The Jock Strap

As I write this post on Tuesday evening (3/18) at about 5:45, we're all just a few hours away from the start of "The Madness." The best 3 weeks in sports, otherwise known as the NCAA Tournament, tips off tonight in Dayton with the "play-in" game, pitting two No. 16 seeds who will battle it out for the right to be bludgeoned by overall No. 1 seed North Carolina on Friday.

Now, if you're a total sports nut like me, you'll even watch the "play-in" game with vested interest. I still think that one of these days, even though No. 16 seeds are 0-92 all-time versus No. 1 seeds, one of these "little guys" will knock off Goliath and make tournament history. So, I'm going to watch Coppin State take on Mount St. Mary's and hope the winner can shock the world by defeating North Carolina. Of course, either of the two teams will lose to the Tar Heels by at least 30 points, but we can always dream the big dreams.

Looking toward the first round, let's focus on three "must-sees":

1. Omaha, Nebraska- Midwest Region- Thursday, 03/20/08- 6:10 PM tip-off- (6) USC (21-11)vs. (11) Kansas State (20-11)

This game possesses national intrigue. Why? The answer is simple. Star power. It's the Wildcats' Michael Beasley, a Player of the Year candidate (it's a two-horse race between "The Beas" and UNC's Tyler Hansbrough) vs. the Trojans' O.J. Mayo. Freshman versus freshman. Blue-chipper versus blue-chipper. Plus, you throw in K-State's Bill Walker, and you have three guys on the floor who all have great shots at becoming contributors if not standouts at the NBA level. Beasley averages 26.5 points and 12.4 rebounds per game. In a word, ridiculous. Walker scores 15.8 per game. Meanwhile, O.J. Mayo is averaging 20.8 ppg. Also, as Iowans know, USC head coach Tim Floyd used to be the head man at Iowa State, taking the Cyclones as far as the Sweet 16. His coaching ability is unquestioned. With those around the Hawkeye State being so familiar with him, this adds yet another facet to an already entertaining match-up. Again, you'll hate yourself for quite a while if you don't carve some time out of your Thursday night to take this one in.

2. Raleigh, North Carolina- Midwest Region- Friday, 03/21/08- 11:25 AM tip-off- (7) Gonzaga (25-7) vs. (10) Davidson (26-6)

The nation's perennial tourney "darling" versus "this year's George Mason." The Bulldogs had another fine season under one of the nation's best coaches, Mark Few. They won the West Coast Conference regular season crown with a 13-1 record, finishing one game ahead of outstanding St. Mary's in the league race. But, their opponent really takes this game's buzz to the next level. The Davidson Wildcats have won 24 consecutive games coming in, and went toe to toe with two of the nation's big boys early in the season without so much as batting an eye. On November 14th at now No. 1 North Carolina's "Dean Dome," Davidson hounded, irritated, and frustrated the Tar Heels on their home floor before finally falling 72-68 in a hotly contested battle. Then, on December 1st, the Wildcats marched into Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of the now No. 9 vaunted Duke Blue Devils, and stayed with Coach K's team the entire way before finally coming up just short, 79-73. As Dickie V would say, "This team can flat out play." Don't be surprised if Davidson beats Gonzaga and gives Big East regular season champion Georgetown a war before finally succumbing in the second round.

3. Tampa, Florida- West Region- Friday, 03/21/08- 11:30 AM tip-off- (5) Drake (28-4) vs. (12) Western Kentucky (27-6)

First-year head coach Keno Davis and his Drake Bulldogs continue to rake in awards after their amazing 2007-2008 run that culminated in a 28-4 record, the first MVC regular season crown since 1971, the school's first-ever MVC Tournament crown, and the school's first NCAA Tournament berth since 1971. Davis has already won a couple different coaching honors and is one of four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award. Adam Emmenecker and Josh Young are first-team All-MVC picks, etc., etc. Incredible stuff from a team that was picked during the preseason to finish 9th in a 10-team league race and just last year experienced its first winning season in the last 20. So, Cinderella very well may have been a Bulldog, but that Bulldog will have a tough customer on his hands in the first round. The Western Kentucky Hilltoppers are 27-6 and took home the regular season and tourney titles in the Sun Belt Conference. Coach Darrin Horn is one of the nation's best "unknown coaches," and Courtney Lee (20.4 ppg) and Tyrone Brazelton (13.3 ppg) combine to comprise one of the nation's best one-two punches, that nobody knows about. A stern test for the boys from Des Moines, and you hope their outstanding coaching, leadership (primarily from Emmenecker), and skill (specifically speaking of Josh Young (15.8 ppg) and Leonard Houston (14.0 ppg)) will enable them to prevail, but that is anything but a foregone conclusion against the tourney's best 12-seed. If you're a true basketball junkie, especially residing anywhere in the state of Iowa, you know you'll be locked in on this hardwood battle.

4. (YES, I KNOW THAT I SAID THREE, BUT I LIED)- Anaheim, California- South Region- Thursday, 03/20/08- 1:30 PM tip-off- (6) Marquette (24-9) vs. (11) Kentucky (18-12)

Why do you have to be interested in this match-up, you ask? I'll tell you why. It includes my beloved alma mater, Marquette University. That's more than enough of a good reason, on top of the fact that because the game involves my alma mater, I've given you nothing less than a "must-watch" order. On top of those reasons, I assume that you'd like to see the Golden Eagles win their first of six in-a-row on the way to the school's second national championship (1977, God love ya Al McGuire!). Truthfully, I'm trying to be considerate here. I'm granting you the opportunity to remember and be a part of history!

Enjoy the Tournament one and all. This is nothing less than the avid sports fan's second coming of Christmas.

For more than you ever wanted to know about the 2008 NCAA Tournament, turn to CBS Sports via http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/.

Tuesday, January 22nd, 2008- Wahlert at home trailing Iowa City West when Eric May's buzzer-beating 3-pointer wins it for the Golden Eagles in regulation.

Saturday, March 8th, 2008- May does it again, but this time it gives Wahlert a three-point win over Harlan in regulation in the 3A State Championship Game at Wells Fargo Arena. (Wahlert called timeout with 0:02 left on the 4th quarter clock after Harlan's steal and lay-in tied it at 67 all.) (Video courtesy IHSSN)

For a tighter angle of the play, click on this link:

http://youtube.com:80/watch?v=ohEWsvDTZAg

One of the best endings, if not THE best ending to a state championship game I've ever seen or heard of in U.S. history. I'm absolutely amazed that SportsCenter hasn't picked up on this yet. They should. And, what makes it even more amazing is that it's sort of a trend for Eric May, since as you see in the video from 01/22/08, he'd already done something very similar earlier in the year. Incredible stuff from a player and a team that seem to be able to perform the best and focus the most when it matters the most.

And, to cap it off, we tracked down Tim Lary, the Sports Director at KDTH, "The Voice of the Tri-States," in Dubuque. Tim had the play-by-play call of May's buzzer-beater during his coverage of the State Championship game as The Voice of Dubuque High School sports. Thanks very much for the audio, Tim. (See below for the audio link.)

Amazing stuff. Enjoy!

Oh boy. After looking back at the title I just created, I can just hear one of my good friends, a local basketball coach, shrieking out loud in his office as he reads it. Ah yes, the magic of the blog. It can make people love you, it can make people hate you, it can make people agree with you, and it can most certainly make people wonder what in the heck you're thinking about.

Here's the deal with the NBA. It's not a team sport. Actually, it pretty poorly played basketball. You have an absolutely ridiculous 24-second shot clock that is there for no other purpose than to make sure that scores are high and excitement abounds. Teams can't play any zone defense and can't double-team opponents, which, once again, gears the game towards one-one-one play and fans' excitement.

You don't see five or six passes, a great cross-screen on the low blocks, and beautiful entry pass to set up a strong move and a kiss off the glass for two. You see Allen Iverson go between his legs 5 consecutive times, put a "killer crossover" on a defender (better known in the rule book as "carrying" the basketball, otherwise known as a turnover), and cut to the hoop for a ridiculous reverse layup when a simple right knee-high form layup would have done just fine.

The NBA isn't about team basketball. The NBA isn't about good defense (until teams actually start caring when the playoffs begin). The NBA is about bringing fans to the gates with outstanding individual plays and high-flying action. So, for the traditional basketball fan who accepts no other form of basketball than the team game, and won't so much as watch anything else, the NBA is clearly not for them. College basketball would be that person's bag.

All this being said, though, I really enjoy watching NBA games. Don't get me wrong, college basketball, for my money, is the best basketball you'll find anywhere, with team play, great defense, 100% effort all of the time, etc. But, I still love the NBA. I know it's a league filled with a bunch of overpaid prima donnas, but I'll tell you one thing, those guys can flat out play.

I love watching NBA games because you are watching the best basketball players in the world and many of the world's greatest athletes battle it out on a nightly basis. You get to see guys do things athletically on a regular basis that 99% of the population can only dream about doing. So, no, it's not a team game. It's about individuals and exciting the fans. It's about a silly 24-second shot clock and final scores of 125-112. But, it's also about watching incredible athletes play basketball, and I'm all about that.

For more on the NBA, check out www.nba.com.

My goodness, I can just see my good friend, the local basketball coach, slamming his keyboard down in disgust of what his favorite local sports broadcaster just wrote. :)