This is the time of year when suddenly, EVERYONE becomes a college basketball fan. And while I love that March Madness brings out seasonal fans, I know that the true fans were apart of the madness that took place all season.
Finally, DUKE swept a 16-16 UNC and reclaimed the ACC Championship! John Scheyer’s facial expressions became the official hazing banner for all ACC home games and the defending Champs- UNC didn’t do much defending or scoring the whole season.
Maryland fans still fear the classroom as their only crowd chant is the F bomb followed by the visiting school’s name or player(s) name. Clemson, Georgia Teach, Wake Forest, and Florida State all proved they are still competitors in the ACC.
But does being a fan the whole season boost your bracketology? There’s always that one person in your office bracket that didn’t watch a game all season and they pull off the biggest upset of the year by selecting who has the best dancing shoes.
I like to treat Selection Sunday as a national holiday and I dedicate the entire day to bracketology. Before the teams are announced I wonder if the best 65 teams will get an invitation to the big dance and why isn’t Coach Knight on the selection committee? While most of the committee members are college Athletic Directors, have they had time to really watch the season outside of their conference games?
As the teams are announced I start thinking: Will Wofford (who upset South Carolina and George and almost pulled off the upset on Pitt) be this years Cinderella story? Or could Siena, Cornell or ODU be the mid-major upset? No one wants their brackets to bust, but it’s so exciting to see a mid-major upset!
Can Tennessee standout more than Pearl’s orange blazer? Can Syracuse and their seven starters get their endurance back; will Kansas State knock them off? Will DUKE’s shooting and coaching outrank Villanova’s athleticism or Kentucky’s size?
So many possible outcomes and only one bracket: let the Madness Begin!