The Big Dance Comes Through Again
After a couple chaotic weeks that dwindled the NCAA men's basketball field to four teams, two things occurred just as they always do this time of year, sure as the March snow storm in Minnesota. First, my picks were thrown in the trash well before the national championship game. And second, the tourney lived up to the hype yet again.
I personally consider March Madness the best athletic event of the year. Better than the Super Bowl, better than the World Series and a heck of a lot better than the NBA playoffs. Need proof? Look no further than this past weekend's games.
On Saturday, the tourney's biggest Cinderella squad, the West Virginia Mountaineers, held a 20-point lead over Louisville. Behind Kevin Pittsnogel's six 3-pointers and 25 points, the magical Mountaineers seemed poised to storm St. Louis. Then March Madness got them.
Louisville dominated the final 15 minutes of play, inching closer and closer before tying the game and sending it to overtime. With their best player fouled out and Taquan Dean hobbling around on one leg, the Cards completed the comeback and will advance to the Final Four.
Minutes later, it was Illinois creating the magic. After trailing by 15 late in the game to Arizona, Dee Brown, Luther Head and the Illini forced their game into an extra session as well. A last second Wildcat three pointer clanked off the backboard and Illinois' comeback was also complete.
Then Sunday, a pesky Wisconsin club that had no business being on the same court as North Carolina held tough throughout the entire 40 minutes. The game to come, Michigan State and Kentucky, proved to be the best of them all.
A three-point prayer hit the rim four times before falling in. Four times. That doesn't happen. If the ball hits the rim more than once, it always bounces out. But not for Patrick Sparks. And that toe that looked like it was on the line...nope. It took five minutes of nail-biting to get the word, but the word was overtime. Fighting that momentum, the Spartans emerged victorious, surprising the nation as a Final Four club.
Has there ever been a more exciting weekend in college basketball? Four games, four total overtimes. That's what I call Madness.
I personally consider March Madness the best athletic event of the year. Better than the Super Bowl, better than the World Series and a heck of a lot better than the NBA playoffs. Need proof? Look no further than this past weekend's games.
On Saturday, the tourney's biggest Cinderella squad, the West Virginia Mountaineers, held a 20-point lead over Louisville. Behind Kevin Pittsnogel's six 3-pointers and 25 points, the magical Mountaineers seemed poised to storm St. Louis. Then March Madness got them.
Louisville dominated the final 15 minutes of play, inching closer and closer before tying the game and sending it to overtime. With their best player fouled out and Taquan Dean hobbling around on one leg, the Cards completed the comeback and will advance to the Final Four.
Minutes later, it was Illinois creating the magic. After trailing by 15 late in the game to Arizona, Dee Brown, Luther Head and the Illini forced their game into an extra session as well. A last second Wildcat three pointer clanked off the backboard and Illinois' comeback was also complete.
Then Sunday, a pesky Wisconsin club that had no business being on the same court as North Carolina held tough throughout the entire 40 minutes. The game to come, Michigan State and Kentucky, proved to be the best of them all.
A three-point prayer hit the rim four times before falling in. Four times. That doesn't happen. If the ball hits the rim more than once, it always bounces out. But not for Patrick Sparks. And that toe that looked like it was on the line...nope. It took five minutes of nail-biting to get the word, but the word was overtime. Fighting that momentum, the Spartans emerged victorious, surprising the nation as a Final Four club.
Has there ever been a more exciting weekend in college basketball? Four games, four total overtimes. That's what I call Madness.
posted by Joe Siple | 8:48 PM
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