Madness a respite from sport’s seedy side
Nancy Armour: Reform is coming, but those tournaments sure were fun
SAN ANTONIO – The respite can’t last forever. In three weeks, April 25 to be exact, the seedy side of college basketball will again be front and center when the Commission on College Basketball presents its recommendations on reforming the game.
You might recall the commission, led by former Secretary of State and Stanford provost Condoleezza Rice, was formed in the fallout of the FBI investigation that has alleged fraud and corruption at the very highest levels of college basketball. Change is coming — maybe.
How, or if, it affects the NCAA basketball tournaments remains to be seen.
But for almost a month now, we’ve been able to push all that aside because of March Madness, which was even more gloriously mad than usual this March.
Whether it was the bracket-busting upsets, a 98-year-old nun or a women’s Final Four that will be talked about for decades, the NCAA tournaments treated us to a three-week bender’s worth of fun.
(Feel free to hang on to this and refer to it in the coming months, when college basketball will make you want to scream and shout for a very different reason.)
UMBC
Of course it was possible. Theoretically. But no No. 16 seed in the men’s tournament had ever beaten a No. 1 in 135 tries and, let’s be honest, no one really thought one actually would.
Then came the Retrievers, the ultimate bracket buster. Not only did the 16th seed take down a No. 1 seed, it took down the No. 1 seed in Virginia. And it
wasn’t even close, with Maryland-Baltimore County routing Virginia 74-54 for what is one of, if not the most stunning result in college basketball history.
“Unbelievable — it’s really all you can say,” Retrievers coach Ryan Odom said.
UPSETS GALORE
There were so many upsets in the first and second rounds of the men’s tournament that the South Region had lost its top four seeds before the Sweet 16, a first in tournament history. It was only the fourth time since 1985 that only two No. 1 seeds made the Sweet 16.
Two No. 11 seeds made the Sweet 16 in both the men’s and women’s tournaments, and Loyola and Florida State both reached the Elite Eight. Syracuse, the team almost everyone agreed didn’t belong in the men’s tournament, won three games before bowing out to Duke in the Sweet 16.
Although Notre Dame was a No. 1 seed in the women’s tournament, its victory against UConn in the Final Four still qualifies as an upset. UConn had been unbeaten and played with a crater-size chip on its shoulder after last year’s Final Four loss. But the Huskies’ years of overwhelming dominance motivated other schools to step up their games, and we’re now seeing the results.
LOYOLA AND SISTER JEAN
Loyola was the feel-good story of the men’s tournament. I mean, the Ramblers reached the Final Four in their first appearance since 1985 and had a 98year-old nun as their Sixth Man. You can’t script stories any better than that.
Although the Ramblers lost to Michigan in the Final Four, they showed they were every bit the equal of teams from the power programs. Which — hint, hint — should not go unnoticed by the selection committee, which is getting stingier and stingier with its bids for mid-majors.
As for Sister Jean, we’re all better for her brief time in the spotlight. She showed us that life can be lived well at any age, and the genuine affection between the team chaplain and the Ram- blers was a reminder of how much the elderly have to offer. In other words, if you haven’t talked to your grandparents lately, give them a call.
BUZZER BEATERS AND UNBELIEVABLE SHOTS
No one is touching Arike Ogunbowale on this, not after she made buzzer-beating three-pointers to send Notre Dame to the national title game and then give the Irish their first championship since 2001.
But there were plenty of other lategame heroics, including Jordan Poole’s 28-footer to beat Houston in the second round; last-second daggers by Loyola’s Donte Ingram (first round), Clayton Custer (second round) and Marques Townes (Sweet 16); and Dakota Mathias’ late three that allowed Purdue to hold off Butler.
And then there was the one shot that didn’t go in. Grayson Allen could have put Duke into the Final Four with a jumper at the end of regulation, only to see the ball crawl all the way around the rim and back again before falling off. The game went to overtime, and Kansas pulled away for the win.
SPORTSMANSHIP
It’s not just the games we love, it’s the displays of emotion they generate. Whether it’s the wild sprints around the court after a win or the soul-crushing dejection after a loss, they resonate with us in a way that celebrations in pro sports simply can’t.
And nothing symbolized that better than Michigan’s Moe Wagner stopping to console Houston’s Corey Davis Jr.
Wagner was in the midst of that aforementioned post-victory bedlam when he spotted Davis watching along the sideline. Wagner came to a dead stop and put his arm around Davis’ shoulder for a brief second.
“It was a respect move for sure,” Davis told Fox 26 Houston afterward. “I appreciate him for doing that, especially in that time. He stopped and came and talked to me and consoled me, and I appreciate that.”
The NCAA tournaments are the best thing going in college sports. Don’t lose sight of that in the weeks to come.