A Profile in Madness 2011: Final Four Special
March 28th 2011 13:23
As the wildest NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament in history draws to a close there is only one thing left for all of us to do.
A technique used by many to relieve over exhaustion, bring elation down to a suitable level before the battle continues or to temper down the toll that emotions can take on the body.
This technique is a simple breathing exercise to help clear the mind of all the round by round red strikes that have haunted us for the past two weeks or the genuine feeling of disbelief that we are one of the lucky few that still has a team or teams in the Final Four.
Gone but not forgotten is the pain caused by buzzer beaters from teams labeled as Cinderella’s as the world was forced to watch each and every #1 and #2 seed pack their bags in preparation for a long trip back to their home campuses.
The survivors of the madness are split onto separate sides of the bracket and onto separate sides of the spectrum in the way we view collegiate athletics.
On one side of the bracket you have a pair of programs steeped in tradition with a strong resume of many successful NCAA Tournament’s, athletes who once wore the uniform of their schools that are now superstars in the NBA, a laundry list of Final Four Appearances and an expectation to be a champion each and every time they step on the court.
On paper the University of Connecticut and University of Kentucky are among the schools you think of at the mere mention of NCAA Men’s Basketball.
One University that has a coach in the Hall of Fame and another that has a coach destined to take his place on the mantle in the years to come.
For all this tradition and glory both of these Universities were overlooked by myself and the so-called experts headed into the 2011 NCAA Tournament but they still found a way to write their own story.
A story of falling down during the regular season many times along the way but finding a way to pull it all together when it really mattered.
While history may tell the story of the matchup between UCONN and UK on one side of the Final Four the other side of the bracket is filled with the stuff fairy tales are made of.
The story of teams that run on the fuel of guts, sheer will and collecting back all the dues paid along the way.
The Butler Bulldogs and Virginia Commonwealth University Rams are a pair of schools that very few people saw coming but have made their mark in the history of the tournament.
For the first time in history, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded with a set of play-in games that opened the door for Division I Universities that would have otherwise been left out in the cold.
With this opening VCU not only stuck their foot in the door but blew it off its hinges.
Much can be admired in sports and life when the underdog finds a way to stand on the same stage as goliath but no Cinderella has proven themselves more than the Butler Bulldogs who are now taking a trip the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four for the second year in a row.
When we take a look at the matchups what we will find is a mixture of tradition against tradition, strong expectations from both sides and a battle of traditional coaching genius against the heartwarming story of a new breed of coaching, Cinderella against Cinderella, Guts against Guts, and Determination against Determination which will grace us with the most memorable Final Four in the history of the tournament.
A fitting ending for 2 weeks of games that featured Morehead St. taking down the Louisville Cardinals in the first round and everyone’s automatic pick to win it all in the Ohio State Buckeyes falling to the Kentucky Wildcats in the last minutes of an epic battle.
Matchup by Matchup, I’m taking the University of Kentucky Wildcats to continue their tournament ride over Kemba Walker and the University of Connecticut Huskies and the Butler Bulldogs to pull off a repeat performance into the finals in a close one over the VCU Rams.
In the NCAA Tournament Finals what we will have the pleasure of witnessing is institution with the most wins in NCAAA Division I Men's Basketball history taking on the team that has mastered the modern NCAA Tournament so well they have advanced past the label of Cinderella.
To pick my “Second Chance” champion I’m going to give my brain a rest because it has done nothing to help me win for the past three years of doing this blog.
I’m also going to take my gut instinct and heart out of the equation because they have done nothing but cloud my thinking and will ultimately bring back the reminder of UK being the team that knocked my Mountaineers out of this year’s journey.
What I will use are memories from last year and a reminder of the things Butler is capable of.
With no expectations of the Butler Bulldogs becoming the loveable Buffalo Bills of NCAA Division I Basketball I am picking them to get over the hump and win it all this year proving that the NCAA Tournament is anyone’s game to win.
After the final buzzer goes off Monday evening we can all turn the marker back to zero and begin the countdown to the 2012 edition of March Madness.
At this time, I will pick up my Old Gold and Blue school colors and pride but till than I’m going to enjoy the last week of this madness until the train comes to a complete stop…
Khalfani King is an Independent Journalist that posts a weekly blog on www.politicsandculture.net featuring commentary on current events, entertainment, sports, news and social culture.
If you enjoyed this blog and would like to see more postings featuring sports themes please vote by using the application below.
For questions, comments or to simply talk trash please do so by leaving your comments on this blog or by e-mailing Khalfani King at
khalking@aol.com
Still looking for a chance to win?
Check out the Coaches vs. Cancer CBS Round by Round Brackets
The Top 10% of the best Brackets from The Final Four and Finals are entered into a drawing for an opportunity to win prizes, cash and fame.
It’s Free to Enter and Benefits the American Cancer Society
For your chance to enter and win click the link below.
Click Here
A technique used by many to relieve over exhaustion, bring elation down to a suitable level before the battle continues or to temper down the toll that emotions can take on the body.
This technique is a simple breathing exercise to help clear the mind of all the round by round red strikes that have haunted us for the past two weeks or the genuine feeling of disbelief that we are one of the lucky few that still has a team or teams in the Final Four.
Gone but not forgotten is the pain caused by buzzer beaters from teams labeled as Cinderella’s as the world was forced to watch each and every #1 and #2 seed pack their bags in preparation for a long trip back to their home campuses.
The survivors of the madness are split onto separate sides of the bracket and onto separate sides of the spectrum in the way we view collegiate athletics.
On one side of the bracket you have a pair of programs steeped in tradition with a strong resume of many successful NCAA Tournament’s, athletes who once wore the uniform of their schools that are now superstars in the NBA, a laundry list of Final Four Appearances and an expectation to be a champion each and every time they step on the court.
On paper the University of Connecticut and University of Kentucky are among the schools you think of at the mere mention of NCAA Men’s Basketball.
One University that has a coach in the Hall of Fame and another that has a coach destined to take his place on the mantle in the years to come.
For all this tradition and glory both of these Universities were overlooked by myself and the so-called experts headed into the 2011 NCAA Tournament but they still found a way to write their own story.
A story of falling down during the regular season many times along the way but finding a way to pull it all together when it really mattered.
While history may tell the story of the matchup between UCONN and UK on one side of the Final Four the other side of the bracket is filled with the stuff fairy tales are made of.
The story of teams that run on the fuel of guts, sheer will and collecting back all the dues paid along the way.
The Butler Bulldogs and Virginia Commonwealth University Rams are a pair of schools that very few people saw coming but have made their mark in the history of the tournament.
For the first time in history, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament expanded with a set of play-in games that opened the door for Division I Universities that would have otherwise been left out in the cold.
With this opening VCU not only stuck their foot in the door but blew it off its hinges.
Much can be admired in sports and life when the underdog finds a way to stand on the same stage as goliath but no Cinderella has proven themselves more than the Butler Bulldogs who are now taking a trip the NCAA men’s Basketball Tournament Final Four for the second year in a row.
When we take a look at the matchups what we will find is a mixture of tradition against tradition, strong expectations from both sides and a battle of traditional coaching genius against the heartwarming story of a new breed of coaching, Cinderella against Cinderella, Guts against Guts, and Determination against Determination which will grace us with the most memorable Final Four in the history of the tournament.
A fitting ending for 2 weeks of games that featured Morehead St. taking down the Louisville Cardinals in the first round and everyone’s automatic pick to win it all in the Ohio State Buckeyes falling to the Kentucky Wildcats in the last minutes of an epic battle.
Matchup by Matchup, I’m taking the University of Kentucky Wildcats to continue their tournament ride over Kemba Walker and the University of Connecticut Huskies and the Butler Bulldogs to pull off a repeat performance into the finals in a close one over the VCU Rams.
In the NCAA Tournament Finals what we will have the pleasure of witnessing is institution with the most wins in NCAAA Division I Men's Basketball history taking on the team that has mastered the modern NCAA Tournament so well they have advanced past the label of Cinderella.
To pick my “Second Chance” champion I’m going to give my brain a rest because it has done nothing to help me win for the past three years of doing this blog.
I’m also going to take my gut instinct and heart out of the equation because they have done nothing but cloud my thinking and will ultimately bring back the reminder of UK being the team that knocked my Mountaineers out of this year’s journey.
What I will use are memories from last year and a reminder of the things Butler is capable of.
With no expectations of the Butler Bulldogs becoming the loveable Buffalo Bills of NCAA Division I Basketball I am picking them to get over the hump and win it all this year proving that the NCAA Tournament is anyone’s game to win.
After the final buzzer goes off Monday evening we can all turn the marker back to zero and begin the countdown to the 2012 edition of March Madness.
At this time, I will pick up my Old Gold and Blue school colors and pride but till than I’m going to enjoy the last week of this madness until the train comes to a complete stop…
Khalfani King is an Independent Journalist that posts a weekly blog on www.politicsandculture.net featuring commentary on current events, entertainment, sports, news and social culture.
If you enjoyed this blog and would like to see more postings featuring sports themes please vote by using the application below.
For questions, comments or to simply talk trash please do so by leaving your comments on this blog or by e-mailing Khalfani King at
khalking@aol.com
Still looking for a chance to win?
Check out the Coaches vs. Cancer CBS Round by Round Brackets
The Top 10% of the best Brackets from The Final Four and Finals are entered into a drawing for an opportunity to win prizes, cash and fame.
It’s Free to Enter and Benefits the American Cancer Society
For your chance to enter and win click the link below.
Click Here
2011 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Busted Bracket
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