So, I had this dream over the weekend. It was about college basketball, specifically about this year's NCAA Tournament. Crazy things happened. For example, the 12 seed in the East, Cornell, not only beat fifth-seeded Temple in the first round. The Big Red followed that up with a pounding of fourth-seeded Wisconsin.
After that, my dream showed the tenth-seeded St. Mary's Gaels pulling a stunner by upsetting second-seeded Villanova in the South regional.
But the kicker was, get this, that "mid-major" Northern Iowa stunned overall number one seed Kansas in the second round in Oklahoma City, not far from Jayhawk head man Bill Self's hometown. Not only did the Panthers pull the shocker, but they pretty much dominated the game from start to finish.
Funny thing is, I woke up this morning and realized that all of those things actually happened. It was a wild weekend for sure, with four of those so-called "mid-majors" still alive in the Big Dance. Butler survived yet another "mid-major", Murray State, to make it back to the Sweet 16.
Sure, some things about this tournament seemed perfectly logical. The top seed in the East, Kentucky, dominated East Tennessee State and Wake Forest. Syracuse did the same to Vermont and Gonzaga. And Duke rolled through its two games in Jacksonville.
This NCAA Tournament has truly been March Madness. When the action gets underway again on Thursday, who knows what might happen next.
Showing posts with label Kansas Jayhawks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kansas Jayhawks. Show all posts
Monday, March 22, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
This is Why It's Called March Madness
Upsets, near upsets and more have turned Championship Week, literally, into March Madness.
On Thursday, it was the Big East's regular season champion, Syracuse, losing in the Big East quarterfinals to Georgetown. Not a bad loss for the Orange, mind you, but still an upset. Jim Boeheim's team now will sweat a little more on Selection Sunday, hoping to hang on to a number one seed. The Orange have now lost two in a row after taking over the number one spot in the rankings.
Friday started with what looked like an upset-in-the-making, as Alabama raced to an 11-point lead against Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals. However, the Wildcats got their act together in the second half and rallied for a six-point win. The game was a lot closer than most anticipated, and it proved that Kentucky's youth could be a factor this postseason. While the Wildcats have as much talent as any team in the country, much of that talent had never played in a college postseason game until Friday. It will be interesting to see how Kentucky reacts in Saturday's semifinal matchup against rival Tennessee.
Friday evening, it was top-ranked Kansas falling behind in the first half before putting together a second half rally to down Texas A&M in the Big 12 Touranment. The Jayhawks are widely believed to be the best team in the country, but after two lackluster efforts in the conference tournament so far, some are beginning to question Kansas' superiority.
That's one of the great things about college basketball. In conference tournaments, as well as the NCAA Tournament, it's one-and-done. It's not a seven-game series. And in those one-game scenarios, anything can happen. That's why it's called March Madness.
On Thursday, it was the Big East's regular season champion, Syracuse, losing in the Big East quarterfinals to Georgetown. Not a bad loss for the Orange, mind you, but still an upset. Jim Boeheim's team now will sweat a little more on Selection Sunday, hoping to hang on to a number one seed. The Orange have now lost two in a row after taking over the number one spot in the rankings.
Friday started with what looked like an upset-in-the-making, as Alabama raced to an 11-point lead against Kentucky in the SEC quarterfinals. However, the Wildcats got their act together in the second half and rallied for a six-point win. The game was a lot closer than most anticipated, and it proved that Kentucky's youth could be a factor this postseason. While the Wildcats have as much talent as any team in the country, much of that talent had never played in a college postseason game until Friday. It will be interesting to see how Kentucky reacts in Saturday's semifinal matchup against rival Tennessee.
Friday evening, it was top-ranked Kansas falling behind in the first half before putting together a second half rally to down Texas A&M in the Big 12 Touranment. The Jayhawks are widely believed to be the best team in the country, but after two lackluster efforts in the conference tournament so far, some are beginning to question Kansas' superiority.
That's one of the great things about college basketball. In conference tournaments, as well as the NCAA Tournament, it's one-and-done. It's not a seven-game series. And in those one-game scenarios, anything can happen. That's why it's called March Madness.
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