Has March Lost The Madness?

After the first weekend of March (the greatest sports month in my opinion), the NCAA Tournament field has been trimmed in half and there are 16 teams left standing.  Not so surprisingly, there haven’t been many upsets. Because of this, all those brackets that gambled on a few major upsets are now wadded up in the corner like mine.  Seriously, I’m tied for last in my family league… which my mom is winning… (sigh).

Pittsburgh C Dajuan Blair

In all honesty, I expected this. I just didn’t want to believe it. All four No.1 seeds, No.2 seeds, and No.3 seeds have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. Joining them are two No.4 seeds, a No.5 seed, and Arizona as the outcast No.12 seed, the lone “bracket buster” to make it through the first weekend.

Despite my Elite Eight losing only one team in Arizona State (don’t ask), the weekend wasn’t all that grand. Story lines focused on the “what could have been” teams over the “can you believe that!” teams,  Blake Griffin and Dajuan Blair were allowed to maul people (and get away with it) because of their star power, and instead of focusing on Cinderalla-caliber teams, the media didn’t shut up about some kids parents in the stands  (if you don’t believe the frenzy watch the Oklahoma v. Syracuse game and count the number of times you see the ugly mugs of the Griffin parents— I’ll give you great odds that it’s over 20).

All things considered it was an incredible weekend of basketball with great games played by some upset-minded teams, but if one thing was evident to me this weekend, it is the need for new officiating crews and announcing teams.

Despite these problems, March Madness is still the best time of year for any one sport. However, instead of the better teams getting help from officials and praise from announcers, we  need a little more madness.  Look for it as best you can this next weekend, but don’t be surprised when the top seeds keep rolling and we’re left with No.1’s and No.2’s across the board for the Elite Eight.

-asm

Oh, and I almost forgot… my apologies to Les Miles.

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Oklahoma v. Morgan State: Ameer Ali Ejected For Body Slamming Blake Griffin

This just in: the Oklahoma Sooners have put out a hit on Morgan State freshman Ameer Ali.

Let me preface this by saying that when the following event took place, Oklahoma was up around 20-30 points, meaning that the game was signed, sealed, and delivered to Oklahoma’s doorstep.

In the second half of Thursday’s NCAA Tournament game between Oklahoma and Morgan State, Ali and Griffin were fighting for a rebound when the matter got out of hand.

Ali and Griffin went up for a rebound, came down with their arms interlocked, and then both tried to pull themselves free of eachother. Ali apparently felt like he was being harassed by Griffin, because he grabbed Griffin’s arm and dragged the National Player of the Year (by the shoulder) over his body. Griffin did a complete flip before landing on the ground (nearly landing on the back of his neck) and Ameer Ali was ejected immediately.

When I first saw this incident here is what I thought:

1. 

   Horace Grant's Illegitimate Son Plays for Morgan State

   What was Blake Griffin still doing in the game?

2. Who let Horace Grant play for Morgan State?
3. Thank god he did not land on his neck.
4. Oh ****! My bracket!
5. How can Ameer Ali be stupid enough to literally body slam an opponent directly in front of a referee?
6. Is Ali crazy? If he hurts Blake Griffin in any way Sooner fans nation-wide will hunt him down and kill him. Why? Because everyone knows that if Blake Griffin goes down, so do the Sooners title hopes.

It’s a shame when a team is getting blown out and doesn’t know how to handle it. No one likes to lose, but with this act Ameer Ali brought losing to a new low. Greg Gumbel called it “easily the bush league play of the tournament so far,” and had Griffin been hurt Ali would have faced some serious repercussions.

It is said that in order to be a great player one must know how to win, but also how to lose. Ameer Ali missed the memo on this life lesson.

Any athlete knows there are times when you just want to beat the hell out of your opponent. Unfortunately, you can’t do it with your fists. If you want to prove a point, do it on the court. If you can’t do it on the court (as Ali couldn’t) then just buck it up, go home, and wait for your next chance.

sk.

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