Kentucky On Fire
It was a complete and utter bedlam as the clock ticked to 0:00 Saturday night, with the University of Kentucky clinching a trip to the NCAA men's basketball championship game. The too-crazy-to-believe scene was rampant with drunkenness, nudity, yelling, and the burning of furniture. No, I'm not talking about the mob on the streets of Lexington setting couches on fire. This flouting of all societal norms happened at my house, where the nudity was the sight of my not-well-defined chest, and the burning of furniture was technically stopped by my wife, who may or may not have threatened my well-being in the process. Nonetheless, excitement here matched the excitement of the revelry by Wildcats fans on campus, and with good reason.
This year's run to the title game has been one of the exciting in Kentucky basketball history, maybe in all of college basketball history. One can only speculate at the dollars made by cardiologists in the state over the past few weeks. I know my own heart has skipped its fair share of beats. It has been a roller coaster ride of frustration, wonder, fear, and joy for fans of the team, but members of Big Blue Nation shouldn't be the only ones enjoying this year's results. The string of comebacks and last-second victories is what college basketball is all about, and unprecedented in a number of ways.
If Kentucky wins it all, they will tie Villanova as the lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament. Their wins in the tourney have been by a ridiculous total of 18 points, including a couple of games decided by Aaron Harrison daggers in the waning seconds. The Wildcats have also mastered the art of the come-from-behind victory, overcoming deficit after deficit on their way to Monday night. And they've done it with mostly freshmen, having lost Willie Cauley-Stein to an injury in an earlier contest.
Couches haven't been the only thing on fire. Aaron Harrison has been the star for Kentucky, and the star of the entire tournament to this point. His heroics have been nothing short of magic, and if he can lead his team to one more win, he will go down as a tourney legend. Guys like Julius Randle and Dakari Johnson have been key, but when the end of the game rolls around, and they need a big shot, there's no question who's taking it. He keeps delivering. If the championship game comes down to one shot, Connecticut had better find him and get a hand in his face, not that it has helped Michigan or Wisconsin.
This Kentucky team, which struggled with consistency all season, has a chance to do something special, something most people never expected, with the obvious exception of the gentleman willing to tattoo his faith on his body. Have they got the juice for another miracle? They're one game away. One more win to cement their place as one of the great tournament performances of all time. One more win to put to rest all of the "five freshmen can't win it all" talk. One more win to electrify the state of Kentucky and shock the world. Just one more. Then let all the couches burn.
This year's run to the title game has been one of the exciting in Kentucky basketball history, maybe in all of college basketball history. One can only speculate at the dollars made by cardiologists in the state over the past few weeks. I know my own heart has skipped its fair share of beats. It has been a roller coaster ride of frustration, wonder, fear, and joy for fans of the team, but members of Big Blue Nation shouldn't be the only ones enjoying this year's results. The string of comebacks and last-second victories is what college basketball is all about, and unprecedented in a number of ways.
If Kentucky wins it all, they will tie Villanova as the lowest seed to ever win the NCAA tournament. Their wins in the tourney have been by a ridiculous total of 18 points, including a couple of games decided by Aaron Harrison daggers in the waning seconds. The Wildcats have also mastered the art of the come-from-behind victory, overcoming deficit after deficit on their way to Monday night. And they've done it with mostly freshmen, having lost Willie Cauley-Stein to an injury in an earlier contest.
Couches haven't been the only thing on fire. Aaron Harrison has been the star for Kentucky, and the star of the entire tournament to this point. His heroics have been nothing short of magic, and if he can lead his team to one more win, he will go down as a tourney legend. Guys like Julius Randle and Dakari Johnson have been key, but when the end of the game rolls around, and they need a big shot, there's no question who's taking it. He keeps delivering. If the championship game comes down to one shot, Connecticut had better find him and get a hand in his face, not that it has helped Michigan or Wisconsin.
This Kentucky team, which struggled with consistency all season, has a chance to do something special, something most people never expected, with the obvious exception of the gentleman willing to tattoo his faith on his body. Have they got the juice for another miracle? They're one game away. One more win to cement their place as one of the great tournament performances of all time. One more win to put to rest all of the "five freshmen can't win it all" talk. One more win to electrify the state of Kentucky and shock the world. Just one more. Then let all the couches burn.
Comments
Post a Comment