Almost the Mouse that Roared Final 4

In the 50's there was a book called the Mouse that Roared. It was about a small country of a few thousand people that declared war on the USA because the USA undercut prices on their only source of economy, wine. The USA did not know about this war and with a few archers invading New York City...their army was quite primitive...they caught our Secretary of Defense asleep at the wheel and captured a weapon that could destroy the world thus winning supreme power.

The last few weeks have been a tale of the Mouse that Roared. Many name brand big schools have been upset. It almost happened again with Baylor, but alas, it was not to be boys and girls. Baylor, a team most Big 12 opponents used to count on for 2 wins a year is a legitimate power. However, it could not beat Duke, allowing 2 late offensive rebounds turn into 2 Three balls late in the game. Couple that with a very dubious tech, and for a minute the Madison Avenue boys at CBS can stop worrying. The basketball gods have delivered their ratings darling, the Duke Blue Devils.

I have to hand the rebounding battle to Duke at the end. What I viewed against Purdue was not a fluke, they do indeed go for the gusto on the backboards..

But lets give some praise for the little guy. There are the Saint Marys, Xavier, Northern Iowa, Cornell, BYU, Old Dominion and the Cinderella story that keeps on going..Butler. In fact Butler is keeping on the Mouse that Roared theme alive and well in Indianapolis. If they win, it would be so cool.....and I don't have a horse in this race, but that would be a story.
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When I saw Kentucky play against West Virginia I kept thinking, what would this team be like if Cousins and Wall stuck around for 4 years. Probably an all time great team with the players Calipari would surround them with. Hope they don't take too big a pay cut going to the NBA.
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I have had a pipe dream about a scenario that would be so cool. The most recruited player in the country opts for Northern New Mexico Institute of Agriculture, spurning the big boys like Kansas and UCLA. This player is Magic Johnson, Lebron James, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wrapped into one total once in a lifetime package. NNMIA is a new D-1 school with a gym that holds all of 3000 people. This big time recruit allures a great supporting cast and start kicking butt against all comers. Our hero the superstar, is an altuistic sort that wants to start a new tradition. The NCAA is sniffing all areas of concern as the big schools are really mad about this new kid on the block. The coach is a sly dog who is having his last hurrah coaching at NNMIA and is able to bend the rules just enough to not get caught. In the middle is the town the school is located in, Gallup, New Mexico, inhabited primarily by Native Americans. I will let you know when Hollywood calls.

Courtside Houston Regional Semi-Finals

This tournament could be the ultimate breath of fresh air if something happens today, and that something is if Baylor beats the Dookies. Sorry for all you front runners and CBS execs on Madison Avenue that give us a dose of what we should like everyday in your subliminal messages, but a Final 4 without Duke, Carolina, and Kentucky would be a real breath of fresh air. Oh yeah, and no Ben Howland and UCLA. Hallelujah.

During the course of watching the Baylor-Saint Marys and Purdue-Duke games the ugly phenomena entered its head again. Here in Reliant with fourty five thousand of my closest friends, the disease, Front Runner Itis, reared its head again. Baylor-Saint Marys was a blowout. Afterwards, Purdue did everything to make every possession count and turn the night cap into an ugly affair. They succeeded until the final 6 minutes when size and talent took over. Now, I have every ounce of respect in the world for Coach K and his team. And also, Dickie V has given an awareness to college hoops like no other. HOWEVER, I thought during one timeout the Duke mascot would take his headpiece off and we would see Dickie V's chromedome smiling. This guy is unabashedly the frontrunning shill for Duke, Carolina and Kentucky. Why doesn't he just stand on the sideline in a blue and white cheerleader outfit?

There was a time boys and girls, when America got behind the underdog. Purdue was that underdog the other night. But ESPN has once again succeeded and made Duke the glamour team to root for. The fans, many of whom have maybe never been on the Duke campus and maybe never in North Carolina, were all gaga over the Blue Devils. I don't have a horse in this race so it's especially interesting to see. The fans who root for Duke do not seem as obnoxious as the Dallas Cowgirls fans.

And yes, the Duke team did get the easy regional because CBS wanted to pave the way to the final 4 this year as their media contract is up for bid and Duke sells. They were the number 4 rated number one seed and yet they got to open with the play-in game winner. What they did not count on is Baylor being good and playing them in Houston. Should be an exciting game.
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Colin Cowherd had a great show this week regarding New York vs. Los Angeles. It started where some myopic New Yorker called and said the Saint John basketball opening was the greatest. Cowherd countered saying that it was not, poor facilities, no income generated from a football program hurting it. Then he said something that most people from that area have never been able to comprehend...except the ones who have moved to LA. People in LA do not move to New York in droves, but people from New York move to LA in droves and stay if they can make it. You do the math...Brentwood or Brooklyn. An 8 foot mound of snow in a parking lot or a Pacific Sunset in February with the temp around 65? East Coasters, its' a big world out there...get hip and take that California trip. And visit the mecca of basketball while you are out there, the Staples Center. Alot more championships than the Gah-den, and it doens't smell like racoon urine.
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I see all these teams make March Madness and I have to ask myself one question. Why doesn't Arizona State make it more often? The only answer I can get is they don't pay enough money to the bigtime players. I have seen so many campuses and if I am 18, most don't compare to ASU. Sunshine, great facilities, entertainment right off campus no car needed, and beautiful, really beautiful women. 8 feet of snow in the parking lot in March, or coeds laying on the grass by the palm trees. This is a puzzle greater than Rubics Cube. Go underdogs and lets make this the un-brand name final 4!

That Was Madness

Finally for the first time in years we are back on the path of upset city in the madness that is the NCAA tournament. We are going to have a sweet 16 matchup of Kentucky- Cornell. This Cornell outfit is the first Ivy League team to make the sweet 16. Could there be a bigger contrast. Kentucky, an all-time basketball power that lives on the edge with coaches that push the envelope and fans that do not take kindly to second place and Cornell...Ivy League with a high percentage of graduation from the players. Oh yeah, Cornell hammered what has always been a tough Wisconsin team. The win was no fluke.

Earlier in the week I heard some announcer say that Vasquez from Maryland was considered the best Terp ever. Really? Over Len Bias, John Lucas, Bernard King and more. No way. Still in the Michigan State/Maryland thriller, you could see the isolation play forming and you just felt he was unstoppable...and he was. What a well coached thrilling game. The best part is that the coaches let the players play. My bone to pick with the college games is over coaching. This game was a great example where less was more.

West Virginia is really a hard playing team. Check out their interior passing. It is a thing of beauty.

The dagger shot by Northern Iowa against Kansas was just awesome. They could have run off 29 more seconds. It was a wide open look by a dead eye shooter. The shot put them over the top and don't you know the second guessing would have started had he missed. The beauty of the NCAA tourney is that with one and done, the best team doesn't always win. If you question this, see the University of Houston or Georgetown.

Syracuse looked like a machine with their wins. They just play in a higher gear. What passing and what a complete game when they are clicking. They are a force to be reckoned with. Kentucky looks really strong through the first 2 games as well.

If you were told a few years ago a team from Texas was in the sweet 16, you probably would not guess the Baylor Bears. Yet, coming back from massive probation just a few years ago, the Bears are in the Houston Regional. Don't count them out...they have 3 really good guards, size and a great shot blocker.

The step brother school from Kansas, Kansas State, is the one advancing in the tournament and they look like they belong as well.

Wrapping it up, if you like the unknown team and the mid major, this is the year for you. No North Carolina or UCLA. But an Ivy League, a Northern Iowa and a Saint Marys'. Who will be this years James Madison?