Knight in Shining Armor

Wow, wow, wow, wow! I cannot believe I did not have a heart attack during last night's game between UK and OSU to go to the Elite Eight! You all will criticize me for being an "unfaithful fan", but I had been gearing myself up for a loss since we beat West Virginia. I figured it's better to not get my hopes up and avoid being completely crushed. I used to be a more optimistic fan, until that fateful night on March 29th, 2003 in the NCAA tournament. We were the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, and looked good with our stars, namely Keith Bogans, Erik Daniels, Gerald Fitch, and Cliff Hawkins. Then, Bogans hurt his ankle. We had to take on Marquette, and their star Dwyane Wade (maybe you've heard of him?), in order to advance. This had to happen sans the presence of Bogans. I watched the entire game, naively believing we could still pull through with a win (even though we were completely blown out and Wade had a triple double). I was shocked when the buzzer sounded and a fourteen point elimination cut out my heart. Quickly, I ran to my room and cried for a solid ten minutes. Ever since then, I vowed to never watch the end of a game that we were going to lose. I can't emotionally handle it.

Knowing this, you can now understand why I was hesitant to believe we were going to come out the victor of a match up against the number 1 overall seed. We are a young team with little depth, it simply wasn't in our cards. Of course, I still watched the game. Early on I realized it could turn into a last second situation, and may be a heart-breaker. Tied at the half and practically every starter with two fouls, I was just happy it hadn't turned into a rout. The second half commences, and my greediness appears. We could win. I thought to myself, our defense is good, and we're staying with them! I tried to push it aside, but my hope was on the rise. It seemed as though the second half flew by in an instant, and next thing I knew, there were two minutes left in the game. A point difference increased the intensity tenfold. In a display of incredible defense and poise, the Cats edged ahead with what looked like an unimpeded win. In an instant, Diebler was elevating from behind the three point line and releasing a three. Swish. Damn. Tied at 60 with 21 seconds left on the clock. I did NOT want to go into OT. My heart wouldn't make it that long. Luckily, it didn't have to. UK brought the ball down the court, and there at the top was Knight, using his bball savvy to concoct a winning play. He succeeded for the second time in the tourney, making a small drive into the right wing and creating enough space to shoot his sweet, nothing-but-net, dagger.

For a second, the world went quiet. Was this real life? Did my Wildcats just upset the Buckeyes? Heck yeah they did! I quickly jumped out of my seat and engaged in the happiest victory dance of the season! We, THE University of Kentucky, are going to the Elite Eight. Life is great :)

Ides of March=March Madness!

I LOVE MARCH!! Why, you ask? Because I get to watch numerous high stakes basketball games and be a witness to my brackets crashing and burning :) As Dickie V would say, "It's March Madness, baby!!"

As much as I love watching all of the bracketology shows, there really isn't a definitive science to the NCAA tournament. It's anyone's game. The Cinderella stories, the heartbreaks, the upsets, the passion, and the last-second shots. And that's only a small taste of what the tourney entails. Dribble by dribble, teams will come closer to cutting that precious net and lifting that trophy high into the sky.

Every year, the analysts complain about some (or a few) decisions made by the selection committee. For a second, I feel as though I've gone back in time to the college football bowl games and the griping of fans whose mid-major squad played in the Roady's Humanitarian Bowl. Usually, I don't have too many objections. With a pool of 68 it's hard to imagine that any team was excluded. This year, it's a different story. My objections relate to the seeding rather than who's in the pool. I have two teams close to my heart that made it into the tournament: Utah State and UK (the team I really care about). Both teams, without a doubt, were robbed when the seeds were given. How the heck is Florida a No. 2 seed when UK won the SEC championship and beat the Gators the last TWO times?! That don't make no sense. UK deserved that seed instead of Billy D. Utah State got a 12 seed. Excuse me? I'm all for leaving the best seeds for the big boys, but the Aggies freakin' earned a better seed than that. They won the WAC championship and only dropped three games. That's impressive in any conference!

Alas, there is nothing to do but accept the seeds and selections, and hope that your team is ready to fight tooth and nail to reign victoriously. The NCAA tournament is probably the only time when I root for every SEC team. Along with this, I temporarily put aside my dislike for some teams so that they will beat the teams I hate (i.e. any ACC team, especially Duke and UNC). Fill out your brackets by Thursday, stock up on tons of food, find a friend with a big HD t.v., and enjoy the next few weeks of basketball!