The Madness Continues!

It's time to go over to the other side of the bracket for today.  I wonder what schools are going to make it through. If you don't remember the rules, I'm subjectively rating these places based on how fun a vacation would be there.  A cool campus is only going to carry these schools so far.  I am filling these brackets out as I go, so I have no idea who's going to win yet.  For each school, I'm generally including the city that they're in and the surrounding area.  Maryland is in the Washington DC metropolitan area, so it gets to count as a part of DC.  These battles are still a subjective judgement by me, so don't take it personal.  I will start going into more details about the schools and cities as they make it further along in the tournament.  It would take quite a long time to write a tour guide for 64 places.  So, I will try to throw in a brief description in the 1st round, and give you more things to do as the team gets further in.  Alright, enough of the fine print.  Let's start the madness!

Villanova Vs. Lafayette
Well this is an awkward matchup.  Both schools are in suburbs of Philadelphia.  So, I think I'm just going to go by which school would be better to visit. Villanova gets by in this one by a sliver. Let's hope the rest of the bracket isn't this weird.

NC State Vs LSU
Raleigh is part of the research triangle and has many museums to check out.  LSU is down in the Bayou.  I think a lot of people would rather visit Raleigh and check out all the city has to offer. Cajun culture and history is calling me down to Baton Rogue, and LSU gets by in a close one.

UNI Vs. Wyoming
UNI is located in eastern Iowa in Cedar Falls.  Its a decent town with some things to do.  Laramie is in Wyoming, but not close to Wyoming's main tourist attractions of Yellowstone and Jackson Hole. Cedar Falls has a fun and neat Main Street, but you're not taking a vacation to see a fun Main Street. The outdoors and Medicine Bow Forest beckon you from Laramie.  Wyoming gets by after struggling through the first half.

Louisville Vs UC Irvine
A battle of two great destinations.  Louisville has Whiskey Row, the Mega Cavern, Churchill Downs, plus some history, and culture added in for good measure.  UC Irvine is located in the southern Los Angeles suburbs.  Close to Irvine are: San Diego, Disneyland, and the beach.  Staying in Irvine might actually be better than staying in Los Angeles for many travelers.  You could probably avoid much of that terrible LA traffic staying here.

Dayton Vs. Providence
Dayton is where you can go see the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.  It is within driving distance of Cincinnati.  It wouldn't be two bad of a place to visit.  Providence is the state capital of Rhode Island.  It has tons of things to do here for the history buff or the culture lover.  There is also plenty of access to rivers and the ocean from here.  Providence comes through in this one.

Oklahoma Vs. Albany
Norman, Oklahoma basically is Oklahoma University.  Most things to do in town here involve the school.  It does have a nice lake in Lake Thunderbird.  luckily for Norman, its on the outskirts of Oklahoma City, which is a very lively and fun city.  Albany is the the capital of New York.  The Capitol building here is worth a visit, and there are plenty of museums to see.  Albany doesn't quite match the fun of Oklahoma City however.  Oklahoma gets through.

Michigan State Vs. Georgia
Athens, Georgia is a quintessential college town.  It has a great music scene and awesome nightlife. East Lansing is probably a place most people aren't visiting unless they go to school at Michigan State or are seeing a game there.  Georgia wins this one handily.

Virginia Vs. Belmont
Both schools have access to the Appalachian Mountains.  Both are in pretty fun cities.  However, Nashville has much more culture and history than Charlottesville.  So Belmont wins this one.

Duke Vs. Robert Morris
Another research triangle school in a tough match up.  Robert Morris is located in Pittsburgh.  The pro teams, the rivers, and Mount Washington all give the traveler plenty to do.  Duke just can't get through in this one, and the research triangle schools all fall.

San Diego State Vs St John's
This is a great matchup.  San Diego against New York City.  Broadway, Times Square, and Wall Street take on La Jolla, the Gaslamp Quarter, and Balboa Park.  I really want to give this one to San Diego State.  It is one of my favorite places I've been to.  The weight of all the things one can do in New York  gives this one to St John's in a triple overtime game.  Sorry San Diego, there's always next year.

Utah Vs.  Stephen F. Austin
Salt Lake City is a great destination for a fun vacation.  You can visit Temple Square, the Salt Lake, numerous museums, and there are mountains nearby.  Nacogdoches didn't stand a chance in this one.  I do hear Zip Nac is fun though.  Utah wins in a blowout.

Georgetown Vs. Eastern Washington
Georgetown is located in the Washington DC area.  Cheney, Washington is close to Spokane and that's about it.  This one's over by halftime.

SMU Vs. UCLA
A close battle between two awesome metro areas.  The history of ranching and farming is deep in the Dallas Fort Worth area.  It has great pro sport teams and an amazing football stadium.  However, Dallas isn't the city of angels.  Hollywood, Rodeo Drive, the beach, and Disneyland all help get UCLA by SMU in this one.

Iowa State Vs. UAB
Ames, Iowa isn't exactly a tourist destination.  Hickory Park is a great place to eat.  Luckily for Ames, Des Moines, the state capital of Iowa is nearby.  Des Moines has a ton of great food, nice culture, history, and Adventureland Amusement Park. Birmingham is a pretty fun southern city with lots of museums to visit.  Iowa State barely gets by in this one.

Iowa Vs.  Davidson
A pretty interesting matchup.  Davidson is a nice small college town to the north of Charlotte.  Iowa City is a nice small college town in eastern Iowa.  Iowa City's downtown and proximity to places like the Amana Colonies gets it through this round.

Gonzaga Vs. North Dakota State
Spokane has an awesome river, nearby mountain hikes, pretty gardens, and whitewater rafting.  Fargo isn't the worst city to visit, but it can't compete with the outdoor activities in Spokane.  Gonzaga wins a tournament game!

Round 2 starts tomorrow!