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| Blue II has been on a media frenzy all week long |
Well another March has come to an end. Usually this means three weekends of full on basketball, something I remember enjoying since I was a young kid watching Georgetown, St. John's, Villanova and (I had to look up the fourth team) Memphis State in the final four. 1985. I still remember Rollie Massimino running around the court as Villanova took out Georgetown to win the national championship game. It's the first point I paid attention to something that became one of my favorite tournaments in all of sports and picked up on players like Pinckney, Mullin, Ewing, Jackson, Bill Wennington and Dwayne McClain. It became a ritual to watch each March every year after the 8th seeded Wildcats took down the heavily favored Georgetown Hoyas.
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| Photo Courtesy: hearldonline.com |
Speaking of 8 seeds, we have another one in the final four this tournament. A team that surprised America last year by getting to the final four and championship game against Duke only to lose on a last second hurl by Gordon Hayward that just missed being the best shot ever taken in the game. The Butler Bulldogs have done it again. They weren't supposed to be here. The bracketologists didn't have them here. They didn't have a groundbreaking season. They lost more games in their conference this year. But here we are on the 1st of April and they've done it. Back to back final fours (the only team in Indiana history to do that, go figure). Now living in Indianapolis, I can't help but have Butler fever (a bad case of wanting to get a Butler shirt but holding out for a championship one instead). Who in their right mind could hate a team that strives on the Butler Way (meaning complete commitment and exalting teamwork above self). They have to be one of the most joyous programs I've ever watched in twenty five years of college basketball. The players work as a team and coach Brad Stevens has the personality, smarts and charisma of your favorite neighbor growing up. I root for WVU since I grew up in northern West Virginia, but have found myself, and my wife, yelling at the television like we grew up Hoosiers. Four thrilling games in the last two weeks. Good times.
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| Photo courtesy: indystar.com |
They find themselves favorites on Saturday as they play this year's "Butler" the #11 seeded VCU. Another team the "bracketologists" said didn't even deserve to be in the tournament. I got kind of sick of hearing a few this week talk about how the tournament has failed because whoever has the hot hand makes it to the final four, not the best teams. Isn't that what makes the tournament exciting? Watching an undervalued Connecticut team rattle off a clean sweep in the Big East tourney and using that momentum to get to the final four. Watching VCU have to play an extra "play in round" game to gather steam to bulldoze over teams left and right with a "they said we don't belong here" chip on their shoulder. Watching Kentucky take down the best team in the country for the regular season on a last second shot as they knocked out Ohio State. Or watching the drama of Butler basketball as they won on a last second shot vs. Old Dominion, participated in the craziest three seconds of basketball to ever end a game where they knocked off #1 Pitt in their bracket, held on to a twenty point lead only to watch it slip away against Wisconsin, and then took a red hot Florida team to overtime to knock their chomp chomp back to the sunshine state. Isn't that why they have playoffs? Isn't that what makes this the best tournament (besides maybe the Stanley cup playoffs) in American sports today?
Enough pandering. The musical side. I had four songs for
last year's final four teams before the weekend and decided not to go looking for any rams or huskies songs. Let's just throw up the video for Guided By Voices' (so many personal favorites from GBV: Glad Girls, I Am A Tree, Chasing Heather Crazy, Drinker's Peace) "Bulldog Skin". I've never started a petition before, but think this would be one good song to become their theme song. Plus GBV got their start in nearby Dayton so...a stretch...but Midwest roots there. A song for the underdog. Having to take blows. Wearing bulldog skin. Good luck Butler. Go Dawgs! Happy April!
Source: http://www.jhostation.com/2011/04/butler-bulldogsthey-have-bulldog-skin.html
Talulah Gosh
Kate Nash
She & Him
Tiga
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