DANCING HOUR

My popcorn is ready, baaaaaaby!


The always-anticipated Selection Sunday has come and gone, and by 7pm, I more than had my yearly fix of Greg Gumbel. Some players celebrated with thousands of rabid students behind them, and others found their bubble residue-covered faces falling into their hands in the coach’s living room. The brackets are out and printer ink is being consumed at a record-pace. Here’s what to watch for:

EAST. The Heels may have the most lavish traveling situation in the tournament, as they can basically ride a baby blue Segway to their pod-site in Raleigh and their regionals in Charlotte before booking their Southwest Fun Fares to the Rio Grande. Apparently the committee compensated for this luxury by loading up their East Region with noteworthy talent, namely the best second-seed in the bracket in the Tennessee Vols, who, up until last week, was a front-runner for a top slot.

First-Round TiVo: (8)Indiana vs (9)Arkansas
State-of-Shock: (7)Butler over (2)Tennessee in the Second Round
Marbles: (1)North Carolina over (3)Louisville

Can the 'Hawks live up to the "bill-ing"?

MIDWEST. The Jayhawks were rewarded by a strong showing at the Big-XII Tournament, and on paper, Kansas should charge their way down to the Alamodome. While it may not be chock-full of the best talent in the land, this region has its fair share of rising programs (Clemson, Kansas State) and annual mainstays (Wisconsin, Gonzaga), not to mention instant gratification with Title Fight-worthy Mayo and Beasley exchanging Ultimate Highlights in just the first weekend of action.

First-Round TiVo: (6)USC vs (11)Kansas State
State-of-Shock: (12)Villanova over (5)Clemson in First Round
Marbles: (3)Wisconsin over (1)Kansas

SOUTH. Intriguing storylines stick out here, including the oft-disrespected Tigers of Memphis, Temple unearthing their experienced but dusty dancing shoes, Pitt’s strong play in the Big East royal rumble leading to a four-seed after a season of Hokey-Pokey-ing in and out of the Top 25, and Kentucky become reacquainted with what a bubble actually feels like.

First-Round TiVo: (6)Marquette vs (11)Kentucky
State-of-Shock: (4)Pittsburgh over (1)Memphis in Regional Semifinals
Marbles: (2)Texas over (4)Pittsburgh

WEST. With a suddenly-reeling Duke and the inconsistent Huskies of UConn, the UCLA Bruins might as well ask the committee to spot them plane tickets to the Final Four before the games even begin. On the other hand, asking Darren Collison and Kevin Love to accomplish a tall task and take the program to the Big Show in three straight years is quite the request. It might be fun to see how this region plays out, but it also might be boring.

First-Round TiVo: (8)BYU vs (9)Texas A&M
State-of-Shock: (11)Baylor over (6)Purdue in First Round
Marbles: (1)UCLA over (2)Duke

ADIEU AT 22

Goodnight Houston, and godspeed.


Thanks for the memories, Rockets. Over the last month and half you've given us countless memories and made us all fans. Watching your style of basketball play and team camaraderie have made us all Clutch-City Crazies. Because of you we don't just bleed red anymore. Nah, we bleed Rocket Red, baby. Win after blowout win, we fell a little more in love with the Rockets. Hell, Houston became like a second home for many of us.

You stepped out of San Antonio's noogie and made a name for yourself. No longer just the easy part of the Texas swing, but somehow one of the most hostile environments in the Association. When Yao went down, it looked you suffered a big yao-chy, one that would have to drop you from playoff contention. We doubted you. Well, we were wrong.

You carried on without the big man, and kept tacking on wins. 10, 11, 12 in a row... It defied logic and common sense. Fans were coming out of the woodwork to cheer you on. Casual fans were coming out the woodworks, finally dedicated to the team for the first time in a decade. Doesn't matter though, the product on the court spoke volumes, made new fans. It wasn't just a basketball game. You were mending broken hearts. You were bridging generations closer together. You were curing cancer... at least that's what it seemed like, the way your fans went on and on about how life-changing this streak was.


Thank God this streak happened, Rockets fans. Rick Adelman discovered he had more than 2 players he could count on when he needed to. Shane Battier stepped up like he was back in Cameron and made countless big shots. Luis Scola and Carl Landry saved themselves from any major rookie hazing because they played so well. Skip to my Lou?...we love you! And thank you, Rox, for giving us one more fling with Mt. Mutombo. What would we be without Dikembe Mutombo, and all his finger-wagging, Cookie monster sounding jargon which you so brilliantly tried to duplicate, but couldn't come close to matching the original.

And finally, thank you for sharing Tracy McGrady with us. After witnessing first round exit after first round exit, we wondered if he could win anything meaningful. You showed us the real T-Mac. The McGrady we saw was a winner, and gamer, and actually able to carry the load of a team on his perceived weak knees. Night after night he brought it, and showed flashes of Mike, a touch of Oscar, a hint of Magic, and topped with some Dream. One order of TMac for MVP, please.


Rockets, you showed us you're legit. First place in the loaded wild, wild west. Nothing can stop you, nothing will stop you. The only time Houston, you will be having problems is deciding when to ease your foot off the throats of your opponents. The playoffs should be a breeze. The curse is over. Tracy will advance to the second round, right? At least. So keep it up, Rockets. Lock up first place and keep on keepin on. Because 22 games is no fluke. Better than a quarter of the season, one big fat W streak. You showed us you have the heart of a champion, and you know what Rudy T. said about what not to do about those.

Forget about Timmy, Kobe, CP3 and Booze. Keep your eye on the prize, and don't lose that focus you've been displaying night in and night out. You don't want that long winning streak to be all for naught, do you? What good is all the attention and praise if you can't get your hands on the Larry O'Brien? Because nobody wants to experience the highs of an incredible, historic winning streak then falter and fall humiliatingly short of the final goal, do they, Pats?