The real feast (play-in games are barely appetizers) begins just after noon Thursday with Irish stew and clam chowder, Notre Dame vs. Northeastern. And the college basketball force feeding will continue through midnight, whenever Georgetown and Eastern Washington finish serving their guests.
You may want to go with the jumbo pack of Zantac.
We are now in the fifth year of the CBS/Turner Sports partnership that spreads all 67 games of the NCAA Basketball Tournament over their various properties and annually prompts one startled reaction from viewers: There’s still a truTV?
From those hired to analyze the action for the next three-plus weeks — your college basketball maître d’s, if your will — there have come a few helpful thoughts and suggestions before we all lose ourselves in this magnificent, and, yes, slightly embarrassing excess.
May we recommend the Hot Brown sandwich?
Unbeaten Kentucky is the chalk pick to remain that way all the way through the April 6 championship game. And you won’t hear a lot of dissent from the broadcast partners.
“It’s like when Tiger was winning majors — it was Tiger or the field. And if you took Tiger, most of the time you were right,” Reggie Miller, the Basketball Hall of Famer turned game analyst, said. “In this case I am taking Kentucky. You can have the field.
“Can they be beat? Yeah. But it’s going to be a Villanova-over-Georgetown (1985) or a N.C. State-over-Houston (1982). You’ve got to play out of your mind and hope on that magical day they are not at their best. And still, then, it’s going to almost take an act of God.”
So, you’re saying there’s a chance?
Added studio analyst Clark Kellogg: “Looking at the (Wildcats) bracket, I don’t see much head wind, quite honestly.”
Perhaps if you’re looking for something to beat that…
It was 24 years ago when another juggernaut came into the tournament unbeaten and apparently unbeatable. The 1991 UNLV Runnin’ Rebels — defending champions, 34-0 and winners of 45 straight going back to the previous season — were disposing of opponents with far more prejudice than these Wildcats.
Until they ran into Duke in the national semis.
“Our game plan was: Let’s try to keep it close, hit them in the mouth early, manage the game and when we get in the last five or six minutes of the ballgame they’re going to be uncomfortable,” remembered Grant Hill, a game analyst now and a Blue Devils star then. Duke perpetrated one of the great tournament upsets in ’91, beating UNLV 79-77.
Might such a game plan come into play again against Kentucky?
“This Kentucky team is a little different (than UNLV),” Hill said. “It has been dominant but it has been tested; it has been down before in the second half like it was at Georgia. Those gut check times will help them as they go forward in next six games.”
But it would be the height of poor broadcasting to drain an event of all its drama.
Toward the end of keeping it interesting, surely there has to be a team and a scenario out there somewhere that can press Kentucky.
“There are other people who can win the title,” game analyst Dan Bonner said.
“What you have to do to beat Kentucky, as silly as it sounds, you have to score. As you’re looking for teams that might handle Kentucky you’ve got to find somebody who doesn’t have to play great defense – they have to be good – they can’t turn the ball over, they have to be able to put points on the board. I certainly think Duke is capable of doing it. Or Wisconsin. Or Arizona. I don’t think it’s going to be a cakewalk for Kentucky.”
Might you be interested in something locally sourced?
Georgia State is back in the tournament for the first time since 2001. The Panthers have a rather lean history in the event, having been only twice before (1-2 record).
When they made their maiden appearance in 1991, this newspaper ran an end-of-the-world-sized headline declaring: “Bring on the Hogs!” Ooops. Arkansas won by 41.
This time, the headlines are some variation of the word “Ouch,” as head coach Ron Hunter works the bench with an Achilles he tore while celebrating the Sun Belt tournament victory. That’s not the most dire injury, Kellogg said, when the Panthers meet Baylor Thursday afternoon.
“Looking at the game itself the big question to me is the health of Ryan Harrow (hamstring),” Kellogg said.
“Baylor is one of the hottest teams coming into the tournament, in my mind, in terms of how well they’ve played the last few weeks,” Kellogg added. “They present a lot of problems. I think Baylor wins that one, especially if Georgia State is not 100 percent physically.”
Here are a this month’s specials, maybe.
Kellogg is usually good for sniffing out a few of the lesser-known teams that win a game or two and become overnight darlings during this tournament. Like a Florida Gulf Coast a couple years back, or a Mercer (conqueror of Duke) from a year ago.
So, who will charm us now, and then be forgotten quicker than The Archies?
“A couple of teams I’ve kind of looked at – I don’t know if one can get to the Sweet 16 but I think these teams could win a game,” Kellogg began. “I think Buffalo is one because of how they play and the perimeter steals they have, the shot-making ability. And even though it’s not a non-power conference team, it’s a program you’re very familiar with, I would highlight Dayton (which must get by a first-round game Wednesday night). That team is well constituted. Not very deep. Really small but really good. I could see them making a run to the Sweet 16.”
Now enjoy the spread, and save some room for Friday.
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