Simon waxes nostalgic about the NCAA Tournament

Let me start off by saying I love my father, I just don’t like watching Selection Sunday with him. Reason being, he likes sports, he just doesn’t follow them very closely. So every year at this time I had to deal with the same thing as we waited to see if our squad, Xavier, would make it into the NCAA Tournament if they didn’t win their conference tournament. It was especially excruciating once it came down to the last region and Xavier still hadn’t been announced. “What? Why is Belmont in there?” “They won their conference tournament, dad.” "Huh, how is Jackson State in there and not Xavier, we are way better than them.” “They won their conference tournament, dad.” And so forth and so on for the length of the show.

It’s not that he didn’t understand how the whole thing worked, despite the fact that it took about 4 years before he finally accepted that the best 64 teams (no there aren’t 65 teams, that’s a play-in game) don’t make the tournament. Trying to explain there are only 34 at-large bids, but some teams that would get at-large bids also won their conference tournaments, was like trying to teach someone French, when you don’t speak it yourself. Basically it all boiled down to his refusal to accept that if you win your conference tournament, you’re automatically in despite your record.

He has some rant that it’s all about money (about 95% of his rants encompass this), fine, let’s just get rid of the NCAA tournament then too and give the National Championship to Ohio State since they are currently #1. It’s been a few years since we actually watched the Selection Show together, but when I talk to him about the tournament now, it’s like he expects me to have the entire thing memorized. “Who does George Washington play? Where? When?” “Geez pop (okay, I don’t think I ever actually called my dad “pop”), like I friggin’ remember.”

I also love how people who know absolutely nothing about basketball always destroy me in tournament pools. This year I’m expecting good things because despite all the parity, I filled my bracket out in 6 minutes. I’ll put it out there now: G-town, Memphis, Florida and UCLA in the Final Four with the Gators beating the Hoyas for the championship. Of course in 3 weeks, when none of these teams make it to Atlanta and Memphis loses to Nevada in the 2nd round and UCLA to Weber St. in the 1st , I’ll look an idiot.

Believe it or not, one year I actually finished 2nd, but I was in one of those “winner takes al…..errr…..make up the rules as we go” pools, so I didn’t win jack. Save your sympathy because I learned a valuable lesson, why swim in someone else’s pool when you can create your own. Which I always try to do now, so I can be fair, to myself, and make up the rules as I go. Look at that, I finished 3rd, did I happen to mention that 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place are all awarded the same prize money?

Let’s face it though, no one actually loves the tournament because it’s a great opportunity to make some easy cash. If you actually win, it’s not because you’re smarter than everyone else, it’s probably because you’re dumber. Illogic is the only logic and unpredictability is the beauty of the beast, but no one minds because it creates the most exciting event in sports. So despite the fact that the best team seldom wins the thing, the little guy actually gets the rare opportunity to shine.

Like back in ‘04 when my Musketeers were on the brink on the Final Four. I’ll be honest, I didn’t even have them beating Louisville in the first round in my bracket (so much for loyalty, huh?), but before I knew it, they had jacked-up Mississippi St., who had pummeled us earlier in the year, to advance to the Sweet 16. This all occured after Xavier had no business even being in the tournament since they underachieved most of the season. Yet, they put together some ridiculous run to win the A-10 tournament, absolutely crushing St. Joe’s, the #1 team in the country at the time, in the process.

So there they were in the Elite 8, facing a Texas team many people thought could win it all. There was no way they would beat them, right? Of course they did, and found themselves in a dogfight with Duke for the right to advance to the Final Four. It took the powers of referee Blue Devil bias and Dukie Vitale, but they were eventually edged out by 3 points. I hate people that blame the refs for their team losing, but there were some horrible calls in that game. Alas, I’m not going to cry over a bull's crap, despite the loss they completed one of the most improbable runs in NCAA history and advanced further than any other Xavier team prior.

After that remarkable season, our coach skipped town for greener pastures and just happens to coach a little school called Ohio State. If you haven’t heard, they’re currently the #1 team in the country. Not that it will matter after they lose in the 2nd round to, yeah you guessed it, Xavier! As Dukie V would say, the Big Dance is awesome, baby!