There are a few things that are thought about when the month of March is mentioned. The biggest, without question, in the sports world is March Madness.
It is the time that symbolizes our breakout from the cold winter doldrums and into the warm active months of sports. March Madness is the frenzied shot of adrenaline the sports world needs after the always lackluster month of February.
2015 will be no different, as NCAA Basketball will once again take center stage on Thursday.
What makes the tournament so unique is its nature which lends to many unpredictable situations. Lower seeds routinely beat giants - and we love it.
Rooting for that underdog has such appeal. Going back to the biblical ideas of David vs. Goliath, America always falls in love with the little guy. For if they somehow shock that giant of a basketball factory, March Madness becomes that much more intense.
This season though is so unlike others.
Enter the Kentucky Wildcats - the undefeated 34-0 giants who seemingly can't lose.
They are athletic, smart, big, long, defensive-oriented, and a nightmare for any team to play against. John Calipari's squad was so good this season that they destroyed a number-two seed in the Kansas Jayhawks by 32 points back in November.
This sort of dominance hasn't been seen in decades, possibly since John Wooden's UCLA teams of the late 1960's, early 70's. Bobby Knight's 1976 Indiana Hoosiers were the last to pull off the undefeated feat while taking home the National Championship (32-0).
While this is March Madness and anything can happen in a one and done tournament scenario, 2015 more than any other season in recent memory brings us the possibility that rooting for the big schools to win is the proper action.
In 1979 two major upsets of sensational circumstances went down. Both Penn and St. John's upset two of the bigger ACC schools in North Carolina and Duke (who were ranked #1 and #2 in the East Region.
The day was dubbed "Black Sunday."
Both Penn and St. John's went on to win two more games before Penn advanced to the Final Four.
Then, as the underdog Ivy League school geared up to face Michigan State in the Final Four, all of America couldn't wait for a fantastic game.
We saw nothing that even closely resembled a basketball game as the eventual champion Michigan State Spartans lead by Magic Johnson manhandled Penn to the tune of 101-67.
Sometimes the underdog gets on such a streak that they find themselves in no man's land - a place so far over their heads that it creates a terrible scenario for primetime championship ball where David does indeed get whacked by Goliath.
2015 will resemble 1979 should a Cinderella or two get deep enough to face this wicked Kentucky team who has nine future NBA players on the squad.
Admittedly it's a tough task, but we need to root for the Wisconsin's of the world to make it through to face Kentucky in the National Semifinal; and have #3 Notre Dame not pull their usual disappearing act in the tournament; and see #1 Duke or #1 Villanova make it through on the other side to be potential National Championship opponents for the Wildcats.
If these giants of the college basketball world do not prevail, then Kentucky will have a cake walk to the title and we'll be privy to some of the most fantastic blowouts of all-time.
Sorry Cinderella, we'll be back to root hard in 2016.
Screenshot Courtesy of YouTube, Grimsley Rose
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