Thus begins March Madness. No. I'm not talking about the crazy weather we get this time of year. It's my latest excuse to veg out in front of the TV, drink copious amounts of beer, and ignore my wife and kids for as long as I can get away with it.
The funny thing is, I'm not that big of a college basketball fan. Sure, it beats soccer, tennis, ping-pong, jai alai, lacrosse, and watching flies fornicate. And of course I would follow the Hokies if they were competing in Parcheesi. But I don't live and die by the regular season. The Tournaments (ACC and NCAA) are fun, though.
The big reason I don't follow the regular season is that it is essentially meaningless, unlike my beloved College Football. Hoops are tournament-oriented. The best teams can lay a few eggs during the regular season, mail in a game or two, come out flat on occasion, and still make the field of 64. For all of the excitement generated by Duke and UNC's two regular-season matchups, nothing more than bragging rights and tournament seedings are at stake.
Now when Florida and Georgia football meet in October, there's more on the line that just whose fans can get the drunkest and come up with the most creative conjugation of a filthy verb. Lose this one, and you're toast as far as a national title is concerned. Oh sure, the Citrus Bowl still has a handsome payout. But if a loss to your arch-rival prevents you from playing in the BCS championship game, you're looking for a bottle of sleeping pills and a pint of bourbon.
If Duke drops two regular-season hoops games to Carolina, they're pissed, but they know full well they'll have a shot again in the tournament, if they keep winning.
Long live College Football, and a regular season where the games actually mean something! That having been said, let's open some beer and watch some hoops!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
"But if a loss to your arch-rival prevents you from playing in the BCS championship game, you're looking for a bottle of sleeping pills and a pint of bourbon." Aw, shucks, you weren't talking about me, were you? I only did that once. Or twice.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I'm completely on board with your b'ball philosophy. (Except that I'm the wife who's being avoided, but I think we'll all agree that I'm not the typical wife. Now pass the beer.) Seriously, regular season in b'ball means nada, so I don't watch at all. Even if it's my beloved Gators. But tourney time? Pass me the betting chart and let's see where we go. Makes the time until spring practice starts go faster, at the very least.
At Florida, basketball is a polite activity to tie fans over until Spring Football. It just so happens that they feel the need win national titles in both sports, just for shits and giggles.
ReplyDelete