March 19, 2017: Just the Beginning

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I wasn’t sure.  I hoped I’d be home by the time the game started; I was.  It was the first time all year I actually hoped for this.  It was the first and last time I would watch the Northwestern Wildcats in action.

It’s part of the best time of the year, March Madness.  Although I wasn’t in Vegas, or at some bar toasting every upset, the opening weekend was pretty fun.  I got to watch a lot of basketball, and saw a bunch of good games.  The game I was really interested in seeing was the Northwestern Gonzaga 2nd round match up.

A bit of a David vs Goliath story; I remember many years back when Gonzaga was that David.  Now, making the tourney like 10 straight years I think they said, they are the number one seed, looking to avoid any upsets, instead of causing them.  Wouldn’t it be nice to look back 10 years from now and say the same thing about Northwestern?  Although their season ended this past Saturday, it’s very possibly, just the beginning.

They are in the Big 10.  They are right next to Chicago.  Maybe their academic standards are too high for some elite talent; at least that’s the perception.  However, overall, this Northwestern job isn’t a bad gig.  So, hopefully, Collins will stay here for a while.  It had to be cool to be a part of the team that made history; the same way it was cool for each and every person involved with the 2016 Cubs.  Although Northwestern didn’t win the whole damn thing, they made it, and they got their first W under their belt; it’s the only place to start.

Why it took this long to make it, is an interesting question.  How to make this NOT a one time wonder, is the more important one.  Getting a taste of the tourney, seeing the excitement it generated around the city, as well as, around the NCAA; you have to want more, right?  I think they will be back; hoping some other Illinois teams join them soon.
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It looked like a blowout early, falling behind, not being able to make any shots.  But, they would not go quietly into the night.  They made a second half run that caused some serious excitement.  That gym was loud with all the Wildcat supporters in the house.  I even let out a scream when they pulled within 5 late in the 2nd half.  Yes, I was hooked.

Then they got screwed.  A non goaltending goal that for some reason is not reviewable caused a critical 4 point swing that they were unable to recover from.  They came back, but came up short.  It would have been awesome to see Gonzaga go down.

We did get to see Nova go down, which killed my bracket.  We saw Duke lose, which I actually picked, and was very happy about.  We saw Louisville lose, which again, I picked… yeah, I did OK.  26 out of 32 and 12 out of 16.  I have 5 of the Elite Eight left, and 3 of the Final Four, the 2 finalists, and the winner:  Kansas.  Maybe I can get lucky and win some money?

That would be a nice surprise, just as Northwestern was.  It brought some extra excitement to an already exciting time of year.  I can get used to this.  Throw Illinois back in there, and heck, get DePaul back… let’s take over the damn thing.  That would be pretty cool.  Kind of like how good the Blackhawks have been playing…

  1. MK

    Always a good thing when a “local” school is in the big dance. Northwestern finally made it and won their first game, a bit of an upset. Onto the zags and a blown goaltending call followed by a technical that took the wind out of the comeback sails. The wildcats did everyone proud. Not a fan of collins when he was with duke, but him and his papa are local boys who can help make the wildcats a mainstay in the tourney. Hopefully, this is just the start.
    As for my brackets, 25 out of 32 and 10 of the final 16, including the final 2. Glad to see duke and louisville lose. Filled out a few of the sweet 16 brackets. Like what I saw out of south carolina, michigan, and my winner, UCLA. What does it mean? Nothing, but it will be another interesting weekend starting on thursday as the final four will be set sunday evening. Here’s hoping I have 3 of the 4!

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