get away with just hanging some pictures and washing clothes this weekend. Surely she understands that. She knows she deals with a basketball junkie.

C’mon folks, you don’t live under a rock and I know everyone has filled out a bracket.

Heck, Dawn Burleigh and Candice Trahan even filled out a bracket here at the office. A Whataburger combo meal awaits the winner.

Publisher Bobby Tingle is even letting me go “old school” on this column with a little picture back from 1985  to really get the basketball juices flowing. I admit, that guy had quite a fadeaway jumper back in the day.

There are certain bits of protocol for television watching, streaming or merely keeping score updates going in the background while you pretend to work. Fortunately for me, I can actually claim to my boss watching games is part of my work and get away with it.

There are great things about watching the tournament and your bracket and some tough things.

When I fill out my bracket, I do it just for fun. No big bucks to throw around here. I do have some heavyweights in my Final Four but I also have no problems rooting for the underdogs. If Lipscomb beats North Carolina, so be it. What a hoot that would be, but it’s not going to happen.

It also doesn’t matter if you knew the University of Maryland-Baltimore County existed, but you’re mind would explode if they upset top-seeded Virginia in the first round.

Some folks even sacrifice state and conference allegiances in cheering for the underdog. I wouldn’t say I would go that far. Still pulling for those Texas Longhorns and SFA Lumberjacks. Texas A&M, well, not so much. Plus, our Lamar Cardinals are in something called the CBI or something. Good to see that the NCAA, like the UIL, is making sure everyone gets a ribbon.

Of course, MY Duke Blue Devils are also in the hunt as Coach K will be seeking his sixth national title.

Its okay to cheer for a non-underdog as well if you picked them in the Final Four.

Your support for a hated rival (see Kentucky and Texas A&M) must only be tepid until it’s a life-changing situation, such as money or office bragging rights.

Face it, very few of us will get all four teams right. Most of us will likely get two at the most.

Here’s hoping Duke, Virginia, Michigan and Villanova prove me wrong, with yep, the Blue Devils cutting the nets down at the end.

By the way, congrats to both the Silsbee Tigers and Port Arthur Memorial Titans for capturing UIL state titles last weekend in San Antonio. Silsbee will likely do it again next year with so many key components back.