Bits & Pieces

The Madness Of March Basketball

By Kim J. Harmon

 

Ron Lewis draining a three-pointer with two seconds left to force overtime and save Ohio State from an ignominious defeat at the hands of Xavier.

That is why we watch the NCAA Tournament.

The University of Connecticut and Duke battling in the 1999 championship game, a thriller, and Trajan Langdon tripping (no – he wasn’t fouled) on his final trip up the floor with the Blue Devils down by three.

That is why we watch the NCAA Tournament.

Christian Laettner canning a 12-foot jumper with two seconds left to lift Duke past Kentucky in 1992.

That is why we watch the NCAA Tournament.

Tate George taking that length-of-the-court pass from Scottie Burrell, spinning and hitting that mid-range jumper to lift the University of Connecticut past Clemson in 1990 only to have their hopes dashed by Laettner and Duke in the very next game.

That is why we watch the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova winning a national championship as a No. 8 seed … George Mason reaching the Sweet 16 as an #11 seed … 15th-seeded Hampton topping second-seeded Iowa State, 58-57, in 2001 … Valparaiso stunning Mississippi State, 70-69, in 1998 for its first-ever NCAA tournament win when Bryce Drew hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer … 15th-seeded Richmond topping second-seeded Syracuse, 73-69, in 1991 thanks to Curtis Blair, a guy no one heard of before or since … 15th-seeded Santa Clara stunning second-seeded Arizona, 64-61, in 1993 as the world is introduced to future NBA great Steve Nash … 14th-seeded Weber State overcoming third-seeded North Carolina, 76-74, in 1999 and then losing in overtime two days later to Florida.

That is why we watch the NCAA Tournament.

Me, I’m not much of a regular college basketball fan. Oh, I’ll stop in at a UConn game or two – usually against teams like Arkansas State or Morehead State – and I may watch a few games on teevee but when the opening tip comes in the first game of the tournament in March, I am glued to the television. And it has nothing to do with my brackets, because I have long ago come to terms with the fact that I will never win our office pool.

No, I am riveted because there is nothing like this – anywhere. One loss and you pack your bags and head back home, hanging your head. Each trip down the floor, every shot, every foul has some impact, some meaning, some tension reverberating from it and nothing – maybe not even the World Series – can achieve that.

I’ve seen it written that this year’s tournament is being considered a bit of a snooze, but those comments seem to be coming from the professionals who are paid to cover the event or hardcore college hoops fans who live and breathe on the daily happenings on campus courts across the country. But for the average fan, like me, it is every bit as exciting as it has always been.

Look at the Ohio State-Xavier game. I had little stake in the game, save for the fact that I have Ohio State reaching the Elite 8 in my pool. But there was little Xavier, leading most of the way, until Ron Lewis came down the court in the final seconds and ripped the hearts out of the Musketeers with his last-ditch three-pointer.

VCU topping Duke … Stanford getting slaughtered by Louisville … Oregon surviving against Miami of Ohio …Winthrop pounding Notre Dame … Virginia Tech rallying against Illinois … Pittsburgh surviving overtime against VCU … Vanderbilt needing two overtimes to finally topple Washington State – whether or not hardcore fans or professionals considering it boring, there was a lot of excitement and I can’t wait for this weekend.

Of course, it helps that I am still mathematically in the hunt in our pool.

Dum spiro, spero.

 

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Honestly, though, I am a longshot to win our office pool (my son is coasting, the little with his Winthrop and Vanderbilt picks) and so I’m looking forward to baseball.

But, of course, mother nature has to throw a curve ball at us (pun intended).

Last week, spring was in the air. But now, with spring officially here, winter is in the air and unless it really gets warm over the weekend, we may still be seeing snow when the high school sports season opens the first week of April.