When I was a kid I made up a basketball game played with dice.

I’d play out the games, while announcing them. During the LIT, I’d hand print out the bracket and play out the whole tourney. Somehow the Atherton Rebels, where my brother was, and I’d knew I’d attend years later, somehow would more often than not get a friendly roll of the dice.

That precious memory came to me, when I learned what a couple of twenty somethings — Joshua Safran and Jackson Weimer — are doing. They’re going to play out the entire NCAA tournament, on a now extinct video game, March Madness 2010, using an XBbx 360, and stream it over the net on the Twitch Channel of ebaumsworld.com.

They started with a Selection Sunday show for “Corona Madness,” which they produced in Weimer’s basement.

It’s just damn charming, the kind of thing I used to do.

The tourney will play out Wednesday through Sunday, with a live stream. Weimer’s brother Louis, who plays the trumpet, will be the pep band.

Their bracket is a bit skewed, but so damn what.

U of L’s a 4 seed in the North Region, and opens against Vermont on Wednesday at 2:45. Kentucky’s a 2 seed in the West Region, and opens against Winthrop at 6:45 Wednesday. After the duo takes a dinner break.

God bless you, boys. Can’t wait.

Let the Madness begin.

 * * * * *

As for how the bracket might actually look, at least for the top four lines, I went to bracketmatrix.com, which is a compilation of 90 bracketologists’ predictions.

In order, one through sixteen:

#1 seeds: Kansas, Gonzaga, Baylor, Dayton

#2 seeds: San Diego State, Florida State, Villanova, Creighton

#3 seeds: Duke, Michigan State, Seton Hall, Maryland

#4 seeds: Kentucky, Oregon, Louisville, Wisconsin

 * * * * *

For the record, the NCAA’s consideration of a 16 team tournament was totally off the charts, a horrible idea.

How totally unfair would that have been?

Correct answer: Seriously unfair.

Thank Naismithius, they threw the idea in the trash can.

 * * * * *

Speaking of equally absurd contemplations, how about the conjecture that Kansas could be declared national champ, because they were atop the polls when the campaign shut down?

Bill Self: “That would be great.”

Geesh, man, have some perspective.

 * * * * *

Speaking of self aggrandizement in disguise, or was it real contrition?

This quote from He Who Is Coach #2, during an interview on WFAN: “Looking back on it now, I deserved to be fired.”

The prevarication: “Was I innocent of any wrongdoing? Yes I was, but I was the leader and deserved to be fired. I need to move on and that’s what I probably have learned the most.”

 * * * * *

With Darius Perry moving on for his final season of college hoops, it seems obvious the Cards will be culling the grad transfer portal for point guards, for the third consecutive season.

— c d kaplan