So, Florida Gulf Coast University becomes the first 15-seed to advance to the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Round of Sixteen. They're the darling, the Cinderella, the proof that little guys can do it too, the antithesis of the BCS....... okay, enough. All of those cliches, as true as some of them are, are still cliches. The thrill of an upset is one of the reasons why millions of people love this tournament, but has that too become cliche in and of itself?
I remember George Mason's improbable run to the Final Four in 2006. It was unlike anything any of us had ever seen, almost movie-like in the way it played out. This was a true mid-major, a team whose games are never televised nationally and never come within sniffing distance of the Top 25. It was a shock to the system, and although the team lost its next game to eventual champion Florida, their journey represented the ultimate idealist belief sports can weave. As a 22-year-old college student, I lapped it up, and I have no regrets over doing so. Five years later, Virginia Commonwealth, out of the same conference no less (CAA) repeated the feat. I wasn't as ecstatic at this point, but still felt some measure of giddiness.
This time, I can't imagine feeling the same way should FGCU make the Final Four. Why not? It's a $#%*#@ 15-seed! It's Never Been Done Before! You could say age and modern-day cynicism has done this to me, and you might be right. But the the nature of the game has changed. The tournament format remains the same, but once NBA Commissioner David Stern implemented an age limit for his league's draft, the die had been cast. The influx of "one-and-done's"-- clear-cut NBA All-star prospects who attend school for one year only because they're forbidden from turning pro sooner-- was eventually going to lead to this; a sea of mediocrity where parity is abundant but greatness is scarce. The Final Four used to be a showcase of future pro stars, but with prospects physically developing at younger ages, most are better served taking the money rather than the collegiate glory. Given the numbers involved, you'd do it and I'd do it.
Check out the field in this tournament. This could be the weakest NBA Draft since 2000, maybe even longer. Among the players talked about as Player of the Year, who's a standout? Kansas' Ben McClemore? Disappeared in the win over UNC. Indiana's Victor Oladipo? Inconsistent. Others are even less certain. Of course, I'd love to be wrong, and by that I mean as wrong as my bracket every year, but I don't see a single future All-Star here.
When I was in college, I knew a young man in my dorm who once said, after an enthralling NCAA tournament day full of upsets, buzzer-beaters, and overtime thrillers, "If you like the NBA better after THAT, you should be burned at the stake." Of course he said that somewhat jokingly, and I laughed, but around 2004, right around the time of the infamous "Malice at the Palace" in Auburn Hills, this was the prevailing ideology: College players work harder and respect the game because they're playing for free, and millionaire pros are arrogant, thuggish, and play too much one-on-one style. I found it curious that mostly white fans were the ones espousing this belief, and even stranger that they were willing to ignore so many of the NBA's greats who shared the same sort of team-first mentality as top-notch college teams did. Suffice it to say I didn't believe it then and I sure as hell don't believe it now.
But the reason I believe college hoops is more popular than the NBA's playoffs is something far different than race, money, or quality of play: the format. Think about it. The NFL, the undisputed most popular sports league in America, operates on a one-game-a-week regular season and single elimination postseason. Do or die. Win or go home. It's the same here. In spite of the fact that a 5 or 7 game series unquestionably proves who the better team is in basketball moreso than a single game would, it's just too much fun this way. The drama is more immediate. Cut out the filler.
This may sound like I'm being hard on the NCAA tournament. I don't mean to be. I'll take it 100 times out of 100 over college football's shameful BCS; the fact that it does give smaller schools a chance to compete on the biggest stage is admirable and democratic. Logistically, it's impossible to lengthen it. But let's recognize it for what it is; a brilliant marketing creation. The format of this tournament, not to mention the brackets and office pools, takes it to heights that no other non-football sport could. I just see that the polish is beginning to fade from all these "Cinderella Stories." They'd be more unique if they didn't materialize every other year.
How the NBA should alter its age limit is another topic for another time. But it's become more obvious, this year in particular, that college hoops appears like glorified minor-league ball. It's a lot of fun, to be sure, and I'm glad my bracket isn't completely busted as of yet, but the seams are showing. This year, I'll still enjoy the Madness. But in the back of my mind are a few things that remain a little maddening.
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