If you know what "Valpo" is short for, you know what this photo is.
The beauty of the NCAA
tournament is that finding out who will win the National Championship is not
the reason anybody watches it. It’s bigger than simply crowning a
champion. Every other postseason system captivates the public’s attention through
the focus of “Who will be the next champion?” Every Bowl
Championship Series (BCS) controversy is about who will play in the college football
championship game, with any issues involving the other bowls becoming
inconsequential to the general public. Every professional sport has
its focus on their respective championships, as it should be since they are
professionals. That mindset reflects everyday adult life, where everything is
about results, first and foremost, and everything else a distant second.
Which makes it fitting that
College basketball and the NCAA tournament, with its “amateurs” and
“student-athletes” isn’t solely about W’s and L’s. It reflects a
more optimistic, utopian view of the world. It's where everyone is equal, and
the little guys from South Dakota State University get to occupy the same floor
as basketball royalty like the University of Kentucky and compete, truly, as
equals.
It’s telling that so many of the
most memorable tournament moments of the past are from games that not only
preceded the championship but in many cases didn’t even involve the eventual
champions. Any longtime college hoops fan can fully replay these
moments in their heads at the mere mention of them – Tyus Edney against Missouri, Tate George against Clemson, Bo Kimble’s free throw, DannyAinge going baseline-to-baseline, George Mason, Chris Webber,
Princeton-UCLA, Christian Laettner against Kentucky.
Professional basketball is about
the highest quality of play, about the game being played at its absolute
physical and artistic apex; conversely, college basketball is about moments.
The game is uglier; the players aren’t as good, and the quality of opposition
varies wildly from game to game. But in a game with 18-22 year olds on the
floor, and mostly 18-22 year olds in the stands, weird things can happen at any
time. When you have inexperienced men playing, you can’t rule out
any event from happening, good or bad, and that wild unpredictability is what
allows for so many of those magical college basketball moments to happen.
And the NCAA Tournament is
essentially a memory-making factory. Single-elimination, win or go
home, in front of a national audience, with your whole season on the line.
Pressure busts pipes, and pressure makes diamonds, and March Madness gives us 63
chances for either a massive flood, a breathtaking jewel, or even both at the
same time.
Watch this video of South Dakota
State celebrating their clinched berth into the NCAA tournament. The
fact that Deadspin.com has uploaded similar videos for every team that secured
automatic spots in the tourney says a lot already, but I want to point out this
video in particular. Despite their gaudy record, SD State is an
also-ran. The only teams from power conferences they played this year were
Minnesota, Georgia, and Nebraska. They lost all 3 games by an
average of 13 points. None of those 3 teams are going to make the
tournament. ESPN projects them as a 13 seed, playing Louisville, the
Big East Tournament champions, in the first round. They have
absolutely no shot at winning the Championship. They’ll be lucky not
to get run out of the gym on Thursday.
But here’s the thing, SD State
and their fans don’t care; they’re celebrating like they just won the lottery,
like they ALREADY won the championship just by qualifying for the
tournament. That speaks to the power of March
Madness. Champions are often forgotten, but the magical moments live
on for eternity. Every college hoops fan remembers George Mason’s
run to the final four. I bet you can't name who actually won the title that
year without looking it up. For the little guy, its not about the
championship. It’s about having their moment in the sun, their opportunity
to play with the big boys, and to prove that they belong. Maybe, if they’re
lucky, they’ll pull a Bryce Drew and Valparaiso, and live on forever in the
highlight reel in our minds.
Because its not about the destination. The
journey is the reward.
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