Day 2 - Providence

Be careful what you wish for...you might get it.

Yesterday I complained that the first day of the NCAA tourney was boring. I expressed a desire for more entertaining (read: close) games. I certainly got them. Two 12-seeds and two 13-seeds won. There were 3 games that went to overtime. More underdogs won than favorites. It was exactly what you hope for on March Madness weekend.

Normally, I'd be excited about all these upsets, nail-biters, and OT games...but my day was ruined early on by Drake's OT loss to Western Kentucky in the first game of the day. Don't get me wrong, it was an awesome game to watch. Contrasting basketball styles, lots of points scored, one team overcoming a 16-point 2nd half deficit, incredible shots, bad officiating - what more could you want?

I'll tell ya what I wanted - I wanted Drake to win, dammit.

P-sus & I enjoyed the game at a local establishment (read: bar on Court Ave.). Our lunch hour turned into three hours. One beer turned into more-than-one. We ate so much food we thought our bellies would burst. It was a guy's paradise, except for the crazy finish.

As I was driving back to "work" I wondered if it would be better to have Drake lose by 15+ points, or to have them come all the way back only to lose on a last-second heave in OT. Normally, as an overly-invested fan, I would prefer to not expend the emotional energy of seeing my team claw it's way back and lose. This was certainly the case in watching the Alford-era Hawks, the Eustachy & Morgan-era Cyclones, and even (to an extent) the McDermott-era Panthers (who always seemed a little too cocky for their own good).

However, for this year and this team, I have to say I was happy to see them go down fighting. Quality student-athletes, excellent coaching, against-all-odds story...it's a group of young men anyone could be proud of.

Even if my lunch buddy could have cared less who won the game...