by Tom Weppel
Random thoughts from a cluttered mind...
I hope you all are enjoying the multitude of college basketball games being played as part of the NCAA Championship, which culminates with the Final Four.
For the longest time, I used to love this tournament. My naivete’ allowed me to soak in all the pageantry. Coupled with the slight possibility that an underdog team would emerge to become the annual ‘Cinderella’ most college fans are longing for, I always considered it a great event.
But as I’ve learned and realized, this tournament is really all about the top seeds and major programs all being able to get it on at the end and play for a national title, which is something that football DOES NOT do, and never HAS done!
Sure, you can go back into the annals and find the N.C. State Wolfpack coming out of mediocrity in 1983 and taking the Championship. A few years back, we all saw George Mason University make it to the Final Four, and everyone was gushing as all get out for them to win. Of course, they failed to do so.
And perhaps a team seeded sixth or lower will at least get into the Sweet Sixteen after this weekend, which will of course garner all kinds of media attention.
But in all honesty, this is about North Carolina, Kansas, and UCLA, all three of whom have strong basketball programs over the years, and the Memphis Tigers, coached by John Calipari.
I’m sure a #2 seed will probably get into the Final Four, which will be held in San Antonio. Duke, Texas, Tennessee, and Georgetown all are viable candidates in the regard.
But let’s be realistic here for a moment. The play-in game on Tuesday night was a complete joke, made up always of two schools most of the U.S. has never even heard of. Also, NO #16 seed as EVER beaten a #1 seed in the first round. Very, very few #2 seeds have gone down in the first round, and the same can be said for #3 seeds.
So, to me, this really should be a Field of 52, if you wanna get down to seriousness.
Anyway, if there is one positive to this Tournament, its that for two days, it gives millions of guys here in the U.S. of A. a chance to skip out on work and plot out for their own self-gratification who THEY think will be the big-time underdog for this season, as if there is bound to be one. In a way, there would be tremendous disappointment on the part of sports fans in general if a lower seed wouldn’t make it. Imagine that!...If the higher seed was to be won by teams in ALL GAMES! In fact I don’t think all four #1 seeds have EVER made it to the Final Four!
Anyway, enjoy the College Basketball Tournament games, my friends. It allows the NCAA to make about $450 million and thus budget the entire rest of the college sports played every year, with the exception of football.
And if your bracket picks don’t match up, then shame on you. You don’t know squat!
While Most of you ding-dongs have been fixated on the NCAA’s, there is this team in Houston called the ROCKETS that has made a little bit of NBA history. Houston has been winning games an absolute record pace, and no one is figuring out how or why! This is a team that started out the season with two bonafide stars in Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming. As we know, Yao went down w ith foot problems, but in the meantime, the Rockets have simply continued winning games. Since their loss on January 27th against the Utah Jazz, the boys in Houston have been on am incredible roll, and they’ve done a good bit of it WITHOUT Mr. Ming!
Plenty of people are scratching their collective heads in wonderment. These guys are winning as a team, with guys such as Shane Battier and Rafer Alston making things happen. After Sunday’s win over the Lakers, Houston was 46-20. If the season had ended last Sunday, the Rockets would be the #1 seed in the West. Amazing.
My good friend Greg Larson swears the Rockets are gonna collapse sometime in the near future. In the meantime, the Rockets will continue to defy the feelings and opinions of the rest of the League.
Tom Weppel talks trash with Greg Larson, Lonnie Marts, Eugene Chung, Artis Gilmore, and Ron Duguay on SportsAvengers.com 24/7.
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