Put On Your Dancin’ Shoes

Ah, Championship Week. “Drink. It. In. It always goes down smooth”. Except when Baylor beats Kansas or DePaul (who went 0-18 in regular season conference play) upsets the Bearcats of Cincinnati. Or maybe when Georgia Tech rises from the basement of the ACC standings to beat Clemson or the Mountaineers of WVU topple the powerful Panthers of Pittsburgh. Or when Villanova squeaks past Marquette in a nail-biter or Syracuse puts a muzzle on the Huskies of UConn (6th time’s a charm). Okay, so it doesn’t go down smooth for everyone, but what I meant here is that everyone looks forward to this week because it’s the last chance for any team to make a splash or burst a bubble. Who isn’t excited about Championship Week? Selection Sunday is right around the corner and teams are leaving everything they’ve got on the floor.

Well I’m not that excited about it, to be honest. Here’s why. First of all, my beloved Virginia Cavaliers had an abysmal season. I think the best way to describe it is by comparing it to Sanjaya’s infamous alphabetical jacket performance on American Idol: A hideous abomination that is painful to watch. Knowing that your team’s season is officially over never goes down smooth (if I type that one more time I might stop writing this and go watch Anchorman). But the real reason I’m not excited about it is because it’s essentially meaningless. Sure a team like DePaul or even my beloved Cavaliers can make a 2007 N.C. State-esque run to the conference championship but that’s about as likely as anyone ever trusting this guy to store things.

Powerhouse teams within each conference are going to take the championship brass 9 times out of 10. If a good team loses, especially if they are practically guaranteed a ticket to the NCAA tournament, it’s not a big deal. Sure they are a little disappointed but the national championship is what they really lose sleep over. Now, believe it or not, I’m not a college basketball player. So, of course, I’m speaking from the outside looking in but I’m pretty sure I’m right about this even though I’d be dead wrong if you go by the intensity in these games and the looks on the players’ faces. No game is a better testament to that than the 4 hour slug fest that went into sextuple overtime at the garden last night. I’m still in awe.

"Yeah, my friend always wants one of mine and I have to say get your own. I'm like the 5-hour energy designated driver."

Jonny Flynn must’ve had Braylon Edwards or Osi Umenyiora slip him some 5 hour energy before the game because he was amazing until the very end. Normally, I would do a small recap of the game but anyone who is reading this probably watched the game or saw highlights on Sportscenter.

What’s the only other reason people really care about championship week? The answer is seeding for the NCAA Tourney. Are you going to be wearing glass Keds to the big dance or hearty leather Air Jordan’s with built in springs or something? Or maybe you’ll wear those wheely shoes for fast breaks. I’d love to watch a game where all the players wore wheely shoes because it would probably involve a lot of this:

I don’t feel bad for laughing. It’s Luke’s own fault he thought it was a good idea to wheely (is that a verb?) in the rain. But let’s get back to the point here. Although it’s disappointing to miss out on the conference championship, as long as the big teams win a game or two, they know they will still get a good seed and that’s what they probably care about. At least that’s what the fans care about, from what I’ve heard. But here’s another question. Does seeding in the NCAA Tournament matter? In theory it shouldn’t. The best team should always come out on top. I stress the word team there because I’m talking about the group of players that has the best chemistry and really does everything together, not the school that has the best individual players. Sure some might argue that certain teams have an easier path to the finals but in theory, if a team deserves the national championship they should be able to beat any team anytime so that’s just another excuse. Certain teams match up better against teams with different styles of play but in the end it all comes down to which team has the best gameplan and executes it most effectively. But that’s just my take. What do you think?

Not only do they both look alike, but they're both annoying as hell.

So this weekend as you’re watching conference champions earn the first 30 bids to the big dance, ask yourself some questions. Why does the regular season champ of the Ivy League get the 31st automatic bid? Does it matter that UConn lost? When is the last time I went rollerblading? How was Carrot Top ever funny/successful? Why hasn’t anyone told him that he looks way too much like Kathy Griffin? Do I care that Morehead State won the Ohio Valley Conference with a 19-15 record on the year making their first appearance in the tournament since 1984?

Well, Do you?

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