Would the mid-majors ruin the Final Four or enrich it? Al Dannity reckons you can get too much of a good thing.
If one of Butler, Northern Iowa, Cornell, or St Mary’s make the Final Four it will be great for Basketball. If all four do it would be nothing short of a disaster. A great tale of fantasy and romance has room for just one Cinderella at the ball.
Big Schools aren’t always bad
Bigger universities always get the Darth Vader treatment in March Madness but there’s not shortage of rebellious large institutions in the mix. Take a look at some of the contenders in the Sweet Sixteen from the major conferences. Tennessee is a huge university with a national profile that has never even made the Elite Eight never mind the Final Four. You have Michigan State and Ohio State, two Big Ten powerhouses with quite different stories. The Spartans have been a beacon of consistency and team play in basketball during the one-and-done era, while the Buckeyes have been waiting 50 years to claim their second NCAA crown. The three of those are in just one region. Then there’s Kansas State, a perennial tournament participant that lives in the shadow of its in-state rival and finally the under-rated Washington Huskies who pulled off consecutive upsets in the opening rounds.
That said you need a villain or two
If the plucky underdog won every time well then it wouldn’t really be much of an underdog. March Madness needs villains, and not just any bad guys but big formidable opponents for the upstart mid-major to challenge. Step forward Duke, the Evil Empire of College Basketball, and Kentucky. The Wildcats, while a major program, are not all that accustomed to playing the bad guy but with John Calipari at the helm Kentucky fits the role well this year. Coach Cal is the only coach in NCAA Tournament history to have a Final Four appearance vacated at more than one school and while not at Duke levels yet, he knows the nation will be against his charges when they take the floor against Cornell. The Blue Devils wear the villain’s cloak with pride and will keep things interesting in the South region this week. One of these schools has to make it to Indy just so there’s somebody for the public to root against.
There’s only one Rocky
Take St Mary’s vs Butler or UNI vs Cornell as the National Championship title game and you have to wonder who to cheer for. None of these schools would be expected to make the Elite Eight. Neither Butler nor Northern Iowa sit well as the big school in a national title game even if they can stop someone from getting there. Having all of them make it would dilute the romance. We need an Apollo Creed, an Ivan Drago, or even a Clubber Lang to stand in the favorite’s corner in Indy so the mid-majors have that mountain to climb to claim their One Shining Moment.
For the best in College Basketball betting as the Sweet Sixteen nears check out Sports Interaction’s online sports book.
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- Cinderellas Clear the Road to Indy for Kentucky and Duke
- Butler Bulldogs NCAAB Tournament Preview 2008
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- Duke Still has a Tough Route to the Final Four
- NCAA Tournament Preview: South Region
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