#1) The Blue-Bloods still reign supreme
Everybody longs for the Cinderella story! We all have been patiently waiting to see another 1983 NC State or 1985 Villanova, however it looks like Cinderella has her work cut out for her in the One-and-Done era. It’s no secret that the top recruits are going to schools that have a reputation for elevating players to the pro level. Wisconsin’s men’s basketball coach Bo Ryan put his foot in his mouth in regards to this subject when he said “We don’t do rent-a-player”. Coach K proceeded to fire back with these poignant comments. If anything Bo Ryan just told any kid considering an early pro level pathway to check Wisconsin off the list. After Wisconsin’s historic win over undefeated Kentucky, Ryan made no mention of rent-a-players. The inexperience of Kentucky’s players actually played in Wisconsin’s favor. Lets not forget about the UConn women’s basketball program. UConn continues to dominate in blue-blood fashion and coach Geno Auriemma has now tied legendary UCLA coach John Wooden with 10 NCAA championships. Here are the most recent results of the men’s NCAA basketball tourney: Duke (2015), UConn (2014), Louisville (2013), Kentucky (2012, UConn (2011), Duke (2010). It’s evident that the top dogs are here to stay. In case you are wondering about the pasts women’s NCAA winners, UConn has won an unprecedented 5 title’s in the last 7 years. Now that’s what you call a Dynasty folks!
#2) College Officiating needs an overhaul
A lot of the controversy surrounding the men’s national championship has to do with poor officiating. College officiating has been ridiculously unpredictable. Wisconsin was only called for 2 fouls in the first half, but proceeded to pile up 13 whopping fouls in the second half of the championship game. It appeared as if a couple out-of-bounds calls were blatantly missed in the men’s national championship game as well. The NCAA has issued some statements regarding these missed calls. The NCAA needs to establish more strict referee guidelines. Whats the point of having replay? It’s not hard to find out that I’m a die-hard Duke fan, but I call it like I see it!
#3 Where is the sportsmanship?
I don’t mean to anger the beast that is Big Blue Nation, but I found their lack of sportsmanship appalling. Willie Cauley-Stein abruptly decided to walk off the court after Kentucky’s loss to Wisconsin. On top of that Andrew Harrison took it to the next level when he made a rude remark about Wisconsin center Frank Kaminsky. I understand that losing is no fun, but class and sportsmanship are an essential element of the game. Kentucky has countless young impressionable fans and that’s not the kind of guidance they need. Bo Ryan did not appear very sportsmanlike in the post-game press conference after the title game either. Most of America has already long forgotten the West Virginia freshmen who called out UK probably because Kentucky went on to open up a can of you know what after those remarks. Oh and of course the Kentucky players had to get in some post-game jabs on Twitter. Maybe I’m a little old school, but if I was the coach I would tell my team to keep their mouth shut PERIOD. Now I understand why Rick Pitino does not like for his players to use social media. Act like you have been there before! It’s important to always show grace and humility no matter what the result is.
4.) March Madness is here to stay
Despite some of the controversy, viewership ratings have never been higher. Not only were the national championship viewership ratings up 33%, but the entire tournament saw an overall 8% viewership increase. This was the most watched tournament in the last 22 years! Check out the stats for yourself. Records were broken for live streams and social media impressions as well. An unfathomable 1.1 billion was earned in ad revenue for the tournament this year. If you think TV advertisements are dying out, think again.
Although it may seem like I am being extra critical of the tournament, I love the March Madness format. However, I would love to see the NCAA improve officiating and instant replay. I want to see more sportsmanship as well, but perhaps Charles Barkley said it best
At the end of the day, sportsmanship and class starts with the parents. So long March…. Until we meet again…. 😥
Bobby Alan Brown 