Well, all of us college basketball fans out there sure got a nice treat with this year's
NCAA championships. Chances are, even if your favorite team didn't make it very
far, you found yourself cheering on someone like they were your hometown team.
As for myself, I was cheering for teams like South Alabama (lost in the first round)
because my best friend went there for college, and North Carolina Charlotte (lost to
North Carolina in the third round). Unfortunately, none of the teams I wanted to win won
when I wanted them to win.
I'm being sarcastic of course, but it did seem that whenever I really got
interested in a game, the team I was cheering for was about to go down. I never did see some games
with some of teams that I was interested in. And therein lies a big problem.
With only one
network covering the tournament, you miss a lot of games. In fact, it always seems like you miss
the games that come down to the last second, while the networks make you sit through Duke
throttling Northwestern Toenail State (enrollment; 93 students).
I wish the NCAA would split up its first and second round coverage, awarding
contracts to two networks. That way you could change to another game if the one
you're watching gets too lopsided.
As it is, you get this "bonus coverage" crap. That's
where Greg Gumbell teases you with five minutes of a really good game before returning
you to the snoozefest you were watching. Hey CBS, how about giving the viewers
some credit? We know a bad game when we see one.
Once the final game came around, I have to admit I was pulling for Utah, even
though I live in SEC country. But then I've always liked Rick Majerus. There was a rumor
floating before the tournament started that Rick may take the head coaching job at
the Los Angeles Lakers. Somehow, the image of the plaid wearing, bald, jolly old
coach doesn't seem to be a good match with the flashy, fast-paced
Hollywood hills.
Can you imagine a guy like Majerus trying to handle the egos of
Shacquille O'neal and Kobe Bryant? I can't.
Now don't get me wrong, Majerus is a
great coach. He's perfect for taking the young Mormon missionaries of Utah and
turning them into good basketball players. But I don't think Majerus' personality
would work well in the age of $53 million salaries. And, in the end, he turned down
a lot more money to go to Arizona State, choosing loyalty over status.
I wish there were more like him.
