March Madness. Has there ever been a sports tournament more appropriately nicknamed? What a wild and crazy opening first weekend to the NCAA Basketball Tournament. We’ve got a 15-seed in tiny St. Peter’s heading to the Sweet Sixteen, and 1, 2 and 3-seeds Baylor, Kentucky, Auburn, Tennessee and Wisconsin all back at home on their couches for the remainder of the action. I can hardly wait for tomorrow to arrive.
Here in the Lone Star State we took a solid hit with Baylor, Texas and TCU all falling by the wayside in the second round, leaving only Texas Tech and Houston as our Texas representatives still in the hunt (both tipping off tomorrow). All three of the losses had exceptional drama and/or controversy, but hey isn’t that what March Madness is all about?
Top seeded Baylor had a comeback for the ages against North Carolina after falling behind by 25 points, only to eventually succumb to the Tar Heels in overtime. A controversial ejection to Carolina’s leading scorer in the game, forward Brady Manek, after a thrown elbow with 10:08 remaining, turned the momentum in Baylor’s favor and put the Bears on a 30-9. But Carolina showed their pedigree when it mattered most and prevailed 93-86.
The Horned Frogs deserved a better fate than they were handed, giving the number 1 seed Arizona Wildcats all they could handle and then some. A blatant “no-call” on a foul against guard Mike Miles Jr. as time was running out in the game resulted in TCU and Arizona heading to OT as well, where the very talented (and very tall) Wildcats finally dispatched the Fighting Frogs 85-80.
The Longhorns lost to Purdue 81-71 in a game that can best be described as being played on a “slanted court,” with the Boilermakers attempting 46 free throws compared to just 12 attempts by Texas. 29 fouls were called on the Longhorns, vs. just 16 against Purdue. Don’t see that everyday, thankfully.
Regardless of the Texas trio of losses, the Big 12 has proven that they are a conference to be reckoned with in the tournament. While they may not be a powerhouse in football anymore, they surely are when it comes to the play on the hardwood. In addition to Tech, Kansas and Iowa State, who are all still playing, so are those pesky Houston Cougars, who’ll be joining the conference in 2023. That’s 25% of the remaining teams, and, let us not forget, Baylor won it all just last year.
And if you need a little Cinderella in your March Madness life, the Big 12 can deliver that to you as well. Look no further than the 11th seeded Iowa State Cyclones. The fact that they’ll be playing in Chicago on Friday is good stuff on its own, but mix in where they were sitting just a year ago, and you’ve got the material that movies are made about. If you aren’t familiar with the epic turnaround story of Iowa State, you should be. Last year the Cyclones went 2-22 overall, and 0-18 in Big 12 play. Now they’re in the Sweet 16. Doesn’t get more Cinderella than that.
So win or lose, enjoy the upcoming action. But let’s hope for a few more wins for the good guys in Texas and the Big 12.
