So, When Does This Get Good?
I guess Friday was a little better than Thursday. Both days had one legitimate upset, but Friday had the added bonus of two legitimate nail-biters: Nevada/Creighton and Virginia Tech/Illinois. And if you're the type of person who takes joy in the pain of others, have a good laugh at Illinois' expense today. Not only did they lose on a 12-0 run over the last 4:29 of the game, but the game-winner that beat them was an accidental bank shot. A monumental collapse and bad luck.
But still, two 11-seeds? That's it? That's all we're getting out of the first round? We can't even get a damn 12 over a 5? What is this, the women's tournament? If this is the way things are going to be, I vote for throwing spontaneous competition out the window, and turning the 2nd round over to Vince McMahon and letting him script it. Yeah, it sounds crazy now, but wait until you see Jimmy Snuka dive off the top of the backboard and crack a coconut over Greg Oden's forehead.
Maybe we shouldn't despair just yet, though. The two 11-seeds that did advance look like they could advance again... and that would be fun, right? And the tournament is great for two reasons: upsets and surprises in the first couple of rounds, and then sorting out the best of the best in the later rounds. We've still got that to look forward to. Anyone that advances from here on out is a lovable underdog or a deserving winner. After Sunday, no one is boring.
Men's Basketball [NCAAsports.com]
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