Still Dancing

Off to Alanta ... er, Atlanta ... for the Final Four.

I find it unbelievable, but I’m still dancing.

In a year in which many tried to two-step or go Gangham and fell flat, I continue to do the Spanish Fandango intent to ride the Louisville to the national title.

My bracket is far from perfect.  But it was solid enough to wither the failings of top-tier teams in a horribly-seeded tournament.

I’ve also managed to dance on despite shooting myself as soon as I stepped on the floor.  I took Gonzaga to the Final Four.  A perpetually foolish move I make every year by taking the always-untested Zags further than is sensible.  And I paid for it when they fell to Wichita State.

Similarly, I always bite on Wisconsin.  For 11 months each year, I gripe about the doom and gloom surrounding my sports teams, yet buy into the homer hype each March.  But grinding plodders make for terrible dance partners and they predictably lost to Admirable Ackbar’s Rebel Army.

On the contrary, I sold out on Michigan too early.  The team is filed with pedigree animals bred to rip normal collegiate athletes to shreds.  Sure, they got bored and lost a few games along the way, but the Blue has cold-blooded basketball killers and guards galore -- And they can go inside.  They aren’t plodders.

They lost, as usual, but didn't kill the bracket.

But I had them losing to Kansas.  Welcome to Atlanta and the Final Four Michigan.  My bad.

For some reason, I ignore common sense come tournament time.  I rely on numbers I loathe most the year -- RPI and some professor at Georgia Tech’s nerdy formula -- and convince myself I don’t watch enough basketball to make an informed decision.

But despite All this, I’m still moving and shaking.  I sit tied for second in my pool.

I actually could care less about the championship game from a bracket perspective.  I simply need Louisville to beat Wichita State on Saturday -- and then some luck -- to win my bracket pool.

If Louisville avoids beyond shocked by the Shockers, my bracket pool will conclude with myself and another individual tied for first.  The winnings come down to a tie-breaker of total points in the championship game, and I have the score 75-70 for 145 total points.

(And, of course, I’m tied with the individual running the pool, so I plan to get his final score prior to the championship.  Can’t be getting cheated …)

I complete expect Louisville to win.   They’re more talented, better coached and are playing on after the gruesome injury to Kevin Ware, the Georgia-born guard whose leg snapped like a wishbone in the Duke game.

The Ware injury was among the most disgusting injuries I’ve ever seen.  Writhing in pain with his leg crippled, his teammates looked sickly as they turned away, not even running to help their teammate.

(Click here for a GIF of the injury, but it's nasty.)

But the last image from the injury was Coach Rick Pitino.  He first walked onto the court to gather his men and turn their focus back to the task at hand -- a championship.

From Philly.com.

It wasn’t callous.  Most coaches love their players -- looking at you Mike Rice -- and Pitino certainly cares for his, but he’s a coach and his job was to win a game.  He let his trainers handle the devastating injury, while he helped his other young men recover and refocus.

With Ware now scheduled to travel to Atlanta for the Final Four, his Louisville Cardinals will be playing on for their teammate.

And, in much less important matters, a win by his Cardinals would keep me on the dance floor.   And within Lady Luck’s striking distance of a payout.