Ryan ChartrandAs the confetti rained down from the rafters of the Georgia Dome, most of Florida’s players jumped and jived their way around the court in celebration of a second consecutive national championship.
Not all the Florida players stayed on the court, though.
Joakim Noah ambled his way toward the stands. He climbed over a railing, three Gators fans blocking his way with a barrage of pats on the back. Noah slowly moved his way through the crowd and finally reached the end of his journey, a touching embrace with his mom.
Three weeks ago, we were all debating who would be this year’s George Mason, which No. 1 seed had the best chance of winning it all, whether or not the Gators could repeat as champions. The pageantry ended two nights ago as Florida secured its spot in the annals of college basketball history with a second straight title.
Now, woe is me. March has passed and the madness is over.
If we had video capabilities, I would offer you my tournament reflection through interpretive dance (frolicking followed by jumping up and down followed by a strangling motion after the Texas schools lost).
Unfortunately, that option isn’t available, so here’s the written version.
My picks struggled in the first two rounds. This was one of the lamest NCAA Tournaments in terms of monumental upsets. Aside from Winthrop and Virginia Commonwealth upending Notre Dame and Duke, the rest of the first round was ho-hum.
Where were the Valparaisos, the Gonzagas and George Masons? I didn’t expect Davidson to reach the Final Four, but there were only two double-digit seeds left standing in the second round. There weren’t any Bryce Drew buzzer-beaters or stunning No. 15 over No. 2 upsets like when Hampton did Iowa State dirty in 2001. In other words, Goliath kicked the crap out of David and his lousy sling.
The only major upset in the first weekend of the tournament was seventh-seeded UNLV over No. 2 seed Wisconsin, a team that limped into the tournament and looked terrible in its two tournament games.
Two significant first-round upsets and Wisconsin’s early exit hardly satiated my March Madness appetite.
Let’s be honest, I’m whining because the upsets I picked didn’t happen. I can pat myself on the back for placing Winthrop and VCU into the second round.
Regrettably, I also picked Old Dominion, Arkansas, Stanford, Albany and, for some crazy reason, every No. 10 seed. Oops.
My bracket was still alive after the first weekend. I picked 15 correct teams into the Sweet 16 and had all my major contenders left. Then came a pair of brutal affronts to my hopes for March glory: Texas’ loss to USC and Texas A&M’s loss to Memphis.
I was ready to break out the bagpipes and play a soft rendition of “Amazing Grace,” but there was still a glint of hope. What was I thinking putting the Aggies into the title game? Freaking idiot, gosh!
Like a wounded mammal stranded in the harsh Alaskan tundra, I scraped and clawed, searching for any possibility of survival. I surmised that if Florida won it all, Memphis beat Ohio State and Georgetown to reach the finals and a few other things happened, I might have a chance. There was also option B: plant syringes laced with some sort of anabolic steroid in the bags of every Memphis player, allowing for the reinstatement of Texas A&M.
Despite my many follies, I still had a shot to win the house pool going into the Final Four. Even if it wasn’t for any money, a win would empower me to talk trash to my roommates for the next year.
If Florida won it all, I won. If Ohio State won it all, Greg won.
Hey Mike, Dustin and Greg – remember the time I won the Cerro Romauldo March Madness pool? Wait, I remember…that was two days ago! Great success!