“Life is never more fun than when you’re the underdog competing against the giants.”
H. Ross Perot
March Madness’ Welcome Return
It was almost exactly one year ago when we all sat in disbelief as the Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament, or “March Madness” as it is colloquially known, was canceled for the first time in, like, ever. Sadly, it was the harbinger of things to come, but now after a full year of quarantines, cancelations, closings, shortages, claustrophobia, unplanned homeschooling, bubbles, empty stadiums with piped in crowd noise, contact tracing, designer masks, and TikTok addiction, we finally have something that almost feels normal. March Madness has returned, albeit in ways that can only be explained in the context of a post-pandemic world. I must say that I am both nostalgic and proud that the entire tournament is being hosted in my great home state, the basketball state, the state with a hoop on every barn and in every driveway. “In 49 states, it’s just basketball, but this is Indiana.” That may not be as true as it once was, but it seems appropriate that Indiana would provide the venue for the return of the most exciting tournament, and the best 48 hours (the first two days), in all of sports.
We’re Not Even Halfway Through Day One, and It’s Already Started
Some of you were already burning your brackets when you looked at the results of the Ohio State game and discovered the winner had an “R” where the “S” should be. If you didn’t get to see any of this game, you missed an instant classic. Oral Roberts University joined the very short list (nine teams all time) of 15 seeds to defeat a 2 seed in the first round. That brings the total of B1G powerhouses to have an early exit to two, with both Ohio State and Michigan State losing in less than 24 hours. The Golden Eagles were led by the one-two bunch of Kevin Obanor and Max Abmas, which must be a Germanic name, because it is pronounced ACE-MAS sort of like Christmas. Maybe the “B” is really one of those funny German B-looking characters that sounds like an “S” instead. Anyway, this massive upset was worth 16 points to those minions who picked them – 13 upset bonus points plus the scategories bonus. If the rest of the tournament provides this much excitement, we’re in for a wild ride.
Never Underestimate the Power of Having a 101-year-old Nun On The Sidelines
The Loyola of Chicago fighting Sister Jeans are back, and so is Sister Jean at age 101. There’s nothing else to be said about that other than I hope that when I’m 101, I’m still writing March Madness commentary.
Stick to Toothpaste
For about 10 minutes of game time it seemed as though Colgate might shock Arkansas with a 14-over-3 upset, but the Razorbacks scored 17 straight points to close the first half and never looked back. Ultimately Arkansas was able to brush them aside in the battle of the bathroom toiletries.
Can Somebody Close That Blind?
With apologies to Butler grads in the contest and throughout the world, can somebody please close the blind on that window in Hinkle Fieldhouse? There is a narrow band of very, very bright sunshine just on one side of the floor that is totally annoying for TV viewing and has to be irritating for the players as well.
The 12-5 Upset Tradition Continues
Contest veterans will know that the 12-5 matchup is one to always watch for upsets, as the way the committee seeds the teams often results in 12 seeds that aren’t that far apart talent-wise from their 5 seed opponents. We got the first of our 12 seed victors already in the first session with the Oregon State Beavers victory over the Tennessee Volunteers. While not a scategories bonus, it still provides a hefty seven bonus points for all you Beaver backers. Incidentally, the Beavers were picked to finish dead last in the Pac 12, and then proceeded to win their conference tournament.
It’s Chinese Friday
I don’t have any real awards to offer yet, as I am still getting wits about me having been home exactly six hours after playing 144 holes of golf in four days. So, it’s time to order my Chinese food, watch more basketball, and sharpen my wits for the evening commentary and, yes, awards, I promise.
Ok, one award. Incredibly, it didn’t even take eight games for EVERYONE in the contest to take at least one loss. That means there’s not Crazy Eight or Eight Is Enough award to hand out for the first session. But, the Yes I Lost A Game But I’m Still In First So Nah Nanny Boo Boo award goes to our session one contest leaders: Ben Watkins, Spencer O, Bray Snyder, and Brielle Wynn.
Check back late tonight or tomorrow for the Day One wrap up commentary.