The dream. Anything is possible. The underdog raising up to slay the beast.
And other than "gambling" it is the primary reason March Madness has become, well, "Madness." Without the little guy, it's just basketball. And as wonderful as the game is, it isn't enough for the entire entertainment starved masses. We need drama. We need someone to root for.
We need the little guy.
Today several had a chance to reach into David's pack and slay the Philestine. Two missed really badly. Like, Florida State "Wide-Right" badly... it was kind of ugly. And the third, so long the David that they have evolved into other David's Goliath, struck a mighty blow that wobbled, but failed to topple the giant.
Xavier faced Duke for the first time since their Elite Eight matchup in 2003. For the Muskies it was rarified, never before reached heights. For Duke, just another Final Four run. With one minute to go, the muskies trailed by only two. It was as close as they would come.
Today, John Scheyer had netted 14 points before the X-Men made a bucket. By the time the hemoraging stopped, Duke had amassed a 21-1 lead. Don't let the final score fool you. This one was never, ever close. Duke outshot, out-defended, out hustled and out-played the Muskies for 35 minutes. The last 5 were just mercy. At half the Muskies were facing a 55-24 deficit.
Facing a Top 5 opponent on a nuetral floor for a program like Xavier is thought to be no worse than a "good loss."
Today was not a good loss. It reinforces the perception that Sean Miller and the Muskies fight so hard to change; they are a nice ballclub. But not in the same league as the elite.
Hard to argue after today.
The same story for Davidson. They took the Steph Curry road show to Indianapolis to face the basically at-home Purdue Boilermakers. I had the opportunity to cover the game live, and it was also broadcast nationally (unless you lucked into Gonzaga/UConn) on CBS. CBS got to collect money from their sponsers on FOUR commericial breaks before Davison put the ball in the basket.
21-0. Blackjack. The house wins again.
I admit (and those of you who have read for a while already know) I have a man-crush of Steph Curry. It is the first time in my adult life I have a favorite player. It feels wierd kow that most players are younger than me... like "grow up dude" or something like that.
Whatever. I was jazzed to see Curry live.
I think I like him better on TV. Watching the game without the tight ball-centric camera shots reniforced many of the things pro scouts have voiced concern over Steph's game. He struggled to create open looks against taller and more physical defender. Hummel's length was too much, and Kramer (not taller than Steph) out muscled him, got over every screen, never ducked a ball screen and hounded him everywhere.
Curry threw at least five passes that would earn you a lap at most high school practices. Bad passes into windows only Brett Farve would attempt to throw into. Like Farve, Steph dropped a few nice dimes... and threw some ridiculous picks.
End of the day? 5-26 from the floor, 6 turnovers.
Oh yeah, Davidson got pummeled. (Another "score doesn't reflect the carnage" game)
Long Long Day...That said; beating #2 UConn is still a whole different animal. Largely considered the primary contender (along with Oklahoma) to UNC's otherwise inevitable destiny, the Huskies trailed by 11 with 11 minutes to play. It looked as if the Zags were going to put yet another Ginat in their ever-expanding collection.
But the Huskies answered a plaguing question (Are they tough enough?) with a resounding YES. AJ Price led a relentless comeback capped with a game tying 3-pointer with 8 seconds remaining. He pumped his fist. Then retreated on defense to strip Pargo and force overtime.
From there, the Huskies used their size to pound away inside.
Another win for the big guys.
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