So, does everybody have their brackets ready?
Your picks and hypotheses make so much sense right now and they sure look good on paper, don’t they? And how many of you are agonizing over second round and Sweet 16 games that in reality, will never take place?
You see, the one thing you can’t factor in is "lady luck."
She takes many forms lady luck at this of year. She can emerge as an injury, a bad whistle that creates foul trouble for a star, a ball that bounces of a leg, a rim, an official and all of a sudden, the tide of a game has started to change.
Regardless, it’s just a magical time of the year in a one-and-done scenario where David only needs one shot to take down Goliath.
In the league where the big boys go at it, you have to beat someone down in a seven-game series and the best team usually wins.
But what makes the college game great is the effort put in by the kids. The seniors in some instances are looking at the end of their hoops careers at the conclusion of the tournament, and they might be guys that are not even starters or significant players on their teams.
They can sometimes be the ones that are waving a towel or pogo-sticking up and down at the end of the bench in close games when big plays are made.
The lure of professional hoops and the NBA has created another other one-and-done scenario. That’s where college players leave after a season for the bright lights and more importantly, big dollars, at the next level. It has hurt the quality of the university and college game but it’s also part of the charm that distinguishes the NBA game from the college game.
At the professional level, it’s about matchups to gain an advantage. If a player gets an open look at the bucket, most of the time, forget about it, you’re giving up a score. At the college level, there are no guarantees on either matchups or open looks at the rim. The mistakes and the purity of the game keep it interesting, particularly as time winds down in a close contest.
The tournament is about teamwork and big players making timely plays for their respective squads.
So here’s a few bracket tips for you this year.
There are some teams that are going to hurt people’s feelings and cause many to tear up their bracket and pitch it in the recycling bin.
Look out for Belmont, not the race track but an experienced veteran team with upperclassmen that has won 30 games this season. Lorenzo Romar’s Washington Huskies enter the tournament on a roll and have some names to be aware of like guard Isaiah Thomas and a good front line with the likes of Matthew Bryan-Amaning and Aziz N’Diaye. They will have a tough opponent in the Georgia Bulldogs with marquee players such as Travis Leslie and Trey Thompkins.
Remember the George Mason Patriots from 2006? Well they’re back and along with the Old Dominion Patriots, they are looking in the mirror as they try on Cinderella shoes for the big dance.
Gonzaga (with a few Canadians on the roster) wears the Cinderella moniker well and has a couple of favourable matchups as their first round opponent St. John’s is without one of its key seniors—D.J. Kennedy—while potential second round opponent BYU has suspended star forward Brandon Davies for violating the school’s honour code.
And finally, not that they fit in the Cinderella category, but any of the big boys in the Big East Conference, a conference that placed 11 teams in the field, could end up Houston at the Final Four
Want some more on the upset alert front?
Kentucky, like every team that draws Princeton in the first round, should be leery and Leonard Hamilton’s Florida State squad defends well and could cause some problems for Texas A&M.
The tournament also helps to make or break big names as some put a lot, and at times too much, stock in a player’s performance in March on the big stage.
Players will certainly emerge But here are some names to look out for as they appear regularly in the mock drafts: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State), Derrick Williams (Arizona), Enes Kanter, Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones (Kentucky), Kawhi Leonard (San Diego State), Jordan Hamilton and Canadian Tristan Thompson (Texas), Jimmer Fredette (BYU), Harrison Barnes (North Carolina), Nolan Smith (Duke), Chris Singleton (Florida State), Marcus Morris and Markieff Morris (Kansas), Kris Joseph (Syracuse) and Kemba Walker (Connecticut).
It all starts soon and as it always turns out to be, it’s going to be a great ride.
