Let the Madness begin!!
We are a little over a week away from the NCAA basketball tournament beginning or what most refer to as “March Madness”! It is absolutely one of my favorite times of the year. Men’s and women’s college basketball teams put it all on the line for a 64 team showdown divided into 4 regions across the country to see which team respectively will be crowned “National Champions”! I love the tourney for many reasons. I respect the fact that there is still amateur athletes playing a team sport for more than money, prestige, or a shoe contract. I never played in the World Series of NCAA softball, but I came close enough to know what it tastes like. What a feeling to be playing for the “best of the best” in your sport. To have a shot at going all the way. I think the fact that the Gonzaga’s, Vermont’s, and Villanova’s of college basketball have a shot at winning it all as much as Duke, UNC, or Kansas. The parody that exists in the college basketball championship is unparalleled. Every year a #2 or #3 seed gets knocked out in the first round by a team who the experts say probably didn’t deserve to be there. The fact is they are there and anybody can be beaten on any given night, (unfortuantely we as Pats fans know this lesson all too well).
I guarantee you if you tune in to the conference tournaments coming up this weekend or catch any of the games next Thursday or Friday you will not be disappointed. You will see buzzer beaters, double and triple overtime games, and teams leaving it all on the court for one last time. Seniors, men and women crying at the realization that he or she is actually playing in their last collegiate game. It will tear your heart out one minute and leave you screaming for more the next. Even if you don’t like basketball, the emotion that these young men and women play with and leave on the court will inspire you. Soon you’ll be looking into words like “bracketology” and “cinderella story” and you’ll wonder how did I ever miss out on this wonderful whirlwind of the most competitive, intense 3 weeks of basketball you will ever experience!!