With the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament wrapping up in the coming week, now is as good a time as any to reflect on how the tournament arrived at where it is now. Storylines abound in this edition of one of the most popular tournaments in the world, and I will get to those in due time.
But first, let’s have a moment of silence for my pathetic bracket, cut far too short by an evil Harvard team that destroyed my hopes of topping my ESPN bracket group on the first day.
Now that respects have been paid and condolences offered, it is time to look at the major stories from the 2013 NCAA National Championship thus far.
Who the hell are these guys?
The clichéd term “the year of the upset” tends to be thrown around a little too much, so I will avoid it, but that being said, there have been some amazing underdog stories this year. The biggest of these comes all the way from Fort Myers, Fla.
The Florida Gulf Coast University Eagles took the nation by storm with their high-octane offense and above-the-rim playing style. They were exciting and athletic, but they were also a 15-seed, so they did not receive much attention (only .96 percent of 8 million brackets picked FGCU to go as deep as they did in the tournament, according to ESPN).
But then they beat the No. 2-seeded Georgetown. Then they beat No. 7-seeded San Diego State to reach the Sweet 16, the first 15-seed to ever do so.
Unfortunately for the casual viewer (or the lover of upsets like me), FGCU’s run ended in the Sweet 16 against Florida, the “big brother” of sorts. But they made an impact, and FGCU will no doubt be remembered for their fantastic exploits.
No. 9 in the Final Four
With all the attention focused on FGCU, it is easy to forget that there were other surprises that also rocked the tourney. Both 13-seed LaSalle and 12-seed Oregon made it to the Sweet 16 as well, and, just like FGCU, both teams’ tournament dreams ended in that round.
Oregon lost to the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament in Louisville that has navigated into the Final Four. LaSalle also lost to a team that is now in the Final Four, but this team has much less of a brand than Rick Pitino’s Louisville.
I am talking about the No. 9-seeded Wichita State Shockers.
The Shockers are just the fifth team seeded ninth or higher to reach the Final Four. They played the Big-10 Champions Ohio State in the Elite 8, and, at one point, led the game by more the 20 points. These guys are for real, and they have kept the upset magic alive in the tournament.
Fittingly, they will play Louisville for a chance to reach the championship game. It just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?
Shocking injury
It was one of the more grotesque scenes caught on television that I remember. I am of course talking about the tragic injury to Louisville guard Kevin Ware. After landing awkwardly on the court, his right ankle snapped, causing the shin bone to protrude from the skin. Coach Pitino said in the postgame press conference that he “nearly threw up” at the sight, and I don’t think you can blame him.
But Louisville responded and controlled Duke University in the second half en-route to an 85-63 victory. Ware’s season is over, but Louisville is still going strong, and the ability to rally around the loss of a key figure on their squad may be enough to push them all the way.
With the Final Four matchups set for Saturday and the national championship Monday, there is still room for even more spectacular headlines in what may be the most aptly named tournament around. To make a prediction with only four teams left seems almost as mad as with 64, but I guess that is the point of it all. Either way, the madness has provided yet another wild ride.
