Did Villanova Ruin Men's College Basketball? DISCUSS
The thing that really separates March Madness from everything else is the drama. The sense that anything can happen during any game. That no game is over until it’s actually over. The buzzer beaters. The upsets. It’s what this thing called sports is all about. But this year we had that excitement ripped away from us by the hands of the Villanova Wildcats. And I, for one, am wondering if Villanova should be charged with the murder of men’s college basketball.
Just look at their scores from this tournament.
- They beat Radford 87-61 in the first round. That’s a 26-point victory.
- Next up they beat Alabama 81-58. For those of you who aren’t so good at math, that’s a 23-point win.
- In the Sweet 16, they beat up on West Virginia 90-78. Another double digit victory.
- Then it was a 71-59 win over Texas Tech in the Elite Eight. Not the best offensive performance but still a 12-point win.
- Nova took down Kansas 95-79 in the Final Four to take a 16-point win into the championship game.
- And then last night they won their 2nd National Championship in 3 years by beating Michigan 79-62. A 17-point win in the final game of the season.
As you can see, none of these came down to the wire. None of these games saw the #1 seed get upset in the month of March. None of these games were even decided by a single-digit amount of points. What’s the point of even watching the tournament if we already know who is going to win before the game even tips off?
Am I saying that Villanova is destroying the game by taking all of the competition out of it? No I am not. But I’m also not saying that they’re not doing any of that. Hell, even the women’s tournament saw the best team in the nation go down. If there was as much parity in men’s college basketball as there is in women’s, then I think everybody would be happy. But for the time being, there just isn’t. And I don’t know who is to blame. Is it Jay Wright for being too good at recruiting? Is it every other coach in the nation for not trying hard enough to get guys who can at least keep a game against Nova close? Is it the fact that Philly is on an absolute tear right now and any team who is from anywhere in the Greater Philadelphia Area is just destined for greatness? I don’t know. I really don’t.
All I do know is that it’s time for you to buy a shirt. Get them now while you still can.