An Opening Statement

It's the first week of the NCAA tournament.  As of the time of this writing there are only two and a half games remaining in the first week of the tournament.  We've seen a fair number of upsets, a couple of close calls, and a little bit of controversy.  Seems like a pretty typical week with the exception of the following:

Florida Gulf Coast- Athletic and talented, they are not in awe of the situation.  They are in the Sweet Sixteen because they expect to be there.  Not a bad thing, since the tournament needs someone almost everyone can cheer.  I hope the real story is what happens off the court, which will come to light within the next four days.  I hope the story is as good off the court as on.

Gonzaga- I remember Mark Few complaining of his team's seeding a couple years back, believing they were better than the sixth seed they received.  As I recall, they promptly lost the opening game.  I wonder if he complained about receiving a number one seed, primarily because of the parity of college basketball. Gonzaga has become the gold standard in how to build your program from nothing special to nationally recognized, but they didn't produce at an artificially expected level.  

Wichita State- I find a lot of good stories in the Shockers, including Malcolm Armstead.  He saw so much good in the Shocker program, he paid his own way to play, including working at a car dealership.  He wasn't the only player on their roster without a scholarship, but eventually earning one.  It's good to see real life hard work paying off.

Marquette/Butler- A few people who know basketball pretty well feel that the Bulldogs got one taken away.   Couple of hard whacks went unnoticed, and a blatant travel eventually lead to some Marquette points.  It was a hotly contested game, physical, and eventually the deeper team won.  It was very similar to a game the two teams played in November in Maui, Butler winning on a last second heave.  Funny how these things even out.  Too bad it was a tournament game.

I did something this year I have never done before: I took Thursday and Friday off to watch games.  I am convinced of a couple of things:  

First, fundamental basketball is dead.  Doesn't anyone use a backboard?  What happened to bounce passes for entry to the lane?  Free throw percentages at an all time low?  Tough to watch if you know the game and not just the scores.

Second, we have been competing too much and not practicing enough.  I see it personally in baseball and softball, but it's pretty obvious basketball is in the same situation.  Individual skill levels seems to be declining, but the entertainment aspects are higher.  Give people a good show, and you don't have to be fundamentally sound.

Bottom line, I was entertained, but not blown away.  I some some great athleticism, but not necessarily great basketball.  I saw some controversy, but no travesties.  I saw some hard work rewarded, and a high level of parity.  Finally, I found a reason to come back, as long as the story is good.

So...am I off base?