March is a time for magic, last second shots, heart breakers, Cinderellas, and, above all else, madness. If you ask most sports fans what the best month in sports is, you won’t get many arguments against March. It is, after all, when the greatest sports championship of all takes place – the NCAA tournament. The Super Bowl may be the greatest single game in American sport, but the NCAA tournament is the most entertaining playoff of them all.
But that is only half of the greatness of March. What many sports fans overlook is the greatness of conference tournaments, specifically those of the ‘one-bid’ leagues like the MAAC and C-USA. While 68 teams get into ‘the big dance’, all 347 NCAA Division I basketball teams start playing for the National Championship in March. No other sport on any level is as inclusive as college basketball and that is what makes March so magical.
And yet, many of us don’t pay attention to the conference tournaments, or if we do, we watch the biggies like the ACC, Big East, or Big 12 tournaments. These tournaments will, no doubt, provide some excellent basketball and a chance to see a plethora of contenders compete against one another. But often times these tournaments lack the same electricity, urgency, or magic of the one-bid leagues. Just about every year there is a surprise winner from one of the major conferences and, often times, it’s a team that HAD to win to get into the NCAAs. But this is ALWAYS the case in the one-bid leagues and that creates an atmosphere that is unrivaled by anything other than the big dance.
If there was ever an example of the magic and excitement of these tournaments, one need look no further than last night’s games. Last night 4 more tickets to the NCAA tournament were punched – Gonzaga, Wofford, St. Peter’s, and Old Dominion all won their conference tournaments. Gonzaga won the WCC in a great game against St. Mary’s and while both teams may still receive bids, you could see the desperation of both to get the automatic bid in the game. After all, a surprise winner from one of the major conferences could steal their spot in the blink of an eye – a fact not missed by the two competitors.
Old Dominion punched their ticket at the expense of Virginia Commonwealth last night by winning the CAA Tournament in a highly contested matchup. ODU beat VCU by 5 points, ending VCU’s magical run to the championship. VCU had already beaten tournament favorite, and possible at large team, George Mason just to get to the championship where Rams fought back from an 18 point deficit to pull within a point with just over 4 minutes left to play. And then their dreams of glass slippers and dancing were crushed as ODU won the contest, 70-65. Heartbreak for VCU, exhilaration for ODU.
In the SoCon Championship, College of Charleston was feeling good about their chances of punching their first ticket to the big dance since 1999 when they were leading by 4 at half-time. Then came the heartbreak as Wofford outscored the cougars by 14 in the second half to continue their run at a national championship. Despite losing both regular-season meetings with the Cougars, Wofford can keep its Cinderella dreams alive for at least one more week. But that’s the magic of March.
And then there is St. Peter’s. The Peacocks (that’s right folks, the Peacocks) secured their first NCAA bid in 16 years by holding off Iona despite getting outscored in the second half. It took a 17 point performance from their forward, Jeron Belin, and a 15 point performance from their PG, Nick Leon, but St. Peter’s is dancing again…finally. As the fourth seed in their conference tournament, the Peacocks had to beat the 1 and the 2 seeds in order to keep their Cinderella dreams alive, a feat which seemed extremely unlikely last week. But that’s the magic of March.
Cinderellas are born in March, but not in the NCAA Tournament. They are born in their conference tournaments where everyone is fighting for their basketball lives. Sure, there will be some great games, unlikely upsets, and incredible highlights in the major conference tournaments (which start with the Big East today, by the way). But if you missed last night’s games, or any of the mid-major tournaments, you’ve missed out on some of the magic that makes March the greatest month in sports.
By: L.J. Guillotte
College Basketball Contributor
SportsEyez.com
No comments:
Post a Comment