NCAA Tournament 2012: 16 Thoughts On The First Weekend Of March Madness

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament is in the books, and after a slow start Thursday, March Madness lived up to its name for the rest of the weekend, helping us remember why we love this stuff. Friday night was as good a night of hoops as you could ever ask for.

Let’s take a look back at the weekend that was with 16 quick thoughts on March Madness ...

1. Kentucky Is A Monster. Their best game is so much better than any other team in America, it almost seems unfair. Anthony Davis, Terrence Jones and Kidd-Gilchrist is the most terrifying front line in America, and then to add insult to (everyone else’s) injury, they’ve got a guy like Darius Miller who can kill you from the perimeter. This weekend they looked like the Dream Team in Barcelona, and everyone else looked like Yugoslavia. The next two weeks will either be a coronation for one of the most dominant teams we’ve seen in years, or a David vs. Goliath situation where we remember the upset forever. Either way, Kentucky’s so good that they can’t NOT be the story in all this.

2. The Downside Of Upsets. Kentucky’s a good reminder of what makes March complicated. Rooting against the best teams is fun, but when we get what we wish for, it sometimes means games like Florida and Norfolk State instead of what would’ve been a classic between UF and Mizzou. It’s the riddle of March Madness; you want classic games and upsets, but not too much. Past the first round, it’s actually more fun to have the top seeds survive and start slaying each other later on. Upsets are all fun and games until you’re watching VCU and Butler in the Final Four, ya know?

3. It’s Nice Having Chuck Around In March.

I still say, for the NBA and NCAA Tournament, someone just feed Chuck gin and tonics and let him talk uninterrupted for five hours each night so he can point out the most obvious jokes and generally just be the most enjoyable guy in the room. Chuck is America’s Favorite Uncle.

On the other side of the spectrum ...

4. Hey Look, It’s Jim Nantz!

Jim Nantz is the uncle you never asked for.

5. Duke’s Downfall Was Inevitable. That Duke game wasn’t even that surprising. A team built on average three-point shooters and one athletic guard (who can’t shoot) was never going deep in the tournament. The problem for Duke is that, with the exception of their title team in 2010 -- where they played a favorable draw on their way to the top --Duke’s spent most of the past 10 years fitting the description above. They use smoke and mirrors to fool people into believing they’re a dominant team, then get exposed in March. It’s a testament to Coach K’s talent that Duke tricks people year after year, and it’s a reflection on the lack of actual basketball talent that the Devils keep on getting exposed. Bottom line: any team relying on guys like Seth Curry, Andre Dawkins and Josh Hairston is going to have trouble in March. No amount of Nantz/Vitale fetishizing is going to fix that for them.

6. The Pod System Is The Best. You can guarantee that Duke writes a strongly-worded letter to the NCAA this year complaining about their placement in Greensboro. Because most of Duke’s fans are from out-of-state, putting them in Greensboro with UNC basically turns every NCAA Tournament game into a road game. It may seem like the selection committee did them a favor slotting them close to home, but honestly, the Blue Devils would be better off in New Jersey.

7. TUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.

Probably my single favorite player of the tournament so far. Notre Dame didn’t have an answer for Tu Holloway in the final 10 minutes Friday night, and his go-ahead teardrop off the glass might have been the ballsiest shot of the first weekend. If you don’t already love him and the Musketeers, go read this ESPN profile from a few months ago.

8. Lane Violations! Yes, yes, it’s the rule. But at some point -- like, say, the final minute of a one-point game -- refs can swallow their whistles on something like a lane violation. Really, nobody’s going to complain. It’s not like players are gaining real advantages, and a no-call is a thousand times better than everyone walking away feeling a little cheated.

9. You Cannot Kill Kansas. Ask Missouri. Ask Purdue. The Jayhawks are beatable, but finishing the job is harder than it looks. The scary thing is, once a team comes back from double digits once or twice, they start to believe that they can do it, so it’s even harder to break their spirits late in the game. As a Carolina fan, I’m already terrified of a close game with KU in the Elite Eight. Go NC State.

10. Ohio’s So Lucky, Ohio’s A Star. Can never have too many Britney references.

(HT: Chris Littmann)

11. Ohio is taking over America. You’ve probably heard by now, but Xavier, Cincinnati, Ohio State and Ohio are all undefeated thus far. Ohio and Cincy even took out their state’s redneck rivals of the southeast (Florida) by knocking out FSU and South Florida on Sunday. Also, Ohio’s native son Joe the Plumber is running for congress in 2012, ready to take a sledgehammer to the socialists in Washington. OHIO’S NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE, YOU GUYS.

12. We’ll Be Right Back After These Messages. Nothing says “amateur sports” like eight commercial breaks per half, where half of the ads are for Bud Light, and the others are all some basketball-centric campaign designed specifically for March Madness. My favorite is the one where Tom Izzo’s in an uncomfortably snug pair of jeans talking to America about the NCAA Tournament for 30 seconds. Because Dove Soap, you know?

13. What Defeat Looks Like.

Deadspin’s day-after “faces of March Madness” series has been fantastic.

14. Ashley Judd Is A Filthy Thief. From Kentucky Sports Radio:

Ashley Judd was of course at the UK game last night, cheering on the Blue and joining one of the better Kentucky crowds I have ever seen. Then after the game, she visited the UK locker room. Nothing odd so far. However after the visit, Judd somehow left with Terrence Jones’s phone and departed Louisville. She apparently drove away and it wasn’t realized until later what happened. Someone had to meet her in Elizabethtown to pick it up and Judd left the above note of apology to Terrence. Late last night, Terrence tweeted out a copy of the note after he received the phone and we ended up with this interesting, odd story.

You can see a copy of Judd’s letter here, and remember: there’s almost nothing in sports weirder than Ashley Judd’s intimate relationship with Kentucky basketball. It’s awesome at face value, but every now and then you hear a story like that where it starts to seem a little bit creepy. Why was she near Terrence Jones’ cell phone? Does she just hang out in the locker room? How close is Ashley Judd to Kentucky basketball really?

15. Well, This Just Sucks.

That headline says it all. Next to Kentucky, no team looked more impressive on the first weekend than North Carolina, but now we have no idea what happens next. Kendall Marshall’s having surgery Monday, and he hopes to be available by Friday, but yeah. Who knows? If he can’t come back, Marshall’s injury could decide the way this tournament plays out as much as any other factor. There hadn’t been a more enjoyable player in college basketball this year, and even if you hate the Tar Heels, nobody in America is cheering this injury. It’s like a team losing on a lane violation. Sports are no fun sometimes.

So anyway -- (*sniffles*) -- here’s to hoping Kendall’s fractured wrist isn’t as bad as it sounds, and we’ll look back on this melodrama and laugh. (Daily Tar Heel front page via Ben Cohen).

16. We’re Still Totally Clueless. One thing you should do every year -- after the first weekend inevitably destroys your bracket -- try picking again when you hit the Sweet 16. Chances are you won’t do much better because even when it looks like things have settled, we’re still dealing in chaos here. Most of this past weekend didn’t make sense, and we have no reason to expect that the next weekend will be any more reasonable. But, God, this stuff is awesome.