I have to admit it. I was happy to wake up this morning to reports of small-scale rioting and fires in College Park. I was actually hoping the students at the University of Maryland would show some support, even drunken revelry, for their national champion Lady Terps. Now I don't typically advocate this sort of thing, but I think it's important for the school to show its excitement as it would had the men's basketball team won.
It takes a lot for me to sit through more than a few minutes of a basketball game but last night's NCAA Women's Basketball championship game between Duke and Maryland kept me riveted. Usually I'm of the belief that a basketball game should last no more than five minutes because it's only the last few minutes that make a difference in most games. Last night's overtime win over the Blue Devils showed that. Of course the Lady Terps also came from 13 points behind earlier in the game so my theory might be somewhat flawed.
(As a side note, I'm also of the belief that basketball should only be played by short people. If you're 6 foot something, you should be a good basketball player. You should be able to dunk. I want to see people my height playing the game, a la Muggsy Bogues. Midget basketball is good basketball.)
But back to the Lady Terps who deserve today's focus. They played a great game, coming from behind to force the game into overtime. They looked thoroughly excited to have won and they should. Not only did they make it to the NCAA tournament, which their counterparts on the men's team could not do, they tore through the bracket and beat Duke. Every victory is sweeter when it's against Duke.
So celebrate your win today ladies, but please, whatever you do, don't turn into arrogant players like the men's team has. You're better than that.
3 comments:
Honestly, I think you're far too judgmental when it comes to the UMD men's team. And it's really not warranted since you admit that you don't even care for basketball. I can see why you think the players were acting like little boys, but you obviously don't understand the NIT. Back in the day, when the NCAA tourney was small, only teams that won their conference could make it into the NCAA tourney. The other really good teams went to the NIT. So, back then, the NIT was a really good, respectable place to be. But now that the NCAA tourney invites 65 teams (with the play-in game), the NIT really is crap. No one wants to go there. And no one is excited to be there. UMD has been a high-caliber team for a while now. And some of the seniors on this year's team have been a part of a really good Maryland team. To know you're pretty decent when compared to the rest of the country, but not good enough...again...is heart-breaking to these guys. Anything less than the NCAA tournament is just plain crap. Unfortunately, for Maryland, this is a time for rebuilding, and it may be a bit longer until they are back in the NCAA tourney. Maybe next year's team will handle it better because they aren't used to being at the top. Maybe not. But if you don't watch / care about / understand college basketball, you really shouldn't pass judgment.
Yesterday I was walking through the airport and saw a huge sign that said "Fear the Turtle" with a picture of this HUGE turtle on it. After a few WTF moments and a closer view I realized it was for UMD. Hah. Just thought I'd add that ;)
Great site lots of usefull infomation here.
»
Post a Comment