By Nunnie Robinson, Westside Gazette Sports Editor
The suddenness with which teams are dispatched in the NCAA Tournament justifies the moniker “March Madness.” After the euphoria of being selected as one of the 64, Play In games not withstanding, the basic win or go home premise is perfect for a tournament of that size. After the first days of competition, 32 teams are eliminated. The next round decides which teams make it to the Sweet 16, special because that round and the following ones have been given uniquely, enduring names, i.e., The Elite 8 and The Final 4. Some interesting facts to ponder: the four #1 seeds – Auburn, Duke, Florida and Houston – stayed the course along with #2 seeds Tennessee, Alabama and Michigan State. Among others to make the cut of 16 were #3 seeds Texas Tech and Kentucky, #4 seeds Arizona, Purdue and Maryland and rounding out the field was #5 seed Michigan, #6 seeds Ole Miss and BYU, followed by #10 seed Arkansas, which defeated Big East Conference champion St. John’s in a battle of legendary coaches John Calipari and Rick Pitino.
Incredibly, 7 of the Sweet 16 come from the SEC, indicative of the conference’s strength and national superiority. The other intriguing battle occurred between 2- time defending champion UConn and the Florida Gators. Though Florida won 77-75, I was thoroughly impressed with the effort, tenacity and pride the Huskies exhibited in defending their titles . They are well coached and extremely competitive.
It is conceivable that the Southeastern Conference could have 4 teams in the Final Four; however, the Houston Cougars who are led by Kelvin Sampson, the only Black head coach remaining in tournament, and the Duke Blue Devils will have a say in that matter.
Ju Ju Watson’s season ending torn ACL injury has diminished significantly USC’s chances of reaching the Final Four on the women’s side, leaving UConn, defending champion South Carolina, LSU, Notre Dame, Duke and possibly Maryland as contenders.
Congrats to Norfolk State women’s basketball coach Larry Vickers who accepted the same position with Auburn.
Villanova, North Carolina State and Texas recently fired their head basketball coaches, all Black, two of whom – Rodney Terry and Kevin Keatts – led their teams to the NCAA tournament as recently as last year. Rhetorically speaking, is it me or do you recognize the short leash that our coaches are plagued with. Bottom line: win now and win consistently or else!