It’s the battle of good in the matinee, with evil featured in the nightcap. (Link here) Assuming you can follow basic logic, this means that the national final is guaranteed to match good vs. evil, to CBS’ delight (2010 featured such a matchup – Butler vs. Duke – and was a ratings bonanza).
There’s not much gray area, either. Butler and VCU are mid-major teams, with likeable players and fresh-faced, young, driven coaches. Guys who have built championship contenders with hard work and none of the advantages that “blue blood” programs enjoy. To root against them is virtually un-American. On the other hand, you have John Calipari (widely viewed as the most crooked active coach in college hoops) and Jim Calhoun (widely regarded as the biggest asshole in college athletics, possibly the entire world). Neither is much for NCAA compliance, despite having all the perks and advantages of high-visibilibility, major conference programs. Calhoun’s disgusting comments after a controversial, nail-biting win over Sendek’s first NCAAT Wolfpack squad elevated the Huskies to my least favorite team, even more hated than Duke and UNC.
I look forward to enjoying the games with the SFN community tonight. However, this thread should be 100% free of coaching search talk – I am taking a much-needed sabbatical from that, and want to simply enjoy good college hoops action. There are plenty of other threads to discuss, freak out, and argue about the coaching search. Thanks in advance for your understanding and basic reading comprehension.
