In between writing articles, sleeping and spending time with family, I was watching college basketball. While March Madness provides many lessons, here are just a few I learned after the first two rounds of the tournament.
Be grateful for your opportunities
Everyone wants to make the NCAA tournament, and it can be quite upsetting when your team doesn’t see its name during the selection show. With that being said, the NIT provides those teams with the opportunity to still play postseason basketball at a competitive level — it is a second chance. So why not take it?
Wisconsin has made 26 NCAA tournament appearances, including 19 consecutive berths from 1999-2017. After a 17-17 overall record and 9-11 mark in the Big 10, the Badgers accepted an invitation to the NIT — its first since 1996. Rather than sulk about its missed opportunity, Wisconsin looked at the NIT as a new opportunity to end the season on a better note. They have since capitalized on the extra games by defeating Bradley 81-62 and No. 2-seed Liberty 75-71.
North Carolina, on the other hand, declined its offer to the NIT. The Tar Heels have won six NCAA championships, the most recent in 2017. Last year, North Carolina fell to Kansas 72-69 in the national championship game. As such, the Tar Heels entered this season ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25 Poll. Their season gradually fell from there, as they were one of the First Four Out.
Two decorated programs — North Carolina moreso than Wisconsin — and two different decisions. As a former collegiate athlete, I would have given anything to have played one more game, at any level. End of story.
It’s not over until it’s over
Once at the gym, I told myself my treadmill workout would be done when the last two minutes of a basketball game were complete — commercials, timeouts and injuries included. Worst mistake of my life. Those two game minutes ended up being 15 real-time minutes with at least two timeouts per team, three commercials and an injury timeout, which just goes to show it’s not over until its over.
The No. 3 Xavier/No. 14 Kennesaw State game proved this to a ‘T.’
After an early deficit, the Owls went on a late push to lead 43-36 at halftime. Just two minutes into the second half, Kennesaw increased its lead to double digits, 51-38. The Owls maintained a double-digit lead for a majority of the half, and I was ready to add it to the growing list of first-round upsets. With about eight minutes left in the half, though, Xavier went on a 15-0 run, taking the lead with just over two minutes left.
In the next two minutes, the two teams exchanged the lead twice and went into the final minute tied at 67. With 18.3 seconds left, Kennesaw committed a foul under the hoop, and Xavier made one free throw. Down one with the possession, the Owls had a path to the basket . . . which was blocked by the weak-side help defense.
Xavier iced the win with four free throws in the last 2.6 seconds, which just goes to show how much can happen in such little time.
You can’t rely on one person
Purdue won the Big Ten regular season and tournament title — thus earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament — largely due to their 7’4” center, Zach Edey. Despite a normal performance from Edey, No. 16-seed Fairleigh Dickinson upset Purdue 63-58.
The National and Big 10 Player of the Year scored 21 points, grabbed 15 rebounds, blocked three shots and recorded one assist — all around his season averages. He set the school’s single-season rebounding record (438), became the only player in Big Ten history to record 750 points and 400 rebounds in a season, was a consensus first-team All-American and has been announced as a semifinalist for the Naismith Player of the Year, John R. Wooden Award and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award. With such a decorated resume and on-par performance, why didn’t Edey and Purdue win?
He didn’t have a supporting cast.
The Boilermakers shot just 19.2% from beyond the arc compared to the Knights’ 30.4%. FDU forced 16 turnovers, scoring 15 points on those errors. The Knights’ bench tallied 16 points, while the Boilermakers’ put up just five.
Basketball is a team sport. Sure, you have an absolute beast in Edey, but this game proved you can’t rely on just one person to do the job.
Seedings, rankings and records don’t matter in the post-season
Teams work hard all season, playing tough schedules, grueling through conference and fighting in their respective tournaments hoping their strength of schedule and record lands them in the NCAA tournament.
Not to take away from these accomplishments, but all of that goes away once teams reach the big stage. Everyone goes back to 0-0 and other teams don’t care if they are facing an undefeated conference champion No. 1-seed — their season is onethe line. FDU, Princeton and Furman proved this.
No. 13-seed Furman kicked off the tournament with a 68-67 win over No. 4-seed Virginia, hitting eight more 3-pointers than the Cavaliers. No. 15-seed Princeton then knocked off No. 2-seed Arizona 59-55 with 16 bench points. With its 63-58 win over Purdue, Farleigh Dickinson became just the second ever 16 seed to take down a No. 1 seed.
There are upsets every March Madness, emphasizing that the NCAA tournament is a new game entirely. Slates are wiped clean and a new season begins.
You’re never going to have a perfect bracket, get over it
After FDU’s win over Purdue, there were zero perfect brackets remaining out of 20 million, according to ESPN. There are 263 ways to fill out an NCAA bracket, so, to reference the Hunger Games, may the odds be never in your favor. Just have fun with it and enjoy the entertainment.
— Natalie Dillon is the sports editor for the Times. She can be reached at ndillon@themonroetimes.com.
