This is a sad smile from The Tornado Bird.

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#3 Iowa State lost by a bucket to #14 UAB in the first round of the NCAA Tournamant. Grab a Portable Pepto, Cyclone fans. It happens to the best of college basketball teams every year. I remember when I was a kid and that poor DePaul coach Ray Meyer kept losing in the first round. Sometimes it was #1 losing to #16. He always brought great teams into the tourney only to be turned away early. I was confident Mayor Hoiberg would take his team to the Final Four this year. This blog from the other day did not prove prophetic. In fact, it proves I'm a basketball buffoon.

We still have two teams left. UNI and Iowa now have greater pressure to perform. Fran and Ben. No red faces tomorrow, please. This state has been so buzzed on basketball lately that we reeeeeally need two wins. Make it happen. Make a run.

Here's my Top 4 List of non-basketball things Clonies can do in Ames this weekend:

    1. Hit every bar on Lincoln Way and shoot pool. Order a pitcher of water with every pitcher of beer. You need to pace yourself, hydrate and not get too "ragy."
    2. Find ISU Football Coach Paul Rhoades. Have lunch. Talk about ways to deal with losing.
    3. Go to the Story County Library and read a Story Country Story to Ames children. "It's Alright to Cry" by Rosie Grier is a good place to start.
    4. Find a Hawkeye or Panther fan, weep on their shoulder while simultaneously singing "Sad But True." Then grieve with them when their team bows out.

Get Mad Marchness Million Dollar Bracket Challenge updates in real time right here. See all the games at the 1st Avenue Draught House Pub & Eatery in the Town & Country Shopping Center, sponsoring all the basketball bank throughout the tournament.

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