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The Cats Are Going Wild From North to West
Nominees often say that being considered for an award is a tremendous honor. And it is. But it’s a lot of fun to win…
The Northwestern University Wildcats secured a bid in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (March Madness) for the first-time in school history just last weekend. The team and its fans erupted in celebration on “Selection Sunday” when it was announced the Wildcats would be dancing in March.
Little did the fans know that their cheering that day was just the beginning of their jubilation.
Northwestern vs. Vanderbilt: The highlights.
Now, the next game for the 8-seeded Wildcats is a date with the 1-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the West bracket.
Going by common sense and analysis, the Gonzaga Bulldogs should advance to the Sweet Sixteen with ease. Going by the surprisingly successful mascot rule (which mascot would win in a fight), that’s where this match-up becomes more interesting with a Bulldog vs. a Wildcat.
The former is the logical approach, but the latter approach is much more fun.
Going by geography and names, this basketball game will be North Northwestern by vs. Northwest.
Happy Monday!
Light Blue v. Dark Blue.
Public v. Private.
UNC v. Villanova.
The 2016 NCAA National Championship game is set to take off in Houston, Texas at NRG Stadium, which will inspire either Chapel Hill or Philadelphia to erupt in celebration late tonight as this season’s king of college basketball.
Even though there is no Cinderella in the title game, the two major programs (sporting varying shades of blue) will have a David v. Goliath aura. The Tar Heels currently have 5 championships to their name, while the Wildcats have one title.
Roy Williams will have the opportunity to hoist his 3rd national championship as the head coach of UNC in 11 years. When you consider the relentless competition from teams around the country and the recruitment cycle and enrolling players and graduating players, winning 3 national championships in 11 years would be an incredible achievement.
In order for Roy Williams and his team to cap off (and earn another cap/hat) another golden season, the Tar Heels will have to beat a talented Villanova squad that embarrassed the Oklahoma Sooners in the Final Four with the final score of 95-51. The challenge is there and, before UNC can cut down the nets for the 6th time, they will need to burn the nets with three’s and two’s NBA Jam-style and rattle the rim with dunks.
What’s at stake?
Go Tar Heels!!
Happy Monday!
The Killers killed it.
Last year’s March Madness song came courtesy of the hit, “Shot at the Night” from the Las Vegas rock quartet. It was perfect. And after last night’s exciting bracket reveal, the Killers’ pump-up video from 2014 still holds today for its motivational and inspirational qualities. Before this tournament’s song is debuted in a matter of days, let’s start this magical week with a look back at an instant classic.
Take a Crazy Shot This Week!
Crafting a Role Model
Ohio State’s Aaron Craft is everything that’s great about college basketball. Scratch that: Ohio State’s Aaron Craft is everything that’s great about basketball in general.
In the age of showboating, multimillion dollar contracts, vulgar trash talking and tattoos, Craft is a pleasant and welcomed anomaly from the days of John Wooden, as ESPN’s Rick Reilly put it recently. He hustles, bustles and flexes his muscles on the hardwood and in the classroom for athletic and academic records every single student dreams of having (at Ohio State and around the country) and every single parent hopes to see their child achieve.
He’s a role model. Not just for young kids running around and cheering in Buckeye jerseys with #4 stitched in Scarlet and Gray, but also for his classmates and contemporaries and their parents alike. His effort is as relentless as his honesty in post-game interviews, which underscores the metaphorical significance of sports to life.
In Craft’s case, it’s basketball.
You won’t win every game or ace every test, but you need to prepare as if you will and should. In college basketball, there are only 40 minutes. That’s it. Craft is a prime example of an athlete (and student) who wants the opportunity to win and excel and will do whatever he has to in order to earn those opportunities. Not a guarantee at victory, but the opportunity for victory, just as in life.
If you’ve watched him carefully throughout the past 4 years, he’s undeniably one of the most opportunistic basketball players around, which is what separates him from the rest.
As The Ohio State Buckeyes prepare to battle the Dayton Flyers in Buffalo, New York today, everyone in Scarlet and Gray will need to rise to the level of their relentless senior point guard if they want the opportunity to continue a journey towards repeating a championship moment in Buckeye history from the days of short shorts and $.10 popcorn.
If this were a movie, it might be called, The Human Rubik’s Cube Rises.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 