Another year of college basketball is in the books. In the end, the analysts and the polls had it right on the money. The Final Four consisted of teams picked in the preseason top five by many major polls. In the end, it was the mighty Blue Devils of Duke winning the national championship over an inspired Arizona Wildcats team.
For me, March Madness and the NCAA Tournament is a lot like eating at Taco Bell. After going a year without it, it sounds great. While it’s going on, I really enjoy myself. However, when it’s over, I am reminded why it’s only a once a year occurrence. However, when the tournament is over, I am sick of listening to the CBS announcers babble on, when I’m done eating Taco Bell, I’m just plain sick.
The tournament is breathtaking and mesmerizing. It can give ultimate thrills and crushing heartbreak. And for as many upsets as you see in the first few rounds, in the end, it almost always shows what the best team college basketball has to offer.
Now that the season is over, and more specifically, now that the NCAA
Tournament is over, I’d like to share some thoughts with you about this year’s version of March Madness. As a precautionary warning, a lot of these quips are coming right off the top of my head. I’ve been told that I have the attention span of a 4-year-old who has just eaten a king-size chocolate bar. But bear with me and enjoy my random March Madness thoughts.
-For me, those first two days of the tournament are two of the coolest days of the year for a sports fan. Thirty-two games in 48 hours, and every year there are a good number of upsets. You never know what is going to happen.
-Every year I fill out my bracket and try to guess these upsets. Every year
I fail miserably. Before the first day of the first round was done this year, I was ready to rip my bracket into shreds, curl up into a ball and cry myself to sleep. Fortunately, a short attention span can sometimes work in your favor.
-When Duke was down by 22 points to Maryland in the semi-final game, did anyone really turn the television off and expect the game to end up a blow out? Was anyone truly surprised when they came back and won?
-The second biggest surprise of the tournament? Fifteenth seeded, and virtually unknown, Hampton upsetting second-seeded Iowa State.
-Biggest surprise of the tournament? Finding out that loudmouthed, unathletic CBS color commentator Billy Packer actually played college basketball. Although I’d still like to get confirmation on that because I am still having a hard time believing this. I thought the only dunking he ever did was doughnuts.
-Best public relations story from the NCAA Tournament? The Arizona Wildcats and their coach Lute Olson dedicating their tournament success to Olson’s deceased wife, Bobbi. After a traumatic season for the team and their coach, they battled all the way to the Championship Game. It took a lot of heart and determination for the Arizona Wildcats team to fight through their devastation and distraction to make it that far.
-Best individual performance in a game? Marvin O’Conner from St. Joseph’s against Stanford. O’Conner almost single handedly won this game against the top-seeded team, by scoring 37 points on 15-20 shooting. Even when it looked like the game was over, he kept hitting near impossible shots to make a St. Joe’s win seem possible. After fouling out in the final seconds, he received a standing ovation from both St. Joe fans and Stanford fans alike.
-Best performance in the NCAA Tournament? Jason Williams of Duke. He almost lost the in last two games, but even when he was playing bad, he still came up with big shots. This is one of the best college point guards I have ever seen, and he is only a sophomore.
Congratulations to the Duke Blue Devils and to all the teams that made the tournament. I know that by next March, I will once again be ready to sit down and enjoy another month of basketball madness. However, right now I am not sure if I will ever be able to sit down and enjoy Taco Bell again.
