Tunneyside of Sports

On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS March 25, 2013 # 429 Up next...The "Madness"!

 

After further review...There's good reason why the NCAA basketball championship is called "March Madness." As we enter the final week of that month it is easy to see how wildly impractical it is to predict the winner. There is still no clear favorite and the jockeying for position at this tournament's outset was intense. The members of the NCAA seeding committee have a baneful task of bracketing teams with notable and comparable strengths. There is no automatic entry; ya gotta earn it. When the committee studies won/lost records, it has a critical eye on losses that exceed single digits. Yet exceptions occur: The Liberty University Flames, from Lynchburg, Va. were granted a "play-in" despite their 15-20 record, but lost that game to North Carolina A&T 73-72.

 

It was a shock to Kentucky diehards that the Wildcats were not selected to be in the tournament. Kentucky was the 2012 NCAA champ, but lost all five starters to the NBA as "one and done" took on a new meaning. Although the 'Cats were 21 & 10 this season, it was an inadequate showing in the perennial powerhouse S.E.C. One Wildcat fan blames this season's poor showing on "liberal socialism" declaring "that mindset is creeping into everything. Let me tell you them (sic) conferences ain't on a level playing field".

 

Denied an appearance in the NCAA playoffs, Kentucky was then selected to play in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) and seeded number one! However, in the first round, the eighth seeded Colonials from Robert Morris University, one time a junior college located in Moon Township, Pa., defeated the Wildcats 59-57, and ended their season. The 'Cats attempted a 3-point shot at the buzzer to win it, but the ball bounced off the rim. Kentucky's head coach John Calipari summed it up in his post-game press conference this way: "They deserved to win the game. If we had won it at the buzzer, it would have been a shame... I'm proud that we fought hard and gave ourselves a chance to win. But Robert Morris played a great, physical, tough, hardnosed basketball game."

 

Calipari is well-known for his competiveness and is passionate about winning, yet he was gracious enough to credit his opponent for their victory. He stood tall in the eyes of many after such a disappointing year.

 

Will you show the character of a champion even in defeat?

 

To contact Jim go to www.jimtunney.com or email him at jim@jimtunney.com.