March Madness

This entry was written on Mar 04, 2009 by our Basketball Guru Brian Nemeth

Yes, March is here and we can finally start thinking about the single greatest sports tournament on the planet. That's right, NCAA's March Madness, baby. Soon we'll be using terms like "on the bubble", "sleepers", and "bracket-busters". Before you know it will be selection Sunday and they'll be picking the lucky 65(please let my Michigan Wolverines get in after a decade of no-shows). The following day the brackets will be passed out around the work place and after many hours of research and deliberation you'll fill that bracket out, complete with sleepers and all (for some reason you always have Gonzaga going to the final four and they always let you down, but this is their year).

Soon after, that glorious day will arrive. The greatest Thursday known to man. The tip-off of March Madness. You'll rush home from work/school, turn on that tube and hear the likes of Jim Nance and Billy Packer fill the air with their exquisite, oh-so-familiar commentary. I can still remember rushing home from school back in '98, just in time to see Bryce Drew hit that famous game winner to lead Valparaiso over Mississippi. Oh, the memories.

The weeks will fly by as those original 65 are widdled down to the Final Four. There will be monumental match-ups, glorious upsets, and buzzer-beaters aplenty. It will culminate in that final, action packed weekend, where those Final Four will be widdled down to just two. And finally, after all the dust settles, that lone team will stand victorious. The Champions will be crowned.

For now, all we can do is wait. Yes, it is finally March, but the Madness feels so far away.