The best of March Madness

By Brendan McEvoy Sports Central Columnist

Remember how there was all this hype about how the national championship could be won by any one of a dozen teams? Well, that's still a possibility, but it's also very possible that all four No. 1 seeds get to the Final Four for the first time ever.

That's March Madness. That's why I love college hoops even more since the talent started jumping to the NBA. Anything can happen.

So, as I kicked back and threw down more Miller Lights than a 150-pound man should, I came up with my top-10 favorite things about this year's March Madness.

10. Amnesia

Every year I fill out my bracket, Florida and Kansas and the two No. 1 seeds from the other brackets are always in the Final Four. What happens to me that makes me think this year will be the year?

9. Running the Pool

As the sports editor of a weekly newspaper in the D.C. suburbs, I take great pleasure in running the NCAA pool. And this year, 11 of 12 people are within 10 points of the leader.

But, I enjoy posting the results. The power trip is one I enjoy. Everyone looks forward to seeing them first thing Monday morning. And, it's a good excuse to not do real work.

8. Pitt Coach Ben Howland

I've listened to Howland on the radio and all the shows, promoting his program in a very likeable way. His team plays with tons of effort and they love that underdog role.

I have bought into Howland's preachings and I really like them to challenge Kentucky for the Midwest region. Brandin Knight is an exciting player and guard-play is what gets teams to New Orleans.

7. The First Night

Is there anything better than showing up to a packed sports bar with a thousand televisions and taking the game in with people from all over?

I live in Washington, D.C., where everyone is from somewhere else. And I actually saw a guy wearing an IUPUI sweatshirt. I didn't know they made those.

In my bracket, I was four of five in the afternoon games. So I sat there watching with confidence that maybe this was my year to take home the cake.

While I was watching three games at once for four straight hours that night, my prowess evened out.

I was next to some guy who was doing very well with his picks. All night, he was teasing me about how my bracket was screwed.

But, when Notre Dame came on -- I am a fan -- he was nice enough to notice the Shamrock on my hat and resisted laughing in my face after I nearly suffered a heart attack at the end of the game. Luck of Irish, right? The luckiest thing to happen to the Irish was surviving the potato famine. For now, we feast.

And everything from the upsets to the near upsets, those first-day games have a special aura. I live for that day. The next one starts 360 days later.

6. Reading About Girl Problems

Reporters that cover the NCAA must get awfully bored. The Washington Post's Josh Barr, a very good reporter (in fact, a legend in the making), wrote that Ryan Randle's poor play going into the NCAA tournament was partially due to girlfriend problems.

I just find it hysterical that a college kid's relationship with a coed is now fair game to make headlines at the biggest moment of the season. I know that as reporters, we sometimes latch onto the idea that we should tell the stories of athletes that sometimes make us see that they are regular people, too.

But, something inside of me feels like that story should have said "Randle has off-court problems that he's struggling to work through." The whole girlfriend thing should be off limits unless he's dating a member of the women's team and it's a cute story.

5. More Clark Kellogg

Clark Kellogg may be my favorite halftime broadcaster. He invented the words stick-to-it-iveness and spurt-ability. A few years ago when CBS came back from commercial, Kellogg was clearly not ready. He was eating a donut. And when he realized he was on, he reacted like I would with a quick raised eyebrow and turned away from the camera. It's right up there with SportsCenter's Steve Levy's Maurice Hurst's bulging disc moment.

4. J.J. Reddick

Is there a better shooter in the history of college basketball? From my era, I can't think of one. He is so dangerous and it doesn't matter how you cover him, he's going to knock down at least four threes and they will come at the worst possible time.

I saw Reddick in the high school Virginia AAA State Championship semifinals and championship game. He was playing with a fallen arch in his left foot and a sore wrist.

The team I was covering, Hayfield Secondary School, tried every which way to stop him. He scored 34 points and he hardly broke a sweat.

Then, against George Wythe in the finals (a team that started five players 6-3 or taller), he dropped in 43. It was the most impressive back-to-back performance I've ever witnessed.

And he's doing it on a bigger stage. I expect him to rip Roy Williams heart out and then go on to Lute Olsen or Mike Brey for seconds. Expect Duke to be there.

3. The SEC is the Paper Tiger

Now that the entire SEC except for Kentucky and Auburn rolled over like a cheap suit, maybe we can finally agree that the Wildcats going 16-0 in the conference wasn't such a big deal. It is a nice accomplishment, but it's all anyone talks about when Kentucky is brought up.

2. Drew Nicholas

Remember how Bo Jackson ran a half circle up the wall in Baltimore's Memorial Park 15 years ago after catching a fly ball? I did that on my front door when Nicholas drilled that last-second jump shot to beat UNC-Wilmington and fell flat on my face.

I didn't care. Maryland is my sentimental favorite. Since Florida, my pick to win the South Bracket, played like statues against Michigan State, I am now in position to pull for our local favorite.

I love Gary Williams. The look on his face when Nicholas hit that shot wasn't as cold as Larry Bird's when Reggie Miller hit a game-winner in the playoffs two years ago, but it was close. I think he was ready to tear their heads off, and with good reason.

1. Butler on the Heartbreak Hotel Tour

After a one point win over Mississippi State, Butler looked completely overmatched in the first few minutes of its game with Louisville. I actually turned to my future father-in-law and said Louisville might win by 30.

Darnell Archey just kept drilling threes like his name was John Goldsberry.

My favorite moment in this game came when the ladies returned from shopping and Lewis Curry bricked a pair of free throws. Then Joel Cornette gets fouled, and as he's walking to the line, my mom asks, "Is that the same guy who just bricked a pair?"

And my father, who has logged a total of 58 minutes of watching college basketball this year, says, "No, that's Cornette," as if he's a household name. Maybe you had to be there.

But, now Butler has a banged-up Oklahoma team to deal with. I'd like for them to pick up where Tulsa left off in 2000 and get to the Final Four. That would be worth sacrificing my bracket.

Article courtesy of Sports Central.