Bears Get Blown Out Of Sweet 16- Now What?!?!
Not only was Baylor carrying the March Madness flag for all of Texas, for this Longhorns fan, the Bears were a much preferred Big 12 option to Kansas. Unfortunately, it was pretty apparent early on in last nite's game that South Carolina's unexpected winning streak would continue into this weekend's Elite 8 round. So with the Baylor dream shattered, what options for emotional investment are left, given that my original bracket picks were chewed up & spit out last Sunday?
Looking at underdogs, the longest shot has to be Xavier, an 11-seed playing #1 Gonzaga. Although the Musketeers have done well to this point, & I'll get on their bandwagon for this one, I wouldn't bet cash money on 'em moving on to the Final Four. The Bulldogs just look too good so far. By the way, whichever team does advance, it'll be their school's first time getting into the Big Dance.
I don't care much for Oregon- nothing really to do with basketball, but the ghost of Chip Kelly still hovers over all things Ducks- just can't get past that. Since they're playing the Jayhawks, & you already know my feelings about Kansas, I think I'll route against BOTH teams here!
Smart money says the Gamecocks are this year's team of destiny, with the win over Duke their evidence. I'll get behind South Carolina for their match-up with the Florida Gators.
The final Elite 8 battle- #2 Kentucky vs top-seed North Carolina- should be a great one to watch. My old friend Nature Boy Ric Flair will be cheerin' for the Tar Heels, but I'll go for the Wildcats- for a rather "unique" reason. I spent 3 years in Memphis, including the last portion of John Calipari's tenure as Tigers' head coach. He owned the town when he was at U of M, but the locals turned on him overnite when he bailed for the big job in Lexington. Almost everyone in West Tennessee goes berserk when Coach Cal's Kentucky team wins anything big! It's hilarious for an outsider to watch. The thought of most everyone in my former radio stations moaning non-stop if the 'Cats get to another Final Four puts a big smile on my face. :-)