Madness?

I've been so inundated with "12 over 5's", "10 over 7's", that I was blinded come tounament time this year. Using what is familiar usually guaranteed at least a fighting chance for my "illegal" office bracket, that I didn't factor in several elements. 1, my acumen towards college basketball slipped due to the University of Cincinnati's downright terrible performance this year. 2, the studs that would have declared for the NBA draft were forced to play for those teams that they usually committed to for a cover. 3, aside from Winthrop there were no really scarry Mid-Major teams. Granted some of that is hindsight, but anyone with at least a cursory knowledge about the college game could have seen in coming.

I'm not upset or anything because my bracket looks like a confused pirate's treasure map with all the x's on it, but it was an eye opening revelation. Mainly bringing back my notion that sports teams will in general mimic the towns they play for. In this instance the focus is on Cincinnati. Everything from the Bob Huggins fiasco, to the Andy Kennedy saga that transpired last year as he and Nancy Zimpher clashed time and time again; seems to have derailed the program. Everything that Huggs had built in this city was thrown under the bus in a tour-de-force by president Nancy. Not to villify that witch, but the truth of the matter is Huggs won basketball games, in doing that brought national prestige. Then a year before he was to lead "his" program in against the big dogs, he made a mistake. For that mistake she decided to set the program that he built into the cellar.

Why would one do that? Why is it relevant now? The simple fact that like my curiosity towards college basketball suffered, so too does the cities. The crosstown shootout doesn't feel the same. The buzz around town during the season isn't there. Sure Xavier made it this year, but was the city that into it? I say no. Ever since Huggs and his disciples have been redflagged it's brought a sour mood and a single black rain cloud with it. There is hope. Mick can recruit, which will bring back the face of the program. Fiesty, up-tempo defense and one hell of a college basketball town.