March Madness and Two Teams

I can say it right away, i am a big basketball fan. I used to be a big NBA fan, but now i just love NCAA much more. Reasons are simple – NCAA is just pure basketball. I believe NBA is just a show. More concentrated on the highlights than on the actuall sportsmanship. Effects instead of effectivity. Dunks  instead of the standings and scores. But that’s a different story.

Right here i would like to share my opinion on the two teams I’m gonna cheer for. I’m gonna say why i find them adorable.

First of them is Butler, the last years vice-champion. I was cheering for them last year, when they came into the tournament out of a perfect season without a loss. They went through the tough matches where they were underdogs mostly. They won their matches with meticulous defense. They made it into the finals and almost shocked the nation. I myself consider them champions in a way. Now this season they were not ranked. They were nowhere near perfect on the season. They had to win their conference and they did. They lost Heyward to the NBA. Huge loss felt on the offense especially. They had to plug the hole and adapt. I like what they did. Matt Howard a senior on the Butler team is in the risk of becoming NBA player as well. He certainly developed to a complex player with a range of offensive abilities and a very good defensive ability along with rebounding skills. On offense he is a threat behind the arc, but can drive the ball also. Ronald Nored is the hard and soul of the Bulldogs. He is a player who is responsible for a large part of their meticulous defense. He may not be a good offensive player, but he is a excellent defender and plays with the heart and soul. Shelvin Mack is a good ball handler and a dangerous shooter. Butler is however not about individual players, but about the team effort. Especially on the defensive end. One of my friends said. that if Butler is able to hold his opponent to 60 points, they usually get the win. I must agree. This is what their game is all about. And i like it!

Believe it or not the second team are Bulldogs also. Gonzaga Bulldogs. Now they are very attractive to me mainly for one reason. David Stockton. Now he is the son of a NBA player, whom i respect most in every way. I believe John Stockton was by far the most genuine player in the NBA a great player and intriguing personality. I believe a lot is expected from David, as a freshman. He must be under a lot of pressure. I saw a couple of games the Zags played and i must say he delivered well for them. I’m happy to see that and hope that after a generation, there will be a Stockton in the NBA again. I cant help but mention the name Robert Sacre, the 7 foot center, whom i believe to be amazing as well.

Now it may look that i mentioned just a couple of names. But it goes deeper than that. Basketball is a team sport. I cant help to be amazed at the young Butler coach. I find him heavily charismatic. His decision to stay with the dawgs shocked me. He could have been paid much more elsewhere. The teams are simply complex and working well. I hope they achieve more than they themselves dare to dream.