The NCAA tournament ended Monday night. And wow, what a grand finale!
From the first day until the last heave by Gordon Heyward that just missed, March Madness outdid itself this year. There's been some great triumphs that have come out of this tournament, as well as some surprising losses and disappointments. And with the tournament all wrapped up, here's a quick list of the winners and losers from this year's epic March Madness.
WINNER: Duke
Here we go again. Duke sits on top of the college basketball world. Coach K has shown America that he's the real deal, and the Blue Devils keep the NCAA title within the Research Triangle of North Carolina. Certainly, Kansas and Kentucky were the favorites, and talk of Big East powers Syracuse and West Virginia were overshadowing Duke's play in the regular season. But, as usual, Duke's solid, consistent play wore down its opponents and carried a team that, although was loaded, wasn't the most talented Duke team of all-time, to greatness.
LOSER: College basketball fans outside of Duke
Ever get tired of hearing about Duke from the media? You're a loser this year. Duke is replacing Tim Tebow as the new symbol of love from ESPN and the majority of the national sports media. Granted, as national champions, the Blue Devils deserve the press and the glory, but if you think Duke hatred had reached its limit, think again.
WINNER: The ACC
Despite the hype from the Big East, the ACC has won another title, making it five of the last 10 for the basketball-crazy conference. As the SEC has locked up football, the ACC is doing the same with college basketball.
WINNER: Cornell
Talented, gritty, gutsy. Doesn't sound like the description of an Ivy League school, does it? Cornell was impressive in its run to the Sweet 16. The Big Red played stingy defense, while being absolutely lethal behind the arc for most of the tournament. Steve Donahue's plan at Cornell was long-term, but it paid off well for the Big Red. No doubt, Cornell bowed out to a much superior Kentucky squad, having earned the respect of college basketball fans everywhere.
LOSER: Cornell
Cornell became a loser this week, as Steve Donahue left the school to take over at Boston College.
WINNER: Mid-major conferences
Naturally, Butler's run did wonders for the school and the Horizon League, but the Missouri Valley carried their banner high with Northern Iowa, who pulled off the upset of the tournament by taking down Kansas. Cornell's run definitely boosted the Ivy League, and there were some solid wins from mid-major schools this tournament, including Old Dominion and Murray State. The mid-majors made some quality noise this year.
WINNER: Brad Stevens, Butler head coach
This is a total given. Stevens was brilliant during Butler's title run. Cool, calm, and collective, the team took their lead from their young, energetic coach. Stevens had a plan, stuck to the plan, and it worked wonders for the Bulldogs. Even in a losing cause, you have to give Stevens credit for his game plan. He went inside, utilized the speed of his team, crashed the boards well (especially in the first half), and attacked Brian Zoubek to force Duke to back down just a bit inside the paint. Stevens is going to be a huge success wherever he's coaching, but hopefully he stays in Indy next season.
LOSER: Georgetown
I'll keep this one simple. Really, Georgetown? Not to take anything away from Ohio, but you guys got stomped in the first round. It definitely goes to show that you can't sleepwalk through a game in the Big Dance. Kansas, you dodged a bullet from being on this list.
WINNER: Indianapolis
It couldn't have been better for the host city to have the hometown team playing in the Final Four. Similar to Creighton making it to the College World Series, Indianapolis basked in the buzz and celebration of having some of their own in the Final Four.
WINNER: Butler
No school that small has ever picked up so many fans. Butler fever swept the country, and though they came up just short, there's not one sports fan who can't help but admire what those kids did this tournament. Butler was all class, all heart, and a great reminder of why March Madness is so special. The BCS blocks the Butlers of the world from moments like these. Thank goodness March Madness provides small schools the chance to dream. And thanks to Butler, the dream is growing.
LOSER (potentially): All college basketball fans
Butler's great run reminds us all that the NCAA tournament is awesome ... just the way it is. If the NCAA pushes the tournament to 96 teams, they would simply water down this tournament, and worse, make it harder for some of the mid-majors to make a run. Thankfully, Butler was a five-seed in this tournament. However, what happens to a solid mid-major team who gets handed the nine-seed? You're now asking them to win seven games in a row to win the title?
Make it fair for everyone ... keep it at 64 (or 68 if you must expand, with four play-in games for at-large teams to earn a nine-seed). The beauty of this tournament is that everyone has to win six games to win the title. Forcing it any other way would be a huge loss to all of us college sports fans.
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