March 24, 2006

As March rolls on, the Madness continues

By DREW BONIFANT
atb001@marietta.edu

After the customary two rounds of mass elimination, used to shave a field of 64 teams down to the 16 teams truly deserving of a possible birth in the title game, the 2006 NCAA Tournament is really heating up. It has revealed a tale of two highly anticipated competitions.

On one hand, the tournament has been an oxymoron of surprising predictability; the possibility of seeing the first Final Four made up of the four top seeds: Duke, Connecticut, Memphis, and Villanova. There also exists a powerful force from strong teams No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Gonzaga and No. 3 Florida. These teams have all reached the Sweet 16.

All this excitement has made March Madness an unworthy nickname. It hardly describes the chaos brought on in a span of only a few days. Memphis, top seed in the Oakland region, would normally be gearing up to take on a dangerous fourth or fifth seeded team for a chance to appear in the Elite Eight.
Instead, the Tigers face the 13th seeded Bradley Braves.
The Braves eliminated Big 12 Champions Kansas and Big East powerhouse Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Washington, D.C. region experienced knockouts of high ranked teams like Tennessee, North Carolina and Michigan State. The region is now left with a semifinal game between George Mason and Wichita State. Hardly a mentionable match up among today’s basketball titans.

But, the possibility of seeing all four top seeds in the Final Four remains. Then there is also the chance of us watching a championship game between Bradley and Wichita State.

This is both routine and unique of the NCAA Tournament. Each year, March Madness features a Cinderella, a team that defies its low-seeded branding by defeating a power expected to rush into the Final Four. Last year had two Cinderella stories; No. 14 Bucknell and No. 13 Vermont earned first-round wins over No. 3 Kansas and No. 4 Syracuse. And the 2004 tournament saw 12th seeds Manhattan and Pacific earn victories.

However, it is unusual to see these teams continue to make noise in the Big Dance. Cinderella generally reach midnight by the second round, and the Sweet 16 is considered reserved for the Dukes, Connecticut's and Kentucky's of college basketball - the teams traditionally expected to challenge one another for the ultimate crown.

This year features a heavy dosage of surprising teams vying for the Elite Eight, especially with the possibility a mixture of top seeds and bracket busters battling to the Final Four and coveted title.

Over the course of the ‘Madness’ there have been plenty of upsets and shockers that help make March a truly Mad month. We know the March weather goes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but when it comes to basketball, the only thing we’ve learned is how little we know.