I think I'm just going to stop trying to analyze college basketball. If you would've told me a few months ago that this year's KU team would be in the Final Four, I would've been floored. All year long I've been saying they're just not that good. (Actually, I've still been kinda thinking it, but here's what I overlooked: this year's starting five has developed REALLY well. Yeah, our first guys off the bench are two walk-ons and a transfer from a mid-major, but when you have a potential player of the year, a third-team All-American, and three other starters who range from mediocre to outstanding from game to game, that's not so bad. I just got used to the KU teams from the last few years, who were legitimately 10 or 11 players deep. Just because the bench is shitty doesn't mean the team is. Maybe we're not so bad. Who needs five-star recruits when you can develop players like Coach Self and his assistants? Forget about the Xavier Henrys and Josh Selbys of the world.)
Either way, I've enjoyed this year's ride immensely. Because the Jayhawks have been so good the last few regular seasons, only to "choke" against a higher-seeded team every March, the tournament has almost brought a sense of dread for me. Every single game is a heart attack waiting to happen; I can't enjoy a thing until the final buzzer. But once the 2012 edition reached the Sweet 16, I was happy. The season was officially a success; everything after that has been gravy. True, NC State was technically an 11 seed, but should've been at least an 8, and was playing at about the level of a 3 or 4 for over a month. Beating Ol' Roy and UNC (sans Kendall Marshall, although Stillman White did have 7 assists and no turnovers) was extra salt and pepper sprinkled on top of the gravy. It's rare that I can go into a Final Four with such a flagrant "Happy to be here" vibe......but it's happening this year.
Other thoughts:
- I'm excited for the Kentucky-Louisville matchup, since it's always fun when two teams that hate each other play late in the tourney....but I think Kentucky could win by like 30. They're just at an entirely different level right now. Except for maybe Carolina in '09, no team has run through people like this since....when? UNLV in '90? That's about all I've got to compare them to in my lifetime. You know that scene from the Simpsons when Homer gets all fat and works from home and talks about not missing rush hour traffic, and does the whole "Gas, brake, honk. Gas, brake, honk" routine? I apologize for this clip, since some guy remixed it to a shitty rap beat, but it's the only one I could find. Anyway, that's what Kentucky reminds me of when they go on a run. Steal, dunk, block. Three ball, block, dunk. Steal, three ball, steal. Block, block, dunk. They're unbelievable. As much as I hate to say it...it's Calipari's title to lose. Here's why I love Chuck Klosterman: he usually finds a way to say what I and many others are thinking, but can't express nearly as well.
- Not likely to happen, but a thought I had the other day: what happens if KU beats Louisville for the title? When I go to the Derby (37 days and counting) do I wear all KU gear and bravely face the wrath? I'm leaning towards no, since I'd obviously be wayyyy outnumbered, and that could quickly turn into a "This is SPARTAAAAA!!!!" situation. But we'll re-evaluate if it comes to that.
- An epiphany I had over the last few days: when it gets to be playoff time for your favorite team, what you're really cheering for, besides the championship and bragging rights, is time. I didn't want to be done reading articles and message boards and obscure websites. I didn't want to be done trading 35 texties a day, breaking down KU's chances and scouting Ohio St. I didn't want to be done watching youtube clips of Elijah Johnson's insane (-ly stupid) alley-oop to Tyshawn Taylor against Purdue, or Jeff Withey's 10 blocks against NC State, or the Tommy Seebach Band Apache video (unrelated but what? I still like to watch it.) I didn't want to be done getting that nervous, excited feeling randomly throughout the day, whenever I thought about this coming Saturday night. And with the Jayhawks making the Final Four out of nowhere, I'm lucky enough to have received an extra six days of this stuff. I just don't want the season to be done yet. Not yet.
- KU's chances on Saturday? I'm officially the wrong guy to ask. I've thought we were done since about three minutes left in the 2nd-round game against Purdue, when I was hunched over at the bar and barely able to look at the TV screen (what Kyle affectionately calls "Hammen Close-Game Puke Mode.") I'm just happy to be here. To borrow a phrase from the 2004 Red Sox, a phrase which I've also beaten into the ground practically every time my flippy-cup team has fallen behind at least 3 games to 1 in a best-of-seven and had to mount a drunken comeback:
WHY NOT US?!?!?!
