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?