Scotch, Ham, and Broken Brackets

Some people cannot imagine enjoying a football game without cold beer. Others cannot imagine taking in an afternoon baseball game without a hot dog with all the fixins. In much the same way, I cannot imagine watching the first round of the NCAA Tournament without a fine single malt scotch on hand. There's something about the smoky sophistication and slow, savored sipping of scotch that seems to pair well with way Tournament games gradually build in intensity before their frenzied finish.

On that note, this weekend certainly saw its fair share of frenzied finishes and left many of us staring at the shattered remnants of our broken brackets, wondering just what had happened and how were we supposed to feel about all this? Some of the big events of the weekend:

1. Georgetown is upset by Davidson. Simply unreal. I've probably watched Georgetown more than any other team this year and have seen them win close game after close game in the uber-competitive Big East, gritting out wins on the road at Marquette and Villanova. Not only is this team talented and well coached, throughout the year they have been lucky, a trait that is imperative to have if you hope to make it far in the tournament (see UCLA for another lucky team). I'm speechless that Georgetown lost to Davidson, just speechless. Of all the power teams coming into the Tournament, they seemed to have the easiest path to the Final Four, their only serious obstacle being perennial choke artist Kansas. The only upside of this loss is that it likely ends any chance that Georgetown's Roy Hibbert ends up as a lottery pick, and makes the nightmare I had a few months ago about Kevin McHale drafting Roy Hibbert #1 overall an almost impossible scenario. Almost...

2. Stanford comes through in the clutch. Like Kansas, Stanford is a club that regularly finds a way to choke spectacularly in the NCAA Tournament. Imagine my confidence watching this game with my uncle Bill (who had picked Stanford to win) as Marquette scored to take the lead in OT and Stanford prepared to inbound the ball with less than 10 seconds on the clock. I thought I had this one in the bag. But no, Stanford kicks the ball down low to Brook Lopez who hits a one-handed, fade-away hook shot while spinning towards the baseline over an outstretched defender with one second on the clock. Seriously? Brook Lopez comes up with a clutch one-handed, fade-away hook shot while spinning towards the baseline over an outstretched defender with one second on the clock to win the game? That's how Stanford stays in the tournament? If Georgetown hadn't found a way to blow an 11 point half-time lead, this would have been #1 by a long shot.

3. UConn and Drake both bow out in round 1. How many people had Western Kentucky playing San Diego to make the Sweet 16? Seven? Eight? People will discover Jimmy Hoffa's body and the secret to cold fusion before you find somebody that picked that match up. That's what March Madness is all about!

4. Clemson and Vanderbilt go home early. How quickly the mighty fall. Not a week ago, Clemson was giving North Carolina all they could handle in the ACC Tournament championship and Vanderbilt was coming into the Tournament after a solid SEC season. Both get bounced in the first round by Villanova and Siena. You think maybe the ACC and SEC weren't as good this year?

5. Duke spends another April going to class instead of going to the hole. Is there any sight in sport more satisfying that watching Duke lose? I submit that there is not. Not even the Yankees can touch the Blue Devils for smug arrogance. The funny thing is that everybody seems to understand and feel the same way about this without even talking about it before hand. It's a primal desire of human nature to see hubris laid low by an underdog, to see the powerful and tyrannous humbled by ordinary mortals. Ahh the satisfaction.

And as I think about the warm satisfaction Duke's loss gave me, it seems like a good place to end this post. As always, the first round of the NCAA Tournament delivered thrills like no other event and time of the year, I hope everybody had a chance to enjoy it!