One of the things that we see every March is pure and simple heartbreak. Sure, there are plenty of moments of victory, but when there's only 1 team who can end their season on a win (I'm not counting the NIT and CBI and tourneys like that), the vast majority of seasons are going to end in heartbreak.
Just look at yesterday in the college basketball world. You had Quinnipiac going up against the top seeded Long Island Blackbirds in their conference tournaments. It was win or go home for both teams. A win put them in the conference tournament and kept the dream on going to the NCAA Tournament alive. A loss and the season was over.
Quinnipiac came as close as you could get. They were winning the game until a layup put LIU up with 3 minutes to go, and fell just short, 78-75. Their season ended after losing to the best team in their conference by only six points.
There was Albany. Albany was in a very similar situation, taking on the top seeded Stony Brook Seawolves. The hard fought gamecame down to the very final seconds, when Joyner of Stony Brook tipped in the game winner at the buzzer. The Great Danes watched their season end in a blink of an eye, so close to scoring the upset.
Then there's George Mason, and this one hit a bit closer to home, because I was at this game and felt the heartbreak first hand, The Patriots went up against VCU, a team who they had never beaten in the "neutral" site of the Richmond Coliseum and a team who had knocked them out of the tournament for three consecutive years.
After six minutes, it was 21-0 VCU. After ten, it was 32-4. Only a quarter of the way through the game, the Patriots and their fans were utterly beaten, embarrassed, and depressed.
Then there was the comeback. Mason fought and clawed and with 4 minutes remaining, had cut the lead to six. All of a sudden, dreams of grandeur became possible. Mason was about to shock the world again.
But alas, it was not meant to be. It felt as if the Patriots had lost that game twice, and let me tell you firsthand, it hurt.
But that's part of college basketball. That's part of March Madness. If not for the heartbreak, the triumphs would never feel as sweet.
I definitely see what you mean about heart break. Personally, I feel that the heartbreak is greater at the college level than on the professional level in any sport but particularly college basketball. I can only imagine what the players feel like when their college careers come to an end on a half court shot or a lay-up at the buzzer, that has to be horrible. However, this tournament has provided us with some good upsets and a tremendous amount of excitement.
ReplyDeleteI feel that perhaps one of the biggest examples of heartbreak was Duke losing, but as a Tar Heels fan I can't say I feel too sympathetic.