If there's one thing Brown has taught me, it's that everyone has their own tastes. Some people enjoy tennis, I used to think some girls were "universally attractive," and I just read that NASCAR gets the second-highest television ratings of any sport in the country. To each his own, I guess.
But, IMHO (that's "in my humble opinion," which I saw in a Yankee chat forum and have embraced as my baby) subjectivity goes out the window for March Madness. If you don't love the tournament and embrace it as the best thing in sports, you're wrong. Here's what I love about the NCAA tournament:
CinderellasEvery single year, a Cinderella emerges and squashes the dreams of a powerhouse. Is there anything more beautiful than watching five future pros crying their eyes out as thousands of stunned fans wonder what went wrong? The only downside is the obligatory "Who will be this year's George Mason?" conversation, along with the fact that the longer Cinderella lasts, the more likely it is we'll have a less-than-competitive game late in the tournament.
PoolsThe games alone are exciting, but add a little dose of pride and a bigger dose of cash prizes, and you've got one spicy-meat-a-ball. Pools make uninspiring 12-seed vs. 5-seed match-ups so much fun to watch because every single game matters.
Guard playThe adage that great guard play wins the tournament doesn't come out of nowhere. There is a reason that a wingman like Kevin Durant of Texas gets infinitely more touches than a center like Ohio State's Greg Oden does. NCAA teams tend to pack into tight zones and force guards to either break down the zones off the dribble or shoot lots of three-pointers. I respect a good low post game, but I'd rather watch someone come off screens and shoot deep threes or a lightning quick point guard take it to the rack.
The three-point lineI'm not trying to brag, but I once made 12 threes in a row. It's not a very difficult shot to make, and if someone catches fire, the three-ball can carry an inferior opponent to victory. My favorite tournament team was the 2001-02 Indiana team. They were un-athletic, slow and relied on Jarred Jeffries to get every single rebound and make every single defensive play, but they had a bunch of trey-poppin' farm boys who could rain threes. The farm boys got hot and gave Maryland a run for their money in the championship game.
You can scout players for the NBA draftChances are most people have not seen much of players like Georgetown's Jeff Green or Georgia Tech's Thaddeus Young, or even North Carolina's Brendan Wright, a guy who stars on an ACC powerhouse that gets coverage on ESPN. Last year, the tournament gave pro fans a look at top prospects such as Rudy Gay and Adam Morrison, while less well-known players such as Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah made a name for themselves. If there is one good thing about the new NBA rule that forces players to spend a year in school before they can declare for the draft, it's that by the time players like Durant and Oden are in the pros, they will already be stars with familiar games and skill sets.
Young kids playing really, really hardWatch a Knicks-Celtics game and then watch an NCAA tournament game. Here's what you're probably thinking: "Mardy Collins, Nate Robinson, Renaldo Balkman, Channing Frye and Jerome James vs. Sebastian Telfair, Alan Ray, Ryan Gomes, Brian Scalabrini and Michael Olowokandi might be the most pathetic group of NBA players I've ever seen on the floor at the same time," followed by, "Wow, are these guys even trying?" With the exception of Rudy Gay, college players go all out, playing 40 minutes of the most passionate basketball you'll ever see.
Tom Trudeau '09 and Trick Daddy luv' da' kids.
