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Take notes on March
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Also by Tyler Mason:
- Take notes on March (March 24, 2008)
- UW begins WCHA tourney (March 14, 2008)
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- Bradley, karma ruin my weekend (March 22, 2006)
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by Tyler Mason
Monday, March 24, 2008
Well, spring break is over. That means it’s time to hit the books again, head back to the classrooms and libraries, and spend hours studying something other than your bracket. But while classes may not have met over the past week, that doesn’t mean nothing was to be learned, as the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament unfolded.
After 48 games, many lessons have been demonstrated that can’t be found in any textbook or taught by any professor:
Friends will help you get places in life — or in the tournament.
USC’s O.J. Mayo and Kansas State’s Michael Beasley found that out the hard way. The two freshmen phenoms found themselves head-to-head in the first round, with Beasley and K-State prevailing. Mayo lead the Trojans with 20 points, but the rest of the team couldn’t pull its weight in an 80-67 loss.
And despite putting up 23 points for the Wildcats against the Badgers in the second round, Beasley — a one-man wonder — found himself heading back to Kansas while the more balanced Wisconsin team moved on to the Sweet 16.
All you need is love — Kevin Love.
Another freshman sensation that has flown slightly under the radar with the emergence of Mayo and Beasley was simply unstoppable in the first two rounds. A 20-point effort against Mississippi Valley State and a 19-point, 11-rebound showing in a close win over Texas A&M showed that this kid is for real.
It must have been him that the Beatles were singing about.
“Torero” is Spanish for bullfighter.
Bet you didn’t learn that in Spanish 101. But after the No. 13 seed University of San Diego stunned No. 4 UConn in the first round, the entire country was shouting “Ole!” for the Toreros.
Tampa is German for Upset City.
OK, so that may not be a direct translation. But the four lower seeds — No. 12s Villanova and Western Kentucky and No. 13s USD and Siena — all advanced to the second round in that region.
(The Badger football team must not speak Deutsch, since they failed to upset Tennessee in Tampa’s Outback Bowl.)
Never trust experts. They don’t know what they’re talking about.
Well, this might not always be true. But when it comes to picking a bracket, forget what all the so-called “bracketologists” try to sell you. Don’t let the title fool you — they didn’t actually major in selecting basketball games. (Although how cool would that be if you could?)
Take a gander at Sports Illustrated’s predictions, for example, in their most recent issue. They had some very questionable picks — Oral Roberts over Pitt, for example — that illustrate this point exactly. On the flip side of the coin, nobody — not even “experts” — can predict upsets. While SI did have Siena over Vanderbilt correct, there’s no way anyone was going to pick all of the aforementioned upsets (San Diego and friends) correctly.
But that’s the beauty behind the Madness.
Watch out when the clock strikes midnight.
Every year, Gonzaga is the trendy pick as the tournament’s “Cinderella,” even if they’re a No. 7 seed, as they were this year. For whatever reason, people like them. But those days have come and passed, as was evident by their first-round defeat at the hands of Wisconsin’s next opponent: Davidson, this year’s Cinderella after topping second-seeded Georgetown on Sunday.
Don’t stay up past your bedtime.
I’m looking at you, Purdue Baby Boilers. Robbie Hummell and Co. might have been a great story in the regular season — they’re the only team to beat the Badgers in conference play, and they did it twice — but come tournament season, there are times when experience trumps youth. Case in point: Xavier. There’s a reason the No. 1 seeds were top seeds. They rely on a balanced attack from veteran players (with the exception of the freshman Love at UCLA).
Cheaters never win.
Isn’t that right, Indiana?
Now before you attack me, I know the players and current coaches are not to blame for the whole Kelvin Sampson debacle. But since Sampson resigned, the Hoosiers fell off the face of the planet, buried in a heap of controversy. They were upset by Minnesota in the Big Ten Tournament (on one of the most miraculous shots in recent memory) and were then upended by ninth-seeded Arkansas in the opening round.
For a team that once looked to be a contender for a title behind Eric Gordon and D.J. White, the Hoosiers panned out to be one of the biggest flops of the year.
So there you have it. If you keep these lessons in mind throughout the rest of the month of March and into April, you’re golden. Skip your lectures, sleep in until game time, and take notes from the greatest postseason tournament of any sport.
But when it comes time to explain to your parents that you’re failing economics, you’re on your own. Bo Ryan and Tyler Hansbrough can’t help you there.
Tyler is a junior majoring in journalism (with an intended certificate in bracketology). Talk college hoops with him at tmason@badgerherald.com.
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