March 28, 2011
Here’s a brief response to those asking my thoughts about the KU/VCU game:
With only VCU and Butler standing in the way of a National Championship game, what happened Sunday was a choke-job of epic proportions…but we shouldn’t be surprised.
It’s the kind of thing that should never happen…but always happens (to Kansas).
This is a common pattern with Bill Self coached teams (only one final four in his entire career). I would elaborate, but I already did…last year. I refer you to what I wrote after the Kansas loss to powerhouse Northern Iowa a year ago.
I’ve been claiming that Bill Self is a poor tournament coach for years. It seems that this year at least some 
people are finally agreeing with me.
What I really want to elaborate on now are my thoughts about the tournament itself. It’s a sham way to crown a national champion. Yes, it’s entertaining. But as a way to determine a true national champion? It’s a crock…a very profitable crock…but still a crock. If there were a different (i.e. more just) system in place, the term “National Champion” would carry more meaning. Kudos to VCU and all, but are they really a contender for the title “National Champion”?
(Of course, if KU had won Sunday I would love the tournament…)
April 1, 2011 at 11:10 am
This tournament is the most exciting thing in sports. It is a better way to determine the true national champion than football. (I am a proponent of a 16 team tournament in football- it will never happen, of course. But the 8 game first week would be the best college football day ever.)
Would you rather have the top two just play to see which one was best? (Without looking up how many years your Jayhawks finished the regular season ranked 3-10?)
I love the excitement of the tournament. The close endings. Rooting for the teams in the dark uniforms. (The underdogs) I love singing my Gonzaga fight song (copyright 1999, to the tune of BOC’s Godzilla). I love watching high pressure games where the winner goes on and the loser goes home. I even love the fact that those of us who pay more attention to college basketball lose our bracket contest to someone who has not watched a college basketball game all season and picked their favorite mascots. (It is humbling)
Hey, maybe I love all these things because I root for a team that is never expected to win it all. Perhaps if I rooted for a perennial power I would want less teams in my way. I don’t think so, though. I would still consider the football BCS the profitable crock, and the tournament is a sport’s fans dream.
As for Bill Self, go ahead and fire him, I need a coach. (Did you see my Stellan Skaarsgard suggestion to play him in the movie?)
April 1, 2011 at 4:56 pm
An understandable sentiment for someone with no dog in the race.
April 1, 2011 at 10:50 pm
Mike – your team had a shot at Bill Self but chose Quinn Snyder instead. Bill would be a good fit at MU – he reminds me of another prominent MU coach who consistently won conference championships but couldn’t coach in the tournament.
And – do I want to see the #1 and #2 teams play for a championship? You bet. What college basketball fan wouldn’t have loved to see KU and Ohio St. square off against each other. It’s just those kinds of match-ups that the tournament robs us of.
April 3, 2011 at 11:15 pm
I was a strong proponent of hiring Bill Self to replace Norm. Nobody listens to me.
We could have seen KU-Ohio State if they played good enough to get to each other. Or if KU had played anybody in the early stages of the season. I also don’t remember any complaints when you won it as a #6 seed.
The tournament is great. Stop whining. Play better.
April 4, 2011 at 3:26 am
The fact that you have to reference a win that occurred over 20 years ago as evidence of how I should love the tournament only proves my point…