Isn’t this cute? Cornell doesn’t think so. To them, it’s shallow and pedantic.
In a tournament that seems to go balls out one day, then take a day off, it’s understandable to think that something crazy will happen. And crazy stuff did. Powerhouses fell, underdogs rose to the top of the pile and shouted from the mountaintop and enjoyed their day, multiple times. But that’s why the tournament is exciting, the triumph of small over large against huge odds. But this is getting ridiculous.
As the first weekend of the NCAA tournament closed, fans of more than a few storied programs were left stunned and tearing apart their brackets with their teeth. Jayhawks were shocked, Hoyas were halted and Commodores were…well they lost too. But the #1 seed who made the most convincing statement was clearly our beloved Cats, posting two 30-point wins and firing on all cylinders. But the dark horse comes riding from the north, carrying the hopes of Ivy Leaguers and Jay Bilas alike. The basketball analyst picked this match-up to occur and worse yet, picked Cornell to win. Yes, they deserve praise for getting this far, but let’s look at the reality of the situation: UK is on a roll, and Cornell is from the Ivy League. Yes, they do have some goods wins this tournament (Temple, Wisconsin) but it isn’t as impressive as you think; beyond the top few teams in the conference, Big10 basketball is lackluster. Wisconsin did carry a#22 RPI, which is decent, but they’re still in the Big10. When you can beat up on the likes of Penn State, Northwestern, and Indiana, you can’t say the bottom half of the conference is anything to be impressed by.
Cornell is a very trendy pick, they have loads of experience and can execute a gameplan like no other, but let’s be honest, they’re still Ivy League. I’m not going to talk about game IQ versus raw talent , as I feel it’s unfairly stereotyping and lightly denigrating to our players, but i will mention potential. Both teams by this point are reaching their full potential and playing as well as they are going to play, but are the players? For Cornell? Yes. Kentucky? No. Patrick Patterson only scored 4 points last game, matching all non-Orton bench players in the game (Orton had 6). There is room for improvement, and regardless of how the pundits think Cornell is going to “throw us off our game”, it only means someone else will pick up the slack. That’s what’s nice about watching a team this good, there’s always something to fall back on.
So as much as it is hip to call this one on your now tattered remains of a bracket, don’t sell on the Cats yet. They haven’t even hit that next gear, and when they do, it will be deadly.
Oh, and by the way, it’s not funny to call them the Fightin’ Andy Bernards anymore. I get it, believe me, everyone has seen The Office. If you see me and say it, I will give you a dose of Seton Hall nut-punching justice.
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