“It’s the most wonderful time of the year.” The lyrics have been echoing around my skull for about a week now. Some may think Christmas and it’s an absolutely wonderful season. It’s just not basketball’s postseason. College basketball has dominated the television in recent days as conference tournaments provide thrilling buzzer-beaters, heart-breaking upsets and flaring tempers that have given arena security their money’s worth. You call it March Madness. I say it’s pure mayhem. Thursday night’s Pac-12 quarterfinal between California and Arizona was physical most of the night, but the Golden Bears’ David Kravish and the Wildcats’ Brandon Ashley took things a step too far. Kravish and Ashley tangled and fell to the ground where it appeared Ashley locked his arm in Kravish’s. The Cal forward took offense and shoved Ashley when the two were back on their feet. The former Oakland Soldier did a great job holding back a punch (or worse) but did meet Kravish face-to-face, forcing teammate Stanley Johnson to pull him away while UofA coach Sean Miller bull-rushed the court in attempt to keep his players from stepping out of line. Hello m̶a̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ mayhem. Jump to Friday’s game between Auburn and LSU went from heated to out of control in a matter of seconds. Auburn forward Jordan Granger took a disliking to the block-out from LSU’s Jordan Mickey. Granger must have a short temper because in a quick second he fired a right-handed swing at the back of Mickey’s head. He was ejected from the game during the process. (Auburn did win the game, but the Tigers were blasted by Kentucky on Saturday. Karma doesn’t always reward the m̶a̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ mayhem.) Hours later in Missoula, Montana the hometown Grizzlies would find themselves in a similar situation. Tied with Northern Arizona with seconds remaining, Jordan Gregory drove the lane for the go-ahead basket causing a couple random fans to rush the floor at the opposite end. However, one Montana student-athlete in street clothes was already on the floor celebrating before realizing there was 0.4 left on the clock. The young man dove back toward the bench like Benny “The Jet” Rodriguez (Sandlot anyone?). In most situations this would result in a technical foul, but after full review by the officials, none were given. This particular bit of mayhem was just getting started. NAU would miss a full-court potential game-winner and Montana escaped with the win. Lumberjacks’ coach Jack Murphy was clearly upset with the finish (particularly the lack of the technical foul) and mouthed the words, “you’re lucky” to Montana coach Travis DeCuire. Rather than letting Murphy let off steam, DeCuire pulled him closer and created a full frenzy on the court. How’s that for m̶a̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ mayhem? I understand the frustration, adrenaline and temperament of these players and coaches. It is March. Seasons are on the line and NCAA Tournament seeding is up for grabs. It would be unfair to discuss these particular instances without mentioning the awesomeness we have witnessed in the past few days alone.
Joseph Young’s game-winning three to propel Oregon to the Pac-12 Championship. Albany’s Peter Hooley drilled a triple to boost the Great Danes into the big dance. There was the game-winning shot for Harvard against rival Yale. Duke and Virginia fell. Kentucky continued the pursuit of perfection. I also have to give a shout-out to my northern Montana area Rocky Boy Northern Stars. You better believe I was paying attention on Twitter when they hit not one, but two game-winning shots in the Montana Class B postseason. M̶a̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ Mayhem indeed! The best part in all of this? We haven’t even reached the real postseason. These conference tournaments are just qualifiers as teams state their case to the selection committee. Selection Sunday hits us tomorrow and we will know who is in, where they are going and which portion of the bracket looks to be most entertaining. Stay tuned tomorrow when I’ll throw out some early NCAA Tournament predictions. Until then, stay classy sports fans and bring on the m̶a̶d̶n̶e̶s̶s̶ mayhem.
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AuthorRichie is a small-town boy chasing big-city dreams. When he's not involved with sports, he's spending time with his wife, Fallon; their yorkie, Tinker; and their Rhodesian Ridgeback, Rosie. Archives
April 2016
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