Don't Change 64: You're Perfect the Way You Are

Am I wrong here? It was called Nintendo 64, right? Not Nintendo 96. It's arguably the best system of all time. Its graphics transcended gaming. Its controller fit in your hand like no controller had before -- unless you consider your penis a controller... yeah, you probably don't -- It gave us games that are still fun over ten years later; Super Mario 64, Mario Kart 64, Golden Eye, Perfect Dark, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Super Smash Brothers...the list goes on. If something is that perfect, why would you change it?

 This system brought a lot of people a lot of joy. All 64-bits.

If you haven't realized by now, I'm not actually talking about Nintendo 64 -- I was, but now I'm going to pretend that it was an analogy for the NCAA Tournament. Here I go. -- What I’m really talking about is the NCAA tournament, more specifically it's field of 64 (cough), 65 teams. Four regions of sixteen teams apiece, equaling three weekends of bliss. It's as close to perfection as Jessica Alba, and now the NCAA is considering changing it. But why?

I understand why Heidi Montag had her entire body reshaped with ten plastic surgery procedures in one day. She wasn’t hot and she wanted to be. Nice… effort... I guess… But that’s like the NIT. No, more like the College Basketball Invitational (CBI)-- a postseason basketball tournament below the NIT and CIT that no one even knows exists -- deciding to employ a new seeding structure for its teams. I don’t care, but since no one likes you, spicing things up is probably a smart play. But if you’re the Mecca of sporting events, the Abraham Lincoln of tournaments, the Mt. Everest of entertainment, the Jessica Alba of my life, why the hell would you change? There is only one answer. Money.

Here are 64 (cough), 65 reasons why the tournament should not expand:

1. The Bracket! I respect any purist out there who doesn’t fill out a bracket. It shouldn’t be about your bracket, it should be about the underdogs, the buzzer beaters, the seniors getting their last chance at immortality. But for so many it is. My sister would not watch March Madness if she wasn’t in a pool, the lady who sits next to me at work wouldn’t care if I didn’t force her to fill out a bracket, my cousin watches every game and he hates basketball. Deny it if you want, hate it if you will, the bracket is as big a part of March as anything. Ruin the bracket, ruin the Madness.

2. I don’t care about the 31 next best teams! We watch March Madness to see the best and to see the Cinderella’s. We don’t watch to see underachieving major conference teams knock off the winners of small conferences and then get pumped by the Kentuckys and Syracuses. I want to see the small schools play the big boys.


3. 64 is the perfect number! Round One: Four Regions of 16 - 16 - 16 -16. Round Two: 8 - 8 - 8 - 8. Sweet Sixteen: 4 - 4 - 4 - 4. Elite Eight: 2 - 2 - 2 - 2. Final Four: 1 - 1 - 1 - 1. Then the Finals. Doesn’t that work out well? Which brings me to…


4. 96 doesn’t work. 96 divided by 4 is 24, so 24 teams a region. Twelve win in the first round… then six… then three… Notice a problem? What they are going to do is have 64 teams play for 32 spots in the tournament. Thirty-two play-in games. No one wants that.


5. Some teams are going to play fewer games. It’s six wins to the NCAA Championship. It’s the only fair way! Everyone is on an equal playing field.


6. There will still be bubbles burst. The 97th, 98th and 99th teams will still complain that they should have gotten in. If you want to get in, then do more!

7. Mid-Major conference tournaments won’t mean as much. For me, March Madness starts when the conference tournaments start. An elimination conference tournament game is almost as good as an NCAA tournament game. These teams really want it! If both of these teams are already in the tournament field under the new format… We don’t get to watch a great game.

8. Villanova -- It will only hurt higher seeds, making them play an extra game. Remember when Villanova won as an eight seed? I don’t because I was 6 weeks old, but around tourney time my dad never shuts up about it.

9. The Dance would lose it’s reward factor. If you make it into the field of 64, wow. It must be an awesome feeling. You really earned something. If you make it into an expanded field of 96…it just doesn’t feel as special. When you ask out the nerdy girl with no friends, a “yes” doesn’t mean anything. When you ask out the prom queen, a “yes” means everything.

10. The Selection Show would take too long! I don’t have three hours to listen to Greg Gumbel each year. I only have one.

11. George Mason. Probably wouldn’t see anything like #11 George Mason making the Final Four again. But who cares about that?

 For some reason I don’t think Tony Skinn would change a thing.

12. #12 seeds upset #5 seeds 33% of the time. But that probably doesn’t interest you.

13. Four #13 seeds have made the sweet sixteen since the tournament was expanded in 1985. If the tournament is expanded that accomplishment would now take three games. Oh well, I’ll only be missing out on some of the greatest moments of my life.

14. #14 Ohio knocked off #3 Georgetown this year. ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!!!

15. Four #15 seeds have defeated #2 seeds. Richmond, Santa Clara, Coppin State and Hampton. I bet that felt pretty good. 

16. I’m still waiting for the first #16 to do it! A sixteen seed will beat a one seed one day, and I’ll be watching. Don’t take that away from me.

17. The team that loses the play-in game doesn’t even feel like they made the tournament. “Great season guys, making the tournament was great, that was a great Arkansas Pine Bluff team. What can you do” - Someone from Winthrop. Give me a break. They don’t even feel like they made the tournament. Don’t do that to thirty-one more teams!

18. People already don’t show up to watch the first round! I say this having never actually been to a tournament game myself -- It’s just too great watching it on TV -- but the crowd is already sparse at many opening round sites. Who is going to show up for a play in game between Virginia Tech and Rhode Island, and please don’t tell me one of the teams would get to play the game at home. This isn’t the NIT.

19. There are nineteen days from start to finish of the tournament. Not counting the play-in game that no one watches. Let’s not run too far into softball season, OKAY GUYS?!

20. We’re going to have to think of new names for rounds. Since teams will have to win to get to the field of 64, we have to give it a name. The suitable sixty-four? That sounds worse than butt-sex with Lexington Steele.

21. I’ve been watching the NCAA tournament for twenty-one years and never been disappointed. That means I started at three. That’s legit, right?

22. Joe Lunardi can’t keep track of 96 teams! Are you crazy?! Actually Joe probably can. I'm more worried about my mom.

We wouldn't throw you under the bus Joe... Or would we?

23. My Excel Spreadsheet won’t work! A few year ago I constructed an excel spreadsheet that allows me to weight different stats and then it determines who should win each game. I don’t think I could make another one.

24. It’ll throw off my auction strategy. Right now I have my 8-12 team auction strategy down pat. Change it to 96 teams and it’s back to the drawing board.

25. Ashley Judd can’t attend another round of games! And if Ashley Judd’s not there Kentucky is pretty much playing 4 on 5.

 Remember Double Jeopardy? Yeah, that movie wasn't that good.

26. Aren’t these Student Athletes? Not that I care, but this is a few more days they are missing class. Put your hands up all those parents out there!

27. The Refs! Does no one ever think about the refs?! They can’t referee that many games in one week. It’s not healthy.

28. My grandfather has arthritis and can’t circle that many games. Do you not want my grandfather to be able to participate? Is that what this is about?!?

29. The women’s tournament might follow! If the men’s tournament going to 96 would make me mad, the women’s tournament going to 96 might be too much for me to handle. What if I accidentally turned on a #24 v. #9 play-in matchup? Would there be reason to go on?

30. Stephan Curry. Would he have made his run if he’d had to win another game? Would he have been so special?

 Playing college basketball for Davidson at seven years old, Stephon Curry brought us all a lot of joy.

31. It will piss off Doug Gottlieb. Have you seen this guy mad? You don't want to.

32. Rutgers still won’t make it! So I still won’t have a team near and dear to my heart to root for!

33. Great records will be broken. As we add more and more games we lose track of the history of the tournament. Most points in an individual tournament, Glen Rice, 184 in 1989. If the tournament expands, say good bye to your record Glen.

34. How many times I’ll say “this is lame” during the first crappy play-in game I watch between Pepperdine and Northeastern. 

35. I can’t get Tuesday off work too!!! What the hell is this? You want me to lose my job?

36. We’d have to change the tournament’s theme song! We’d have to change it from “One Shining Moment” sung so beautifully by Luther Vandross and now Jennifer Hudson to “Circus” by Brittney Spears.

 Britney has always hinted that she'd love to sing the NCAA Tournament's theme song.

37. The Bracket won’t fit on one piece of paper! I can’t carry around two pieces of paper with me for a month! That’s ridiculous!

38. My girlfriend watches American Idol on Tuesday nights! And she’s huge!

39. The tournament is paced perfectly. I sit down on my couch on Thursday morning and get up Sunday night. Then I have three days to make sure my legs don’t atrophy before I do it again. I love basketball, but I don’t know if I can handle two more days.

40. I could handle it. But could my body? Let’s get one thing straight, I could definitely handle it, but my body might not be able to. I eat more junk food for four days than any person should. It turns out gummy bears and jelly beans don’t have any nutritional value. I don’t want March Madness to kill me.

41. Jessica Alba told me in a dream that she doesn’t want it to change…then we boned.

I was lying. Jessica actually turned me down in my dream. Am I the only one getting rejected all the time in his dreams?

42. I can’t take anymore heart ache! If I put my heart and soul behind ten to twelve more teams that lose… I just might not be able to pull myself off the floor.

43. If Jay Bilas is against it, I’m against it. 

44. Coach K is for it, I’m against it - Love you Wojo.

45. Let’s not forget how great N64 was. 

I spent three solid weeks beating this game. Would I do it again? In a second.

46. Because if the tournament was 96 teams I could not have written this post. It would have been too hard. Thinking of 96 reasons not to eat your own feces is hard. Thinking of even five is really tough. 1. It tastes bad. 2. It’s poisonous. 3. It will make your breath smell bad. 4. If anyone finds out you become “the kid who eats his own poop” and that has to hurt your chances with girls. 5. No drinks go well with shit. Okay, five was do able.

47. Our country already uses too much electricity. Can we really afford to expand the field before we discover some new sources of renewable energy?

 I'm thinking something with a hamster and a wheel, but it's still in the experimental stages.

48. Look what happened last time people demanded more...

 This too could have been avoided.

49. Look at what happened the time before that!

 Will people never learn?!?!

50. In-N-Out Burger refuses to expand to the east coast and everyone still loves them. 

51. Dick Vitale’s head might explode… is that a pro or a con? Just kidding, I love Dicky V (in small doses) and he’s for expansion… but still…

52. There is not enough “One Shining Moment” to go around! If we find a way not to change songs, how are we going to get all the extra shining moments in? Are we going to play it twice? God forbid we take out the clips of the crowd, bands and fans that make the video so special. Oh, wait...this round isn't going to provide any more shining moments. Nevermind.

53. The NIT would lose out on all of it’s really compelling matchups… ha… ha… hahahaha.

54. Don’t ever compare the NCAA tournament to college football bowl season again! I know that 68 out of 119 Division I Football Subdivision teams earn bowl bids! That’s why the bowls don’t matter at all. They need to adopt a 16 team March Madness like tournament!

55. Watching the bubble is really exciting. I actually derive a lot of pleasure from watching the bubble. Don’t take that from me.

56. Movies about the tournament would now suck! Wait a second, what’s the last good movie about the NCAA tournament? What’s the last movie about it period?

57. It would take even more attention away from the Frozen Four… What hockey calls it’s last four teams left… It’s being played right now… The college hockey tournament… Nevermind.

58. and 59. The Feres twins like things how they are. They told me.

 I'm not sure why, but I trust the Feres twins.

60. SportsCenter is only an hour long. Think of Scott Van Pelt for a second people!

61. What if an NBA prospect got injured in that extra game? That would suck! (Reaching... further...)

62. You should never ruin a great thing just for more money. How is this number 62?!?!

63. I’m going to get fired and arrested for punching a coworker in the face for telling me about the unreal Washington State v. Grambling State play-in game that took place the previous night. 

64. (cough) 65 is perfection. Let’s be real for a second, play-in winner doesn’t count.

65. Because it’s hard to think up 65 reasons for anything, this took a long-ass time, and I don’t want it to change!

Dear Jessica Alba (I’m really talking about the NCAA Tournament),

Everyone thinks you’re perfect the way you are. Please don’t change just because other people are telling you that bigger breasts and collagen injections would help you make more money. I think your tight frame and subtle lips are two of your best features.

Your Friend,
Everyone

If we all hold hands maybe we can stop this. I'm leaning probably not though.

Didn't You Get the Invite Michigan State? No? Oh Well...

GOD DAMN IT MICHIGAN STATE! STOP COMING TO OUR PARTY AND VOMITING ALL OVER EVERYTHING!!!!

As is par for the course, an extremely punchable Michigan State Spartan team knocked off my beloved Northern Iowa Farokhmaneshs last night. Not only did it solidify my point that the guy who does the dirty work never gets to bang the girl -- Northern Iowa knocking off Kansas and getting bumped in the next round -- but it proves the truest, most undeniable fact of all; Michigan State is the Grinch who stole March Madness, and its heart is still, and will always be, three sizes too small. THEY ALWAYS DO THIS! (not quite always, but REALLY CLOSE TOO IT!)  They single handily ruin the tournament for me each and every year and I have had enough! This is for you Greivis!

Little did Geirvis know he would soon be Michigan Stated.

Michigan Stated - (sometimes abbr. stated) |’sta•ted| (v.) to be unjustly knocked out of the tournament by an unlikable Michigan State team: I should be watching that timeless Northern Iowa team play, but they got stated on Friday night. FML.

 The Elite Eight Reasons Michigan State Should Not Be Invited To The Dance

8. They are horribly unfun to watch. Absolutely. Horribly. Unfun. Part of it is due to the fact that I'm always rooting against them and they are always winning, but it's sooooo much more than that. They use the entire shot clock almost every possession, usually missing a forced shot with somewhere under five seconds left. As the ball bounds off rim and you breathe a deep sigh of relief...Michigan State grabs the offensive rebound. Of course they do! They dominate rebounding margin every year, and when they grab said offensive rebound, they pull it out and use another 35 seconds. This time they dump it into the center who takes sixteen dribbles in the same place, turns and promptly misses a two foot hook shot. Not to worry, one of his teammates will be waiting to tip it in. Then they play solid, but by means exciting Chris Kramer defense, and if you're still awake you can watch them foul your team, not enough to get you into the double bonus, just enough to bring the game to a crawl.

7. Sans Magic Johnson, one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Michigan State never gives us superstars! They never have the exciting game changer! Their player's mediocre talents don't translate to the next level. It's the system, they aren't good! Some of my favorite teams have been collections of "college guys," players with no chance of playing at the next level -- 2010 Northern Iowa, 2006 West Virgina, 2003 Butler -- but their charm was in the fact that they looked like they had walked out of Jewish community center onto an NCAA tournament court! They had appeal! Koch, Pittsnogle, Gansey, Archie... Who has Michigan State given us? Morris Peterson - sucks, Maurice Ager - sucks, Charlie Bell - sucks, Shannon Brown - seems good, but never plays so his coaches must think he sucks, Eric Snow - has a point guard ever had a worse jump shot, Jason Richardson - decent but nothing special, KEVIN WILLIS??? REALLY??? Give me a break Michigan State! Get some talent, some fun players or stop overachieving.

6. This guy...

Yup. Definitely this guy.

5. When their joke run is over Michigan State gets pounded! Okay. So you have made it to the sweet sixteen, the elite eight, the Final Four, God forbid we have to watch you in the Finals. These are the major TV games. The games everyone watches...and guess who doesn't show up?

2009 Finals: UNC 89 Michigan State 72 - It wasn't really that close.
2008 Sweet Sixteen: Memphis 92 Michigan State 74 - It wasn't really that close
2007 Second Round: UNC 81 Michigan State 67 - It wasn't really that close
2006 First Round: George Mason 75 Michigan 65 - Their one gift to us! But...it wasn't really that close.

Not one of those games was even in the single digits! Does Michigan State give up? They just might.

The Final Four Reasons Michigan State Should Not Be Invited To The Dance

4. and 3. Michigan State always gets a lucky draw and knocks out the teams that are worth rooting for! Yeah, you're going to say what about last year. Last year as a #2 seed they beat #3 Kansas, #1 Louisville and #1 UConn before losing to #1 UNC. WELL THEY PLAYED THE FINAL FOUR IN MICHIGAN AND THEY HAD THAT AS MOTIVATION FOR THE ELITE EIGHT!

Let's look at this year. Instead of #1. Kansas they get #9. Northern Iowa, instead of #2. Ohio State they get #6. Tennessee. Instead of #1. Syracuse or #2. Kansas State I'm sure they'll find a way to play #5. Butler in the Final Four. That’s just what they do.

In 2001 Michigan State made it to the Final Four. Who did they beat to get there you ask? #16. Alabama State, #9. Fresno State, #12 Gonzaga -- when they were fun to root for -- then they had a tough game against #11. Temple... Hmmm... Guess what happened next? You guessed it. They played a #2 seeded Arizona squad and lost by 19. That is soooooo Michigan State.

 Michigan State took Blake Stepp from us.

In 2000 when they won the National Championship with Mateen Cleaves -- the one Michigan State player I love and will never speak ill of, notice he was left off the lack of elite talent’s list -- Michigan State played #8. Wisconsin in the Final Four and #5. Florida in the finals!!! ARE YOU SERIOUS??? I challenge you to find a championship team that played two opponents in the Final Four and Finals with seeds adding up to close to 13!!! Done. In 2006 Florida did, #11. George Mason and #2 UCLA. But lets all agree. That was totally different, not only was Florida a #3 themselves, but that George Mason team was FOR REALZ!!!

2. In 1979 Magic Johnson and Michigan State knocked off Larry Bird's Cinderella Indiana State Sycamores. I wasn't alive. It's probably for the best. Classic fucking Michigan State! One of the greatest stories of all time and they shit on it! I can't even talk about it any more...

I've always been cool with Tom Izzo but...

You made a bet, Tom. You lost that bet, Tom. PAY UP, TOM!

1. Tom Izzo is a welcher! Last year Tom Izzo said, nay he promised, that he would shave his head if Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season title. He promised the Michigan State student section, the very students who put their academics on hold to cheer for his team every chance they get, who think Tom Izzo is a Golden God, who crap the green and white every afternoon after lunch and every night before bed. I respect people who make bets where losing means doing something they really don’t want to do. It would suck if Tom Izzo had to shave his head, he would look foolish, but Tom Izzo is a grown ass man and when he loses a bet he needs to pay up! When I was twelve I was watching a tennis match and foolishly bet my dad 5 dollars that Sampras would win. My dad accepted and instantly told me to get him the money by dinner. The match was a rerun! It had been played the previous day! I was an idiot, but I had lost the bet and I would pay or I would never be able to bet with my father again. Michigan State won the Big Ten regular season title last year and Tom Izzo still has not shaved his head...

"I don't lie to my students," Izzo said. "It's going to be embarrassing, but I've done a lot of embarrassing things. This will be one more added to the list."

I watched him on PTI a few days ago, over a year later, and he said something along the lines of, I make a lot of promises. I keep ninety percent of them... I'm not a fool.

You are a fool Tom Izzo! You are one hell of a coach, but you are a fool. Anyone who admits to keeping ninety percent of their promises is a turd! A real man keeps 100% of the promises he can. But I guess no one at Michigan State would know anything about that would they?

(A moment of silence -- so Michigan State will go down to Tennessee in the elite eight)

You've taken so much and given so little Michigan State. You are the mean kid with no friends who shows up at other school's dances completely sober and takes advantage of drunk high school girls. I've had enough. Do me a favor and don't show up to the dance next year. YOU’RE NOT INVITED! YOU NEVER HAVE BEEN!

Falling in Love with March Madness

March Madness is down to 16 teams. So unless you went to undergrad (yes, only undergrad) at one of the schools left, are in the mix to win some serious money, or are a huge douche, it's time to throw away your bracket and start rooting with your heart (or mine if yours doesn't steer you towards Cornell, Northern Iowa and St. Mary's. Did I forget a team? No. I do not believe I did.).

I'll be the first to admit that each year on Thursday afternoon as the tournament begins, I sit down with my bracket and I root for the teams I've selected. How can I not? The bracket is a major reason why the tournament is so special. However, as large cross outs start to fill up my bracket my mindset changes.

This year, as per usual, as the sweet sixteen rolls around my bracket doesn't give me much to root for. Unfortunately, Siena, UTEP, New Mexico St., Marquette, Oklahoma St., Texas and Richmond didn't make it to the sweet sixteen. In fact, NONE OF THEM EVEN MADE IT TO THE SECOND ROUND! Add the fact that I cheered as my National Championship pick (Kansas) got knocked off and you have someone who doesn't really care about his (2.3% on ESPN) bracket any more... WHICH IS GREAT! Honestly, it's like walking in on your controlling girl friend cheating on you -- You finally have a reason to be free of this unruly succubus. It's time to follow your heart.

If you haven't already, it's time to fall in love. First round upsets are great, but they happen, and if you blink they've been knocked off in the second round two days later. Realistically, a team needs to make the sweet sixteen to fully capture our imagination. The teams that have done that this year? Northern Iowa, St. Mary's and Cornell.

 With a win against Kentucky, Cornell could finally afford some new jerseys.

The reason I don't include #11 Washington in this group is because I hate them. I hate any major conference team that sneaks into the tournament and then thinks they are a Cinderella Story when they win a few games. In my opinion, all under achieving major conference teams should be given 8 or 9 seeds (the seeds of death). Let them play a game and then get bounced by a one seed. Let's look at the past few years of #1 seed action. Yes, Alabama knocked off a horrible #1 in Stanford in 2005, but the other two upsets, both over #1 overall seeds, Northern Iowa over Kansas this year and UAB over Kentucky in 2004. Two scrappy hardworking TEAMS! Those are the teams we want to see more of. Screw off underachieving major conference teams.

So this year we have Northern Iowa, St. Mary's and Cornell. We already fell in love with Northern Iowa last weekend, but she's a real chill girl and lets us be in an open relationship. St. Mary's is more of an on-the-side-lover. We love her when we're with her, but when she's out of sight...she's out of mind. Finally, we have Cornell, ohhhhhhh Cornell how I love thee. Cornell is that girl you are so fucking close to asking out. You want to love her with all the passion of your heart, but part of you knows she couldn’t love you back. Something deep down inside of you knows that if you give her everything you have and she doesn't give you anything back...you may never be able to love again.

That is what makes Kentucky v. Cornell the most compelling game of this NCAA tournament and probably the most compelling game since #1 UConn played #11 George Mason for a spot in the Final Four. No one will blame Cornell if they can't keep up with the size and strength of Kentucky. They made a great run, they don't give scholarships, they're thinking about their homework that's pilling up back on campus, but what if they do?!?!?!?!?! What if they aren't scared? What if they hit their threes and play scrappy “nothing to lose” defense? What if they make it a game and have a chance to pull off the greatest upset in the history of March? What if they do love you back?

What if Cornell does love you but you were too big of a pussy to ask her out? Could you live with that?

Each and every year the NCAA tournament delivers. There are always upsets and Cinderella stories (cough) except last year, but this game is different. It's better! An Ivy League school with two NCAA tournament wins, both coming this year, against an SEC team that has the most tournament wins of all time, 104. Kentucky has two top 5 picks in the upcoming NBA draft and 4 potential top twelve picks (Wall, Cousins, Patterson and Bledsoe)! Cornell players are scheduling job interviews from the team bus.

If you're not putting your heart and soul behind this Cornell team (that it appears hasn't had funding for new uniforms in 120 years) then maybe you should be watching something else. I think there’s bowling on ESPN2…

Clutch or in the Moment?

Last night I was "watching" the Mississippi v. Texas Tech Quarterfinal NIT game -- I assure you, you didn’t miss much -- and it got me thinking, as sports almost always do. First, it got me thinking about how staggeringly stupid it is that Texas Tech thinks putting “Red Raiders” on the back of their jerseys instead of their names signifies unity. Your point guard just fired six threes in a row without even considering passing and then yelled at your center to get the damn rebound-- You're not unified! Put your names on your jerseys so I know who I'm rooting against!

Moving on... What this game really got me thinking about was how much better the NCAA Tournament is than the NIT. I know, I just blew your mind. You thought the NIT was much more exciting than teams actually competing for a National Championship. I know, it's an obvious comment. But how much better it is, is truly staggering. This game went into DOUBLE OT with Texas Tech sinking two late three pointers to get it there. But I didn't care. I'm not totally sure the Ole Miss crowd cared when the second overtime buzzer rang and they had won the game!

I love good basketball. I love good, well-played, high intensity basketball. Most importantly I love close basketball games, games where shots are taken that people actually remember. During the regular season I would rather watch Vermont and Marist play an overtime game than see Duke beat UNC by ten-- even if it's a good UNC team, not the crap they put out there this year. However, when it comes to March, I would rather watch a #1. seed crush a #16. by thirty than watch a double OT NIT game. Is it because I have a vested rooting interest in the #1. seed? I picked them in my bracket? That's probably part of it, but it's also because of what’s on the line. Every player in this game has been playing his entire life for this one moment. Yeah, you have the one-and-dones, players who use college as a means to an end. Forget about them, they matter not to us. I'm watching for the seniors dancing for the last time, the freshman dancing for their first, for all the players who in their heart of hearts know that they will most likely never be back. They are the ones that this truly means something too, and if they thought about that half as much as I do, one thing is for sure; no one would ever make a game winning shot again.

As Northern Iowa senior Ali Farokhmanesh splashed a 30 footer to beat UNLV and then hit the ballziest trey ball I’ve ever seen to, as phrased so aptly in NBA JAM "put the nail in the coffin" against Kansas, I found myself yelling, as I typically do, "Does he realize that every shot he has ever taken was for this one moment?! That every time he lifted, went for a run, shot hoops at the park and played one-on-one with his sister would have been a waste if he had missed? Can he come close to understanding that if he had missed he would have thought about that shot everyday for the rest of his life and it might have ruined him?!" I DON'T THINK HE DOES!!!! AND THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT!!!

Basketball is an action reaction sport. As much as Ali wants to tell us that he was thinking about the defender and about a pending trap and his sociology final as he took that three pointer, I know the truth. He wasn't thinking! At least he hardly was. His head was spinning so fast that all his brain could muster was "Up 1, losing ground, three pointer good," then he shot and all was good in the world.

I'm not trying to take anything away from anyone who has ever made a buzzer beater, you're great, but when everything is happening so fast, you just... kind of do it. Not having time to think about the negatives makes it easier. In contrast think about a kicker, a golfer, a bowler, even a basketball player on the stripe with two shots to tie the game with no time left. When you have a second to really gather yourself and think about the negatives, what's on the line...you tense up, you get nervous. This is exactly what makes Adam Vinatieri, Tiger Woods, Albert Pujols and Norm Duke (yes, including bowling here is mostly a joke) are so amazing. They consistently deliver knowing exactly what is on the line; the Superbowl, NL Championship series, the US Open, a bowling thing...