In all my years of following college basketball, I've been mostly whole. Ever since I started recognizing the NCAA and its sporting community, I've lived in a place where big-time collegiate athletics was close-by. It took a couple of miles across a state line to focus my energy on one favorite school — and one favorite rival.
Once every year, the basketball world known as the Big Eight used to converge on my hometown to decide their automatic bid for the NCAA tournament. For many years since 1996, the same location has sent the Big 12's first representative into that season's Big Dance. This coming week will provide yet another opportunity for a large state-run school to gain momentum heading onto the national stage.
Saturday, the Kansas/Missouri showdown continued for all fans around my hometown. Even as I live almost 450 miles away, I still pined to watch the game and rooted on my beloved Tigers (to no avail). But inside all of the hoopla, there's another school that lives in the shadows. It has no bowl game tradition. It's never been to a College World Series. And its mascot ... is a marsupial.
That school would be the University of Missouri at Kansas City (and its Kangaroos). The university is located in the heart of the city, but basically goes unnoticed when it comes to athletics. The 'Roos have only been a Division I basketball program since 1987, a member of the Mid-Continent Conference (now the Summit League) since 1994, and haven't reached the game's penultimate goal. (Unfortunately, the fans of UMKC have little more to root for this year. The Kangaroos got eliminated in the Summit League quarterfinals.)
But even though my allegiances are tied to places named Columbia and Ames, I have had those moments where I said, "Oh, cool. UMKC's playing. Let's go, guys."
My favorite time of the year will occur in less than two weeks. To me, there's nothing like the chaos of the first two days of the main draw. However, I've got to say that I'm a bit conflicted. I'm guilty of my fondness for the super-conferences of the college landscape. I'm disconnected to the close-knit nature of those "non-major" communities. I'm jealous of the passion that fans of a lot of these smaller schools hold, not over two days, but possibly over two weeks.
This is something that kids and alums of Winthrop, East Tennessee State, and Murray State can flaunt today after their teams earned Saturday's golden tickets to the Madness.
While many fans of the big programs are more focused on seeding and winning a big game to get in position for the tournament, followers of Big Sky, Southland, and MEAC schools know one thing: you have to win a trophy to get a trophy. (Definition: Unless you win a league title, you have no shot at a national title.)
I'm fortunate in the fact that Missouri had no chance to win the Big 12 regular season title, and a small shot at repeating as tourney champs, yet, they will more than likely be playing a week from Thursday or Friday. You can't say that about UMKC, or Southeast Missouri State, or Arkansas-Pine Bluff, etc. Those squads are in a more desperate position.
Sometimes, though, desperation can lead to elation. Syracuse is expected to win. People will see campaigns at Kentucky and Kansas as failures without a Final Four berth. Any big school should get to the Sweet 16. And Heaven forbid for the ones that didn't even make the field.
To the ants getting squished under the feet of the giants, they've made it. They've won. Any progress in the Dance is a mound of sugar cubes. And, trust me, any big school alum has seen their team's dreams get carried away like a block of C&H disappearing down the anthill.
We don't remember that Indiana beat Kent State in the 2002 South Regional final. We know that the Golden Flashes got there. The fact that Connecticut defeated Gonzaga in the 1999 West Regional final is a mere footnote to Casey Calvary's buzzer-beater and the main story of the Bulldogs' Cinderella run. And while few can say that Rhode Island beat Valparaiso in the 1998 Sweet 16, most remember Bryce Drew's improbable three to upset Ole Miss two rounds before.
These are just some of the teams that have made their mark in the mainstream. And the commonality — they all grinded through and won their one shot at Madness life, the conference tourney. They took the baton and provided pride for their respective conferences. They made a statement that quality basketball could be played outside programs that catered to seven-figure coaches and eight-figure budgets.
For the next few days, everyone will once again get to witness the corners of this basketball-crazed country, where fans actually can reach the rafters and regular season wins might actually equal a true advantage. And while a big chunk of us viewers can commiserate (or celebrate) from afar, the majority of us won't feel the frenzy that makes your do-or-die situation so special.
Here's to the fans of Siena, Quinnipiac, UC-Santa Barbara, and Jackson State. Your teams can be the 2010 upstarts of March. And watch out for those upset-filled potholes. One thing's certain ... I wish I was there.
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