Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Let the madness begin!
As I write this we are about 24 hours away from tip-off in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournement, otherwise known as March Madness. I could write a long breakdown of the brackets but it would have a shelf life substantially shorter than Tigerhawk's cornstarch.
Let me instead point you toward's Sports Prof's entertaining and cogent analysis.
Of course as an Iowa Hawkeye fan, I am gratified that the team made it in, particularly after their promising 12-1 start in which they defeated Louisville, Texas, Air Force, Texas Tech, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State. They have a gritty team, and while they faltered inexplicably in early conference play, and then again in mid-season after the departure of their leading scorer Pierre Pierce, their core of Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner, and Adam Haluska is very solid. In my opinion they should upset the 7th seed Cincinnati Bearcats, and then give Kentucky a game on Saturday.
It is an interesting time in Hawkeye land, as fans seem somewhat ambivilent about the success of the team. It seems, at least according to popular message boards such as the Hawkeye Report, that a not insignificant portion of the fan base genuinely dislikes coach Steve Alford for reasons at least not wholly connected to the team's record in recent years, and is in fact disappointed that the Hawkeyes squeaked in, thereby ensuring his tenure for at least one more year.
This is in sharp contrast to the atmosphere in Charlottesville, Virginia, where UVA coach Pete Gillen was shown the door after another disappointing season. In C'ville, it is definitely about wins and losses, as everyone bends over backwards to say how much they love coach and how much they will miss him.
It will be interesting to see how Hawkeye fans react if Iowa actually makes a run.
Let me instead point you toward's Sports Prof's entertaining and cogent analysis.
Of course as an Iowa Hawkeye fan, I am gratified that the team made it in, particularly after their promising 12-1 start in which they defeated Louisville, Texas, Air Force, Texas Tech, Northern Iowa, and Iowa State. They have a gritty team, and while they faltered inexplicably in early conference play, and then again in mid-season after the departure of their leading scorer Pierre Pierce, their core of Jeff Horner, Greg Brunner, and Adam Haluska is very solid. In my opinion they should upset the 7th seed Cincinnati Bearcats, and then give Kentucky a game on Saturday.
It is an interesting time in Hawkeye land, as fans seem somewhat ambivilent about the success of the team. It seems, at least according to popular message boards such as the Hawkeye Report, that a not insignificant portion of the fan base genuinely dislikes coach Steve Alford for reasons at least not wholly connected to the team's record in recent years, and is in fact disappointed that the Hawkeyes squeaked in, thereby ensuring his tenure for at least one more year.
This is in sharp contrast to the atmosphere in Charlottesville, Virginia, where UVA coach Pete Gillen was shown the door after another disappointing season. In C'ville, it is definitely about wins and losses, as everyone bends over backwards to say how much they love coach and how much they will miss him.
It will be interesting to see how Hawkeye fans react if Iowa actually makes a run.
0 Comments:
