The Madness is Magnificent

Oh, March Madness, how do I love thee, let me count the ways…

Early in the regular NCAA basketball season, my dad and I kept saying how we couldn’t wait for the tourney to start because it was sure to be nuts – and we haven’t been let down! This is easily the most entertaining tournament I can remember.

But people are getting on my nerves complaining constantly about all the underdogs taking down the high seeds this year. Seriously? You cannot be a true college basketball fan if you are complaining! Do you want all #1 seeds to make the Final Four and the top overall to win it? How fun is that? Are my brackets trashed? yes. Am I out a few bucks? yes. Did I cringe when my hometown Orange failed to overcome a 5 seed? yes. But let me repeat… I love this tournament! This is how college basketball is supposed to be. 64 teams chosen with the possibility of anyone from a 1 to a 14 seed walking off the court victorious.

Upsets are what make college basketball what it is. A large percentage of the top players in the game right now can thank an upset for getting them where they are. When the 1966 Texas Western team took down legendary Adolph Rupp’s top-ranked Kentucky, history was made. The game was historic before the upset, as five black players were introduced as starters for the first time in NCAA championship history. The highly favored Wildcat opponents were an all-white team. (The movie Glory Road revisits this season. I highly recommend it if you haven’t yet seen it).

More memorable for most, though, was just a few short years ago in 2006 when George Mason took down top-seeded Connecticut to make it to the Final Four. The Patriots were the second 11 seed to make it that far in the tournament. Of course, in proper Cinderella-story fashion, it took more than regulation to pull off the upset. George Mason went 5-for-6 in overtime to get the 86-84 win to advance.

As I said before, 2010 is living up to all the March Madness hype. The Final Four will consist of just one top seed (Duke), a 2 seed (West Virginia) and two 5 seeds (Butler and Michigan State). The Elite Eight saw a 12, 11 and 10 seed battle it out. And let’s not forget #14 Ohio taking down #3 Georgetown in the first round and a #9 Northern Iowa dismantling overall #1 Kansas in Round 2 – and that was just in the Midwest region!

Fans don’t remember the tournament for top teams pummeling lower seeds. March Madness is not a national phenomenon because of uneventful, predictable games. It is cherished for its instability, its uniqueness and for the madness it creates.


**As a side note, I can’t conclude a blog about college basketball on this fine day of March 28 without reminding you of what many believe is the greatest shot ever in college hoops. So, enjoy watching history be made exactly 18 years ago today: