SWC75
Bored Historian
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- Aug 26, 2011
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Syracuse has rimmed out and our NCAA brackets are in the recycling bin. Now we sit back and watch just to see who wins it this year. But it's more fun if you're pulling for somebody.
An obvious choice would be the remaining ACC team, Virginia, who is looking pretty good at the moment, (but a lot of teams have looked pretty good and then..).
Some people root for the team that beat us to lose because they want that team and their fans to feel the pain we feel but I've always felt that the better the team that beat us does, the better, (or less bad) we look. I remember 2001 when we got blown out by Kansas in the second round, 58-87 and then they lost to Illinois 64-80 and then Illinois lost to Arizona 81-87 and Arizona lost in the title game to Duke, 72-82. We were thus 61 points worse than Duke. That wasn't a good feeling. I rooted for Butler against Duke in 2010 and wished Heyward's half court shot had gone in. We would have lost to the national champions and Jim Boeheim could have played himself in the movie.
It's also a good thing if a team we had beaten wins the title so we can say we beat them, although it stings a little to think that a team that we were, at least for one night, better than, won it and we didn't. It was the one consolation to Connecticut's three titles since we beat all three of their championship teams. That would mean rooting for Baylor, who also looked pretty good today.
But the best idea, I think, is to root for somebody who has never won a national championship to get their first. We had a year and so let's get them a year. That's much better than having one of the perennial powers we like to think we rank with get another title and thus we fall farther behind them. Failing that, I'd prefer whichever team has won the fewest titles or has waited the longest to win another.
If anyone agrees with me, here is a list to help guide them:
Dayton, San Diego State, Iowa State, Tennessee, Baylor and Virginia are seeking their first title. My preference would be for Virginia and after that, Baylor, then Dayton. We beat San Diego State last year, so they would be my fourth preference. At least some of the players we beat would be on this year's champs.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Stanford and Arizona have one title each. Wisconsin won theirs in 1941 and Stanford in 1942 so they would be my preferences in this group. My brother got his master's degree at Stanford and roots for them so they would be my favorite of the two. Michigan bounced us last year and won theirs on a silly call in 1989 so I would like them the least. I had Arizona winning my sheet but I also had 18 teams that have already lost, so I don't think that will make any difference.
I kind of like Michigan State and UCLA so I would not mind if they won. I've nothing against Florida, either.
Nyet to Louisville, Kentucky and, especially, Connecticut.
An obvious choice would be the remaining ACC team, Virginia, who is looking pretty good at the moment, (but a lot of teams have looked pretty good and then..).
Some people root for the team that beat us to lose because they want that team and their fans to feel the pain we feel but I've always felt that the better the team that beat us does, the better, (or less bad) we look. I remember 2001 when we got blown out by Kansas in the second round, 58-87 and then they lost to Illinois 64-80 and then Illinois lost to Arizona 81-87 and Arizona lost in the title game to Duke, 72-82. We were thus 61 points worse than Duke. That wasn't a good feeling. I rooted for Butler against Duke in 2010 and wished Heyward's half court shot had gone in. We would have lost to the national champions and Jim Boeheim could have played himself in the movie.
It's also a good thing if a team we had beaten wins the title so we can say we beat them, although it stings a little to think that a team that we were, at least for one night, better than, won it and we didn't. It was the one consolation to Connecticut's three titles since we beat all three of their championship teams. That would mean rooting for Baylor, who also looked pretty good today.
But the best idea, I think, is to root for somebody who has never won a national championship to get their first. We had a year and so let's get them a year. That's much better than having one of the perennial powers we like to think we rank with get another title and thus we fall farther behind them. Failing that, I'd prefer whichever team has won the fewest titles or has waited the longest to win another.
If anyone agrees with me, here is a list to help guide them:
Dayton, San Diego State, Iowa State, Tennessee, Baylor and Virginia are seeking their first title. My preference would be for Virginia and after that, Baylor, then Dayton. We beat San Diego State last year, so they would be my fourth preference. At least some of the players we beat would be on this year's champs.
Michigan, Wisconsin, Stanford and Arizona have one title each. Wisconsin won theirs in 1941 and Stanford in 1942 so they would be my preferences in this group. My brother got his master's degree at Stanford and roots for them so they would be my favorite of the two. Michigan bounced us last year and won theirs on a silly call in 1989 so I would like them the least. I had Arizona winning my sheet but I also had 18 teams that have already lost, so I don't think that will make any difference.
I kind of like Michigan State and UCLA so I would not mind if they won. I've nothing against Florida, either.
Nyet to Louisville, Kentucky and, especially, Connecticut.
