Cinderella Stories

"Basketball is a game that gives you every chance to be great, and puts every pressure on you to prove that you haven't got what it takes. It never takes away the chance, and it never eases up on the pressure." ~ Coach Bob Sundvold


Somewhere in south Texas, Cousin Kevin is freaking out because he thinks this is one of those "girly" blogs I write that he complains about. It's not......it's about basketball.

I love March Madness. Watching college basketball on tv all day for days in a row.....it's great. This is one of those times of the year I'm going to miss being in college. You could watch a lot of basketball when you only had to be in class a few hours a day. I fear work may not be quite as flexible about that... Anyway, my favorite part of the whole thing is the Cinderella stories. The way the bracket is set up, there are 31 automatic bids to the tournament for teams that win their conference tournaments. That means that even if a team from a nobody-conference that is 0-28 on the year still has a chance once that conference tournament starts. Once they make it into the field of 64 for the NCAA tournament, it's the same story.

Sure, no 16 seed has beaten a 1 in the first round. But there have been other shockers---teams who no one has ever heard of coming in and beating a powerhouse.

Bucknell knocked off Kansas in 2005. The 14 seed Bison knocked off the No. 3 seed Jayhawks. Bucknell had never won an NCAA tournament. Had only 5 scholarship players. And they borrowed a band. They never should have won. But no one told that to Bucknell.

George Mason, a #12 seed, made the Final Four. We're not talking one game here---we're talking the Final Four. They had to slay several Goliath's to make it there.

Gonzaga was everyone's favorite Cinderella in 1999. Their last second runner gave rise to one of the most popular lines from a college basketball announcer, "Gonzaga, the slipper still fits!"

Shoot, the first year that the 64 team bracket was unveiled....No. 8 Villanova shocked everyone, wining the National Championship. They weren't supposed to be there. They weren't supposed to win. But they beat Georgetown and cut down the nets.

This is what March Madness is all about! So get ready----the show gets started on Thursday. I hope we have a year full of great games and Cinderella stories! I've got my fingers crossed that this year's Cinderella is a number 7 seed, wearing orange! :)