This is not good.
There were only four NCAA Tournament games left for CBS announcer Bryant Gumbel to announce, and the N.C . State Wolfpack was still waiting to hear its name called. The Pack’s odds of getting into the “big dance” got longer with each passing second. Thoughts ran through my mind of the tournament snubs in previous years, such as Colorado and Virginia Tech.
There was only one moment left to avoid that depressing list.
Only one game left. Now only one team left to choose. This is our very last chance. I can still remember Gumbel’s words – “And they’ll be playing the fifth team out of the ACC, N.C . Sta -” and that’s when all hell broke loose.
If you haven’t already seen the video of the Wolfpack basketball players celebrating their 2012 NCAA Tournament bid, get on YouTube and go watch it. It’s obvious how much it means to the players, the coaches and the University to be a part of State’s first NCAA Tournament since 2006.
So now the question is how far can the Pack go? The popular choice is to have the Wolfpack winning its first game against San Diego State before exiting in the third round against Georgetown.
But some have State going further than that. For example, President Barack Obama filled out his own bracket, like he does every year, and has the Pack advancing to the Sweet 16 before being knocked out by Kansas.
Now all this aside, I disagree with the president for two reasons. The first is that he chose North Carolina to win it all and that’s just blasphemy (he’s chosen the Tar Heels to win the NCAA Tournament three of last the five years.) The second reason is that I think we can go further than the Sweet 16. Much further. Like Final Four further. Maybe even NCAA Championship game further. Okay, maybe not that far; but we could make it to the final four if the stars align.
Why not?
Butler not only made it to the championship game last year, but the Bulldogs did it twice in a row. VCU and George Mason made Final Four runs. If they can make it that far, then why can’t State? The Wolfpack is more athletically talented than those teams. You could also make the argument that N.C . State is better coached than those other teams. There’s no reason a run, and perhaps a deep run, can’t be made.
I’m all about picking the “hot” team to win the tournament. For example, when Connecticut won the national championship last year, the Huskies won their conference tournament before they won the NCAA Tournament. Duke did the same thing in 2010.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be just basketball either. We can look at any sport with a playoff system. Let’s look at professional football. The New York Giants won the Super Bowl after they got hot at the end of the regular season, squeaked into the postseason and then beat everyone. The Green Bay Packers did the same thing the year before that. The “hot” rule applies to baseball, as well, with the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals.
My point is this: It’s all about getting hot at the right time, and the Wolfpack is one of the hottest teams in the country coming into the NCAA Tournament. Even though State didn’t win its conference tournament, the Pack came within some questionable refereeing (and some late turnovers) of doing so. Come playoff time, you don’t want to play against the team with momentum. A hot team is a dangerous team and if they believe they can win, then in the words of Kevin Garnett, “Anything’s possible!”
Some thought the Wolfpack was well and truly out of NCAA Tournament contention, but from the deepest pit of desperation it clawed back in the tournament at the last possible moment, getting hot at exactly the right time and never quitting on themselves, its teammates, its school or its fans. After all, that’s what being an N.C . State fan is all about – never giving up.