‘MARCH MADNESS’ BRINGS OUT TEAMS TO ROOT FOR & AGAINST

KC Sports & Fitness
March 2012
By John Landsberg
Isn’t this just a great time of year? March generally means the end of snow and March 20th will mark the official start of spring.
But real sports fans really don’t care about that stuff. To them March signals the start of almost an entire month of NCAA basketball games as 68 teams battle from March 13 until only two are left standing Monday night, April 2, at the Louisiana Superdome.
It’s been dubbed “March Madness” for a reason.
The NCAA college basketball tournament has become the biggest event in all of sports. There really is no other sports competition in this country that can match it for all-out intensity and unbridled hatred over an extended time.
Oh, and by the way, the FBI estimates $2.5 billion will be wagered on the games. Yes, that is a “B.”
Some folks might claim the Super Bowl is the greatest event, but let’s face it, sometimes the matchups really aren’t that terrific and sometimes suffer because of geographical reasons. This year’s Super Bowl turned into a good game, but unless you live in New York or New England, it was difficult to really get charged up about it.
That is where the NCAA Tournament is unique. People have their favorite teams to root for from their given areas around the country. And they also have their favorite teams to root against.
In this area University of Kansas fans will be upset when their team exits (in probably the second round), but all will be well if Missouri gets knocked out early. The thought of Missouri being in the final four would be absolute torture to most KU faithful.
There are two teams that could surprise folks this year. One is Missouri, which could get on a roll with its hot shooters and make things very interesting as the Tigers could go very deep in the tourney. The other is Baylor, which also has the guns to go very deep. Both teams have the talent.
Basketball is one sport where the playing field (court) is really relatively level. In football it takes an entire offense and defense for success. That means a minimum of 22 players plus plenty more subs. In basketball, just five players working as a unit can work miracles. Parity reigns in basketball.

There will be Cinderella stories in this year’s NCAA tourney as there always have. Gonzaga made it to the Elite 8 in 1999 until eventual champ Connecticut ended its dream. How about Butler making it all the way to the title game before being upended by Duke in 2010?
Last year many “experts” originally felt 11th seeded Virginia Commonwealth University should not have even been allowed in the tourney. But five straight upset victories by the Rams against teams from power conferences—including Kansas—propelled them into the Final Four where former Cinderella team Butler sent them packing.
While those are all great positive stories and we love underdogs, I still think much of the key to the success and immense interest the tourney generates is really based on hatred.
Yes, we can all say we root for certain teams, but we also root just as hard against certain teams. To me, Duke could win the tournament every year for the next century and it would be fine with me. Others hate Duke for its success.
I think that Mike Krzyzewski is probably the finest coach in basketball today. His players always seem to carry themselves with class. You get the impression Duke players actually attend classes. Other teams cannot say the same.
On the other side, I would celebrate if Kentucky was eliminated in the first round. Coach John Calipari lands the best players and many are only planning on spending a year at Kentucky before heading in the pros. To them, college is just a joke. Any team playing Kentucky is basically facing off against a pro team.
Kentucky today seems to be on track to replace the old UNLV teams of Jerry Tarkanian where it was common knowledge the program was slimy. He was finally forced out in 1992 after numerous violations surfaced, including a point-shaving scandal.
In 1991, Duke knocked off an undefeated UNLV team in the semifinals. It is still considered one of the greatest in the annals of college basketball. Why? Because in many fans’ minds it pitted good versus evil.
How good were Tarkanian’s “Runnin Rebels?” They entered the game 34-0. Their average margin of victory was by 27.5 points. They scored just under 100 point a game. They had beaten Duke 101-70 in the championship game the previous year.
However, when the dust settled Duke had taken a 79-77 victory. The hatred of UNLV was so great that Duke was promptly dubbed “America’s Team” and continues to hold that honor today.

This year I am also rooting for an early exit for Syracuse. I firmly believe that Coach Jim Boeheim has been given a pass over child molestation charges that resulted in his long-time assistant coach being fired.
When Boeheim was told about the accusations against his close friend of 50 years, Bernie Fine, he immediately began attacking Fine’s accusers. What? He attacked kids who may have been sexually abused? Without any proof?
Penn State’s Joe Paterno did far less when molestation charges came up against his former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Paterno was promptly fired and died within a few months with his once-impeccable image forever tarnished.
Why the pass for Boeheim? In could be because many sports journalists across the country are Syracuse grads who have worshipped at the altar of Boeheim for years. When the scandal hit Penn State who grilled Sandusky mercilessly? That was Syracuse alum Bob Costas. Heard of any Costas guttings of Boeheim? Go figure.
How protective are Cuse grads of their beloved coach? One local ‘Cuse sports talker recently bragged he actually “loves” Boeheim. Another ‘Cuse alum TV reporter warned me that only Syracuse grads are allowed to refer to the school as “’Cuse.” And you wonder why they circle the wagons around their beloved head coach?
This year’s tournament will provide a multitude of highlights before we all listen to “One Shining Moment” when it concludes. If certain teams win and others lose it will be a great shining moment for many of us.