Although most girls right now are focused on the newest season of The Hills or the ending of Secret Life of the American Teenager, I’m proud to say my mind is concentrated elsewhere.
The NCAA Tournament is one of the biggest deals in sports, and we’re smack in the middle of one of the best tournaments I’ve seen in years.
Over Spring Break I was glued to my TV, watching every possible second of both the conference tournaments and the big dance itself.
Most of my friends just don’t get it. Even though we all went to Bradley games as freshmen, it’s down to just two of us who still go this season.
And despite the fact the Braves have now had four consecutive post-season appearances, student attendance seems to keep getting lower.
But Bradley basketball is besides the point.
The NCAA Tournament offers some of the closest match-ups and biggest upsets in sports, and even if you’re not that into basketball, it should be something anyone can appreciate.
When Syracuse beat Connecticut in six overtimes, the game had more drama than any episode of The Real World.
Granted, it was in the Big East conference quarterfinals and not the NCAA Tournament, but this is what the college basketball postseason is all about – teams who have played each other twice already, teams who both already had guaranteed spots in the NCAA Tournament, giving every minute their alls.
Now both of those teams have a fighting chance to be playing in the NCAA finals in a week in Detroit.
But they could also be done playing by the time this goes to print.
And that’s the beauty of the NCAA Tournament.
No matter what seed you are, who your best player is or how you were ranked coming in, every team has a shot to be the national champion.
That’s not to say that every team who gets a bid is ever going to win a tournament game.
In the history of the tournament, No. 1 seeds are 100-0 against No. 16 seeds.
This year, however, several of the 1-16 matchups were a little close for comfort.
Although Connecticut and North Carolina both won handedly – each trouncing their opponents by about 50 points – Pittsburgh and Louisville had a bit more of a challenge with their low-ranked rivals.
All the experts say, at some point in our lifetimes, a No. 16 seed will beat a No. 1 seed.
Well obviously.
As the field of 64 keeps getting stronger, it’s inevitable that even the lowest seeds are getting better.
And no matter how good you are, a 100-game win streak simply can’t last.
But for now, all four No. 1s are still alive, but they won’t be for too much longer.
My personal selections?
I’ve got them all making it into the Elite 8, but my Final 4 consists of Memphis, Syracuse, Pitt and Kansas – only one No. 1 seed.
No matter how the rest of this year’s NCAA tournament ends up, every game will be worth watching.
So turn off the Sex and the City reruns and give the tournament a look. It may not make you a fan for life, but at least you’ll have something a bit more intelligent to talk about the next morning in class.
Jessica Lampe is a junior journalism major from Belleville. She is a Scout copy editor.
Direct questions, comments and other responses to jlampe@mail.bradley.edu
