Southwestern College Collegian

Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: Sports

In January, a 92-year-old man hit a hole in one on a small golf course in South Florida. He was legally blind in both eyes. In February, the New York Giants shocked the world by defeating the then-undefeated New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. Sports are always crazy, but they wait until March to turn into complete madness. With the NCAA tournament approaching I have decided to dedicate my weekly 750 word space to the big dance. It's the return of the countdown. This time it's a biggy, the 33 reasons, one for every first round game, to get excited about next week's NCAA tournament. 33. The play-in game. 32. It's the only time of the year that CBS is cool. 31. The Cinderella's of the world. Who's going to be this year's George Mason? 30. Your professors even show interest in the tourney. It's nice to be able to relate to them every once in a blue moon. 29. Everyone from the local mob boss to the local pastor has filled out a bracket of their own. 28. If your team gets knocked out early you still have a reason to watch the games. 27. If your team didn't even make it in you still have a reason to watch the games. 26. Broke over spring break or don't have anywhere to go? Who cares when you can spend the entire weekend watching buzzer beaters? 25. You get to have fun with math! The chances of picking every game correctly are one in 18 quintillion, 446 quadrillion. That's not made up either. It was proven by a legitimate mathematician. I'd write the number out but it'd break my 0 key. 24. Everyone has a pick who will win, and most everyone will be wrong. 23. It's your chance to become a C-list celeb. Last year my bracket was ranked in the top 500 of all users of Facebook… for about an hour. 22. Watching at home is better than going to the games. At home you get to watch all the games at once. Who wants to see just one game at a time when the good folks in TV land will take you to the most exciting game automatically? (Note: this rule is not valid for the Final Four). 21. It's always fun to see the "experts" bracket fall apart while yours is looking pretty decent still. 20. It's the only time on the calendar when you can still be watching games at 11:00 on a Thursday night. 19. Professors might just cancel class during the tournament. (Note: this rule is not valid in the communication department). 18. Coppin State, Valparaiso, and Virginia Commonwealth University all become vital parts of the college basketball landscape. 17. Dick Vitale is everywhere. Actually this might need to go on the lists of reasons why not to get excited… 16. The presidential debates are forgotten. 15. Even though every number one seed has never made it to the Final Four, you know that someone is going to pick that in their bracket. Let's face it, it's fun to see people be wrong. 14. By the time week three comes along you're still not burnt out on watching. Not many playoff systems can boast that. 13. Hopefully your team can be the one with "luck" on its side. 12. There's never a down year for the NCAA tournament. There might not be as many upsets from year to year, but it's always going to be good to watch. 11. It's the last chance to see some of college basketball's biggest stars in action. Either they'll graduate or they'll go pro at the end of the season. 10. This is where out-of-conference rivalries are started. 9. You get to laugh at your rival if they get left out of the tourney. 8. Unlike the regular season, there's not going to be any over-hype for a game. Every game means the same in the tournament. 7. It's the only time of the year that CBS is cool. Yeah it's already been on the list, but it's such a surprise I've got to say it twice. 6. If you're into bandwagon jumping, it's the time of year you really get to shine. 5. It's fun to sound smarter than you are when you study up on your "bracketology." 4. It makes for a great excuse to have a tournament party with your friends. 3. Because it's not the N.I.T. tournament. 2. The opening day of the tournament may not be a national holiday, but we treat it like one. 1. For one team there's "one shining moment." Have fun with the NCAA tourney this year. Fill out a bracket, watch the games, and enjoy the ride.

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