It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year
As most of you know, March Madness is my favorite time of the year. The excitement of the postseason college basketball (or high school) gives me goosebumps and really is the perfect way to start the Spring. I get an extra hop in my step just at the thought of conference tournaments and of course the Big Dance.
Like last year, I got tickets for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. For $80 I sat in the second row for 7 do-or-die games. While the quality of basketball wasn't always the greatest, the energy of the players knowing that they were playing to either pad their tournament resume or their only chance at dancing.
Instead of spending paragraphs explaining the highlights of the tournament (or March Madness in general), I'm going to just list my reasons for loving this time of year.
- playing for a chance to be forever remembered
- seniors lifting up their game to extend their college career for one more game
- the emotional senior knowing the end of the line is at hand
- the hometown bench-warmer scoring in garbage minutes followed by the student section erupting
- college fight songs and the motions that go with them
- the star player making everyone else better
- the unknown role player making a name for himself
- a coach becoming the "new" hot commodity
- a coach who understands it's about the players
- referees acknowledging their mistakes and letting the teams play
- the jubilation of a game changing play
- momentum swings
- a big three
- monster dunks
- no look passes
- stealing the ball and taking it coast-to-coast
- timeouts to keep the fans in suspense
- hard fouls that are only committed because of the gravity of the situation
- all tournament teams
- players playing because the love the game
- fans making a difference
- cutting down the nets
- players having to be picked off the ground after a devestating loss
- players having to be picked off the ground after a shocking win
- 12 seeds beating 5 seeds
- the underdogs in the Sweet 16
- an improbable Final Four run
- knowing your team is still alive
- Gonzaga, Valparaiso, Richmond, etc.
- Bill Raftery
- Thursday and Friday afternoon games
- 1 month of basketball to make me last another 11 months
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
Like last year, I got tickets for the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. For $80 I sat in the second row for 7 do-or-die games. While the quality of basketball wasn't always the greatest, the energy of the players knowing that they were playing to either pad their tournament resume or their only chance at dancing.
Instead of spending paragraphs explaining the highlights of the tournament (or March Madness in general), I'm going to just list my reasons for loving this time of year.
- playing for a chance to be forever remembered
- seniors lifting up their game to extend their college career for one more game
- the emotional senior knowing the end of the line is at hand
- the hometown bench-warmer scoring in garbage minutes followed by the student section erupting
- college fight songs and the motions that go with them
- the star player making everyone else better
- the unknown role player making a name for himself
- a coach becoming the "new" hot commodity
- a coach who understands it's about the players
- referees acknowledging their mistakes and letting the teams play
- the jubilation of a game changing play
- momentum swings
- a big three
- monster dunks
- no look passes
- stealing the ball and taking it coast-to-coast
- timeouts to keep the fans in suspense
- hard fouls that are only committed because of the gravity of the situation
- all tournament teams
- players playing because the love the game
- fans making a difference
- cutting down the nets
- players having to be picked off the ground after a devestating loss
- players having to be picked off the ground after a shocking win
- 12 seeds beating 5 seeds
- the underdogs in the Sweet 16
- an improbable Final Four run
- knowing your team is still alive
- Gonzaga, Valparaiso, Richmond, etc.
- Bill Raftery
- Thursday and Friday afternoon games
- 1 month of basketball to make me last another 11 months
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
posted by Tim Weiss at 8:24 PM
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