By KEVIN MOBLEY – Contributing Writer
During a game broadcast in 1982, CBS Sports’ Brent Musburger coined the famous term “March Madness,” describing the chaos of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This year’s edition is sure to fill fans with excitement and emotion.
What is madness?
According to the Oxford Dictionaries, madness is “a state of frenzied or chaotic activity.”
In March, that’s a severe understatement.
Through the years, the NCAA Basketball Tournament has produced some of the most iconic figures and scenes in all of sports. One that comes to mind is Duke’s Christian Laettner hitting a sport-transcendent buzzer-beater vs. Kentucky in the 1992 East Regional Final. Or what about Villanova’s 1985 “Cinderella” run, that was capped off by a David vs. Goliath victory against Georgetown at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena?
Countless stories, but the madness lives on.
This year, already with talk of No. 1 seeds and “bracketology,” some conference tournaments underway and the rematch of Duke and UNC in the books, it is evident that the madness is upon us.
Here are the five best stories going into the 75th edition of March Madness.
5. Boeheim joins the 900 Club
Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim solidified his status as an elite coach on December 17, 2012 by joining one of the most prestigious clubs in all of basketball – the 900 Club. Only two other coaches in all of men’s basketball have achieved this honor, Mike Krzyzewski and Bob Knight. Even the greats, such as John Wooden, Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, among others, could not reach this milestone. Another amazing fact – Boeheim’s 900 wins were all at Syracuse; Krzyzewski has yet to reach 900 with Duke and Bob Knight had 659 with Indiana and 102 with Army, as well as a 6-year comeback stint with Texas Tech that made him the first-ever to reach 900 wins. Look for Syracuse to be a contender in the Big Dance this year behind the talents of backcourt buddies Michael Carter-Williams and Brandon Triche.
4. Newton’s Law
In physics, and currently in college basketball, what goes up must come down. That has been the case with seven of the last eight No. 1-ranked teams by the USA Today Coaches Poll.
Week 10: The first to fall was Duke in a loss to NC State.
Week 11: Next was Louisville, which lost a tight battle with Syracuse, but dropped dramatically by losing their next two games to Villanova and Georgetown, respectively.
Week 12: After that it was Duke again, who regained its rank before losing to Miami in a blowout.
Week 13: Kansas became the next top team, but they dropped the ball by losing 80-85 to Oklahoma State.
Week 14: Indiana recovered its preseason status the following week, only to fall after losing by a missed defensive assignment against Illinois.
Week 15: Duke figured the third time was the charm, but they lost in the final seconds to Maryland.
Week 16 and 17: Indiana became No. 1 again after a huge win at Ohio State, and became the only team in the last eight weeks to maintain that status the following week.
Week 18: But then the Hoosiers lost to Minnesota, and we now have Gonzaga at the top spot
Get all of that?
3. Putting the Victor In Victory
Indiana junior guard Victor Oladipo has emerged this season as arguably the nation’s best player, and he’s certainly the most exciting. His arsenal includes a bevy of sneaky steals followed by two-handed jams, deep three-pointers, tough put-backs and one high tempo style of play. He is currently averaging 13.7 points and 6 rebounds per contest, combined with a shooting percentage of roughly 63% from the field. But he seems to improve his team’s play whenever he’s on the floor, and has been a spark for the Hoosiers through the rough patches of the season. Oladipo is a prime candidate for the Wooden Award, and could potentially exalt Indiana back to its prominence, which started with their first outright Big Ten regular season title since 1993.
2. It’s All About the Who?
The Miami Hurricanes are vying for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Yes, you are reading correctly. It was the perfect storm, or hurricane rather, that has the boys from South Beach in the hunt for the National Championship. They turned the college basketball world upside down with a monumental 27-point win over then-ranked No. 1 Duke, and followed up with impressive wins over Florida State and UNC. They have since cooled off with upset losses to Wake Forest and Georgia Tech, as well as a 3-point loss to Duke at Cameron Indoor. But even though they’ve lost three of their last five games, they clinched the ACC regular season title this weekend with a win over Clemson. Credit their success to the play of guards Durand Scott and Shane Larkin, who have averaged 12.9 and 13.7 points in addition to 2.6 and 4.4 assists per game, respectively.
1. No Noel
As if this year has not been stressful enough for Kentucky and it’s coach John Calipari, the basketball gods took away their star player and left the Wildcats in panic. Nerlens Noel, a 6’10” forward, sustained an ACL tear a month ago against Florida, and is out for the rest of the season. His loss deprives Kentucky of 10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, as well as 106 total blocks. The Wildcats are still hanging on, as they are tied for 2nd in the SEC, and have won four of their last seven, including a huge resumé booster against No. 11 Florida that, barring a horrible performance at the SEC tournament, may have given them an at-large bid into the Big Dance.
Tourney Predictions
Here are my predictions for the Power 6 conference tournaments:
The 69-53 win over UNC on Saturday sealed the deal for me. The Blue Devils have too many weapons offensively, whether its in the paint with senior Mason Plumlee, the penetration of freshman Quinn Cook, the outside shooting from senior Seth Curry, or the versatility of senior Ryan Kelly.
The Cowboys have been powered by the outstanding play of freshman guard and Wooden Award finalist Marcus Smart, who averages around 15 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3 steals per game.
The Hoyas were my sleeper pick for the Final Four last year, but now they are in prime position for a No. 1 seed. Georgetown has been fueled by sophomore forward and Wooden Award finalist Otto Porter Jr., but junior guard Markel Starks and sophomore forward Greg Whittington have transformed this team into a legitimate contender in not only the Big East, but the entire country as well.
Though Michigan lost to Indiana on Sunday, they proved that they can hang with anyone in the country. Sophomore guard Trey Burke has been sensational, and his development into a true point guard this season is why Michigan will come out on top in the ruthless Big Ten.
The Bruins signed one of the elite classes in the country last year, and that talent has had a lot to do with their success this season. The freshman stars, forward Shabazz Muhammad and guards Kyle Anderson and Jordan Adams, have led the team, and their energy is the main reason why I think they’ll win the Pac-12.
Junior guard Phil Pressey is No. 7 in the nation in assists, and his vision is why six Tiger players, himself included, average double-digit points. Missouri has had a decent inaugural season, and an SEC title would surely cap it off well.
Stay tuned for more coverage, analysis and predictions of the 2013 edition of March Madness.
