I didn't used to like March very much. Unless Easter falls early, there are no days off of school. My birthday is six months away. The weather is kind of crummy and St. Patrick's Day is only fun once you're old enough to drink.
But that was before I paid much attention to college basketball. There is nothing quite like the NCAA tournament. Those first couple of days are frenetic and amazing - when games are on TV from dawn 'til past bedtime and when the success of your bracket makes you care about matchups like Dayton vs. West Virginia. Cinderella teams make for great stories (as long as they are not upsetting the Terps) and raw emotion makes everything more compelling.
Maryland made the field this year, a rare pleasure the past couple of seasons. As I am filling out my bracket, I am left to ponder several questions: Is it worth probably losing money to send a 10 seed to the championship? Will Binghamton pull off the upset? Can I really pick a team with the mascot "Lumberjacks" to lose in the first round? I may end up filling out two brackets, but if I had only shot, then yes, Maryland would obviously win it all; yes, Duke would bow out in the first round; and yes, Stephen F. Austin would march into the sweet sixteen.
Because between Selection Sunday and the first games on Thursday, it's all about hopeful euphoria. This kind of reminds of my perpetual optimism surrounding the Orioles each Spring Training - another one of March's saving graces. Once the tournament begins, reality will sink in, game by game. But until then, the fans of 65 teams are allowed to indulge in these dreams. In baseball, teams have 162 games to revert to form. Alone, each win is insignificant, because it usually takes 90 to have a special season. In the NCAA's, it only takes six. That's what makes the tournament so magical - each and every team is just a short winning streak away from "One Shining Moment."
Anything is possible. Let's dance!
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