yahoo - 3/19/2026 4:10:26 PM - GMT (+2 )
I might have lost some friends this week. I hate that for them, but it had to be done.
A man’s got to have a creed, and all that. A line in the sand. Some wrongs are just too much to stomach.
It’s not that I cannot forgive.
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If I loan a friend my car, and he returns it with a dent in it, I’m sure we'll bury the hatchet. After all, my car has nearly 140,000 miles on it, and a couple of zip ties are holding my skid plate in place. (As Dave Ramsey would say, that’s better than having a car note.) What’s a dent going to do that I haven’t done already?
If you're my pal and you suck down a few beers too many and make a fool of yourself before crashing on my couch, we’ll have a laugh about it the next day.
Insult my haircut, and we’re all good.
Don’t vote for the same elected officials as I do? That’s OK, because I don’t choose my friends based on how they vote.
Neglect to pay back that $20 I loaned you? I’ll manage. We’ll call it a friend-tax and move on.
I’m a loyal guy, but everyone’s got their limits.
Mine is this: If you let AI fill out your NCAA Tournament bracket, we cannot be friends.
Where's the fun in an AI March Madness bracket simulator?Let the robot take your job if you must, but don’t let it wrestle away creative control of your bracket.
Apparently, bot brackets are all the rage this year.
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Seriously, have we lost all pride in our Nostradamus skills? Surrendered our desire for bragging rights? Lost the urge to shout, “Called it!” and lord our ingenuity over anyone and everyone within earshot, when the 13-seed you picked upsets the No. 4?
Because, if the robot fills out your bracket and happens to pick an upset correctly, you didn’t call squat. Your bot pal did, while your brain hit snooze and your clever streak withered.
[ This column first published in our SEC Unfiltered newsletter, emailed free to your inbox. Sign up here for more commentary like this. ]
Trust your gut to spot NCAA Tournament CinderellaAnyway, how sure are you this bot knows ball or understands how points are awarded in your office bracket pool?
Do we trust the bot to spot a Cinderella? I received one email this week from a flack informing me his outfit’s AI product of choice spit out a bracket with four 1-seeds in the Final Four. Well, knock me over with a feather. That’s genius, R2-D2!
No shame in picking the 1-seeds to the Final Four. That would have been a great strategy last year. But, do you really need HAL 9000 to tell you Duke, Arizona, Michigan and Florida are quite good? The little "1" next to their name ought to be a strong hint.
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Understand that the bot learns by reading and consuming data, so when you’re using a bot bracket, you’re likely just getting a conglomerate of expert picks and analysis. If you need assistance with your bracket, is it too much to glance at KenPom metrics for 10 minutes that Bot Buddy’s got to do it for you?
If you really need some bracket help and don’t trust your gut, phone a friend. That’s what friends are for, right? That, and looking the other way when you ding their car. Never mind the dent, just tell me all about the 12-seed you picked to reach the Sweet 16.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: AI March Madness bracket ends friendships. Call your own NCAA upsets
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