Oh CBS, I must confess: I gave my life over to your basketball coverage again, starting with UW's championship in the Big Ten. Then came the NCAA Tournament selection show, where I pondered how UW got seeded so low. I filled out my bracket, and when Thursday rolled 'round, I once again heard March Madness' glorious sounds.
Hey Greg Gumbel, I did not grumble with your network's commercialization (but one more Cingular promo may make me ready for institutionalization). Because Thursday afternoon, what a sight I did see-religion battling freedom-when St. Joe's topped Liberty.
The memory of the DePaul win over Dayton is not one to keep; despite double overtime, the game nearly put me to sleep. That's not true of Nevada, which revealed happily the Michigan State Spartans were playing \Jeopardy!"" This year, it turns out, the answer is ""no"" to the question, ""Izzo?""
For a while on Friday I was ready to pout. Would the Badgers join the Spartans as a Big Ten flameout? The Spiders spun a defensive web around Devin, but he broke free in the second half for 11. And after Wisconsin scored on 19 straight possessions, Richmond's players left the court with dejected expressions.
Elsewhere on Friday, things began to blur. Was that Kansas or Kentucky I just finished watching?-I'm really not sure. Some upsets occurred, I can't be specific. I'm pretty sure one of them involved Pacific. To watch this many games, after all, takes a lot of gumption, especially sitting through all the ads for erectile dysfunction.
Saturday brought fewer games but more upsets. Everything Nevada threw up found the bottom of the nets. Poor Gonzaga, they used to be one of Cinderella's favorites. Guess they couldn't handle the pressure a No. 2-seed inherits. Stanford also went down to inglorious defeat, when Alabama's Crimson Tide swept the Cardinal off its feet.
Sunday was no day of rest for me. Another full day of games to see. But all of my picks seemed to go wrong at once. Upsets by Xavier, Vandy and UAB made me look like a dunce. Worst of all, my beloved Badgers came to a heartbreaking end-It was Pitt, not Wisconsin, that to East Rutherford Milwaukee would send.
So after watching at least a part of 40-some games, what do I foresee? Emeka Okefor and Connecticut hoisting the championship trophy.
