Author: Andrew Valdes
Well, sports fans, it is that time of year again, where every other sport takes a backseat to the March Basketball spectacular. No, it is not the start of the WNBA season; it’s the NCAA tournament. Every year, fans band together and root for their favorite teams to make it to the illustrious Final Four-or at least it may seem that way.
Really, what this tournament is to most people, is a chance to garner bragging rights amongst one’s friends, family and co-workers by filling out a tournament bracket and trying to guess your way to infamy. Whether you are an avid college basketball fan or have no idea what a Tar Heel or Blue Devil is, the NCAA tournament finds a way to captivate us all, and that is purely through the majesty that is the tournament bracket.
Unfortunately for me, I am not doing so well in my bracket. If you are like me and trying to find something or someone to spark interest in the tournament for you, here is a list of things to look out for in the second half of the tournament that will hopefully make you forget about your foolish decision of not putting Villanova through to the Sweet 16:
1. Tyler Hansbrough: With a nickname like Psycho T and all the hype and buzz surrounding this player, it will be interesting to see if he can deliver when they are forced to venture outside of Carolina, where he most likely will not get the 15 foul calls a game in his favor. If Hansbrough continues to be a force, not in the middle, but on the free throw line, I like the Tar Heels’ chances.
2. Davidson Wildcats: After getting ousted in the first round last year by Maryland, The Wildcats are looking to be the Cinderella team to watch. Having taken the tournament by storm by upsetting both Gonzaga and Georgetown (a Final Four favorite for many), Davidson is led by sophomore phenomenon Stephen Curry whose tournament performance thus far has made him a household name- he’s averaging 35 points per game through the first two rounds of the tournament.
3. The 1 vs. 12 match-up: Look out for these match-ups as UCLA takes on Western Kentucky and Kansas faces Villanova. While the path to the Final Four may look all too easy for these number 1 seeds, I expect to see some fans sweat this week as their teams face a possible upset. All season, UCLA has had to pull victories seemingly out of nowhere. While these miracle wins have had to come often in order for them to stay in, it is beginning to seem that the Bruins are the team of destiny or the team of pure dumb luck. Kansas, on the other hand, may have the easier trip of the two, having the possibility of facing either Wisconsin or Davidson in the Elite 8.
4. Big Red vs. The Tree: Possibly two of the most hilarious mascots in the college game today-the Stanford Tree and Big Red of Western Kentucky-find themselves on the big stage rooting for their respective teams. Instead of trying to imagine what a possible Stanford vs. WKU match-up would look like, I find myself more intrigued by the possibility of a full-blown mascot fight between the two. On one side, you have the Stanford Tree, who looks like a giant tree with googly eyes and a large menacing grin on his face. On the other side, there is Big Red, who essentially is a giant red blob thing with a hanging belly, large eyes and a gaping mouth. On paper, this looks like a fair fight, but in my opinion-while the Tree may have the height and reach advantage-Big Red has the charisma to take down the tree. In all honesty, I don’t even know why we are spending so much time on basketball when mascot brawls may be where the real action is. ESPN 2, I hope you are listening.
If you are like me and find yourself struggling to garner any interest in the second half of the tournament, hopefully I have helped in some way. If not, well, maybe the WNBA does not sound so bad after all. I hear they have excellent fundamentals.
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