NCAA Tournament: Maybe the Best Sporting Event in the World

Okay, this has nothing to do with Easter. But can I just say that this past weekend of basketball in the NCAA Tournament was some of the best basketball I have ever seen.

Three of the regional finals went into Overtime. Three. One went into Double Overtime. That's four total overtimes in four games. That's almost logic-defying.

The Louisville/West Virginia game was simply unbelievable. West Virginia's basket might as well have been as large as a trampoline, because no matter where they threw up the ball from, it went in. Bank shots from the side corner. From 35 feet away at the "B" in the Lobos logo near halfcourt. Straight away threes from the center!.

Down 20, the Cards just chipped their way back into it. I kind of feel bad for the Mountaineers, because they were an exciting team to watch and West Virginia has so few things to make life exciting (official state motto: Uh.)

You could kind of tell that the West Virginia team was a bit backwoods. I mean, just by the names of the players. I was checking online, and they had a team roster on the school's website with a pronounciation guide. That's kind of funny. Two in particular stood out:

Johannes Herbert: Pronounced Air-Bear, but it everytime they said this guy's name, I thought they were saying "Care Bear." Which is not exactly the most masculine name. Neither, I suppose, is Hair Bear.

Kevin Pittsnogle: This has to be one of the most rural names I have ever heard. It just conjures up images of eatin' possum, don't it, Jeb? But this guy can play. A center who can shoot threes. What a boondoggle. No, not a boondoggle. A Pittsnogle.

Illinois Makes Some Noise
The Illinois game was probably my favorite. I'm a big fan of the Illini, ever since second grade when I discovered that orange was both a color and a food. I like to root for overdogs, like Duke because I like to see good basketball programs build up a dominance, and then recruit all the good players, sucking out the equity and parity in the sport, leaving the collegiate game as a matchup of money-making bohemeths that eventually suck all the joy and surprise out of the game. But that's just me.

The thing that's changed college basketball in recent years, I think, is the lure of the pro game. Think about it: Syracuse should still have Carmelo Anthony. Imagine the Cincinatti Bearcats with Lebron James. So in some ways, the rise of the greed and lure of money has helped the college game.

But still, it's kind of sad to see so few four-year seniors, or guys who have stayed and played together for four years. So it's nice to see a couple of seniors at Illinois and Michigan State staying together and getting it done.

So what do you think? Is March Madness the best sporting event on the planet?

DAT