When the Madness Stops

   

To this point I have neglected to write about the NCAA Tournament, and given that this is the most inclusive and watched sporting event of the year, I feel like the reason bears mentioning. Simply put, I had nothing to say before the first round that you wouldn't have heard about from every imaginable source, and none of them know anything. Kansas lost in the second round. Under no circumstances would I have predicted this. The Big East Crumbled. I thought they were the best conference in the regular season. Saint Mary's won 2 games. I thought centers had to be able to at least graze the rim to play in the tournament.

So what changed?

Truthfully, very little. There will still be upsets, I will still pick games incorrectly, and nobody knows anything. However, the tournament has a very specific dynamic that changes from the first weekend to the second. The Cinderellas remember that it's almost midnight, the good teams realize they can not coast, and it becomes clear who is truly excellent and who isn't.

Therefore, I now have at least a little sense of what is going on, and I have watched all of the remaining teams play at least a couple games, so I feel qualified to write about them. For the rest of the tournament, I will preview all of the upcoming games with at least a modicum of analysis and insight. Hopefully.

-Butler vs. Syracuse

I have disliked Syracuse all season. Not in the sense that they somehow aggravate me (like Duke) or that I think they're bad (like Saint Mary's), but because they lack a true star. The best teams always have definably excellent players, and I have no idea who theirs would be. Maybe Wes Johnson is that player, but I would be hard pressed to put him in the category of Evan Turner and John Wall as a player who can will his team to victory. Since 2006 (the last really bad year for college basketball), nearly every Final Four team had either a single overwhelmingly excellent player or a deep team loaded with NBA talent (or both). Syracuse lacks at least the latter, and possibly the former.

Then again, they lost 4 games all season while playing in the best conference in the country, so what do I know.

Of course, that conference has flamed out so far in the tournament. So maybe I do know.

As far as Butler, this isn't a terribly surprising result for them. They have been good for years, and they're quietly 30-4 this year. But they also only beat Murray State by two while Syracuse crushed their opponents. I'll take Syracuse. For now.

-Xavier vs. Kansas State

Xavier lost to most of the decent out of conference teams they played this year, including a loss to Kansas State by 15. Kansas State played in either the best or second best conference in the country and lost 1 fewer game total. I'm not a rocket scientist, but that seems to say Kansas State to me.

-Washington vs. West Virginia

Being a UCLA fan, the subject of Pac-10 futility came up regularly this season. Whenever it did, I said that no matter how few teams we got into the tournament, they would probably both do well, and everyone would be forced to admit that the Pac-10 wasn't as bad as previously thought. (I only half believed either end of this argument, but I kept making it anyways.)

Well, that's about what happened, and now Washington gets rewarded with a game against a seasoned opponent with a good coach. West Virginia lost 6 games all season, and 3 were close losses. All of them were against quality opponents. Washington could catch fire and pull of the upset...but I doubt it.

-Cornell vs. Kentucky

Kentucky reminds me of the late 90's Lakers teams. All the talent in the world, and too little maturity to do anything with it. Those teams got better when they cleared out the head cases and brought in Phil Jackson. Kentucky will be doing neither. They spend game after game riding their emotions, playing to their opponents instead of playing their own game, making poor decisions, and generally believing that they have proven something when they have done no such thing. Their competitive fire is not exactly burning bright, and it rarely does until they enter a close and late situation. They are, in short, what turn many people off of basketball.

And yet...they're probably the most fun team to watch in college basketball. They ooze talent from every pore. Wall and Cousins dominate their opponents with astonishing ease. They fly up and down the court, they can press viciously when necessary, and they are simply better and more athletic than anyone they will play this year.

Cornell, meanwhile, was brutally under-seeded. They lost four games this year, two of which were to Kansas and Syracuse. You might recognize those as one seeds. Yes, they play in a weak conference, but all they can do is beat who they play. They did just that in the first two rounds, and against teams that are known for their defense, Cornell scored 78 and 87 points against Temple and Wisconsin, respectively. I'm almost certain they're going to do the same tomorrow. The difference is that Kentucky will shrug, inbound the ball, and run like hell to do the same. Cornell might be able to stop and shoot with better teams, but they can not run and jump with superior athletes. Kentucky will win.

You know, unless being a bunch of 19 year-old head cases brings them down. Which it might.


I'll be posting a new article every day for the next 3 days, so come back to see my thoughts on each upcoming day.

Image via John Wall Pictures

You can email Chris with questions or comments at TheSportsKiosK@gmail.com