March Madness and the KU Jayhawks

I am a die hard baseball fan and if I had to choose one sport over another, I would definitely, take baseball over all the others. Having said that, the first week of March Madness is one the best weeks in all of sports. From “Selection Sunday” when everyone is glued to their TV sets to see where their favorite teams will end up or in some cases if their team will be chosen, through the play in game, now officially called “the opening round game” through the final buzzer on Sunday, when the field has been whittled down from 65 teams to the “Sweet 16”, it doesn’t get much better.

For the casual fan to the die hard fan, it’s all about filling out your bracket to win the office pool. Each has their own method to predict the winners. Some by the color of the uniforms, some by the team mascot, and others use more scientific ways.

Every fan and every team has a dream at this time of the year. The slate has been wiped clean. It’s a new season. The big story that everyone is looking for is which team will be the next Cinderella. It’s all about who will have the biggest upset in the tournament. Being from Wichita, Kansas what an exciting tournament it was two years ago when our beloved Wichita State Shockers made it to the Sweet 16 only to get beat by another team on a Cinderella run, George Mason. The only problem was that there was just one slipper. The Shockers went home and George Mason went on to the final four.

Last year the tournament wasn’t quite as exciting. Seems the selection committee did too good of a job in seeding the teams and there were only three upsets. The average is 8.5 upsets per year.

Being a KU fan, we have been on the other side of the fence all too often. What other team in America has that much talent but can’t make it to the final four. Last year, the Jayhawks made it to the Elite Eight before bowing out to UCLA 68-55. The two seasons before that, they lost in the first round. KU fans do, you remember Bucknell and Bradley? Which KU team will show up this year? This team is loaded with talent, and Bill Self has them playing at their best. Yesterdays’ game vs. Texas in the Big 12 Championship will be one to remember. This team, if they show up, has the talent to beat anyone in the nation. Sometime it takes them a while to get it going. Sometime they don’t get it going. Most KU fans would tell you that anything less than a final four appearance would be a failure. Which KU team will show up? Let the Madness begin!