That men’s national championship was so fun that I’m almost inclined to take back all the mean things I’ve said about Capital One’s embarrassingly bad commercials over the duration of the tournament.
There are several key ingredients that can transform any game into a must-see, you’ll-talk-about-it-with-your-friends-for-the-next-week event. Michigan and Louisville delivered in numerous key areas.
It has to be a game of major importance.
Clearly, a national championship fits here, but so do rivalry games or unusual contests like Miami’s 27-game winning streak coming to an end in Chicago against the Bulls.
As an added bonus, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino was gunning for his second national title to become the first coach to win championships for more than one program.
It has to feel like the atmosphere is about to pop the ceiling off.
I can’t stand how the Final Four is played in cavernous football stadiums better suited for monster truck shows than basketball, a game played on a court that’s 94 feet long and 50 feet wide.
Monday night, however, was a legitimate, big-game setting. The announced attendance was 74,326, and by a rough estimation, about 15,000 could actually make out the action on the floor. But large, rowdy student sections behind each basket ramped up the noise level.
Fan bases from both schools arrived in force and each was boisterous. Of course, it helped that everyone had something to scream about because ...
There were unexpected storylines.
By this point, we all know Spike Albrecht was averaging less than two points a game before erupting for a career-high 17 against the Cardinals — and all of Spike’s points came in the opening 20 minutes when he had to play extended minutes filling in for Trey Burke, who was saddled with two fouls.
My wife doesn’t watch sports, but she was captivated by the kid who looks like he should still be back in Crown Point, Ind., hitting jumpers for Northfield Mount Hermon.
Also, there’s something I don’t want us to overlook. What’s more likely to happen again? A freshman with a career high of seven points scores 17 points in 16 minutes — including 4-for-4 from the 3-point line — or there’s another player in the NCAA tournament with the nickname Spike?
And the last key ingredient for an unforgettable game is that there’s major swings of momentum.
Take a matchup with meaning, play it in front of thousands of screaming, hysterical fans, add a few doses of Luke Hancock and Spike Albrecht draining a combined nine 3-pointers and you’ll have a tasty brew.
But when there are 12-point leads evaporating in the blink of an eye — about the same time it takes for a bearded guy to enter off the bench and rain in four 3-pointers, flipping a double-digit deficit into a one-point grinder — and momentum is swinging back and forth like a typical Cowboys’ regular season — it’s a potion for 40 minutes of beautiful basketball.
With four ties and seven lead changes, we were hitched to the edge of our seats, knowing no lead was safe. Who knew which player would hit the game’s next big shot?
Here’s a few parts of a conversation I had with a buddy, Tony, while texting one another Monday night.
Tony: Hey! You watchin’ this!!!!!!!
(Tony likes using exclamation points when he’s excited. Can you tell!?)
Tony: I don’t know man. ... Atmosphere seems pretty good.
(Tony also likes arguing with me about anything I feel strongly about. Therefore, he has to rub in the fact the national championship’s ambiance was worthy of a title match — even if it was played in a capacious, lifeless football stadium.)
Tony: Geez....Now this is basketball!!!!!!
(A one-way conversation, I realize, but you try and get a word in with this guy.)
Tony: March Madness at its finest! What a game! LET THE BOYS PLAY!!!!!
(Clearly, at this point, Tony’s fingers were flying across his phone’s keyboard to try and get across the point that watching two teams attack one another by playing fast, shooting 3-pointers or flying to the rim is amazing. Why don’t we have more games like Monday night’s?)
Kyle: I’m so sick of Clark Kellogg.
(I’m always sort of a downer, but I can’t help it. Kellogg drives me nuts.)
Tony: Can you imagine if we had GUS!!!!!
(Tony is referring to sportscaster Gus Johnson. Johnson called NCAA Tournament games from 1996 to 2011 before he left CBS to join FOX.)
Kyle: Basketball orgasm.
(Gus Johnson’s over-the-top enthusiasm would have fit perfectly with the Louisville-Michigan up-tempo, high-scoring run of play.)
Kyle: It’s a crime we don’t.
Kyle: An absolute crime.
Tony: It truly is.
Kyle: Let’s prosecute.
Tony: Sign a petition!
Kyle: In the petition, can I include a section outlawing ALL Capital One commercials?
(No matter how good the game was, I just can’t let those Capital One commercials go.)
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