It was “A” Classic ….. not necessarily “THE” Classic. In the wake of every Classic there is a tendency to declare it THE Classic. National Championship games should be Classics. This one was…. others have been, and others will be.
The final few seconds were High Drama. Exactly how a National Championship “for all the marbles” should be.
I thought of UNC Baseball’s first trip to Omaha in the modern era – 2006 – and a heart-breaking Championship loss to Orego
n State on a fluke play…. and my comment at that time – “God Loves Beavers Too”. ….. Obviously “God Loves Wildcats Too….” ….. I’m not so sure God loves Tar Heels these days for a whole host of well-documented reasons both sports and otherwise.
Before “God” was formally declared politically incorrect in America (especially on college campuses) every fan base felt He was “on their side” and would guide their destiny. I think Villanova is still very Catholic so maybe He was a Wildcat on this night ?
“every buzzer-beater beats somebody….”
Hard to say who was more excited as the confetti reigned down at the buzzer ….. Villanova fans…. or ABCers. My Twitter feed indicated the latter but I don’t “follow” anyone connected to Villanova. If ‘Nova faithful were as happy as the ABC gang then Euphoria Reigns in The City of Brotherly Love, Cheesesteaks, Rocky, and The Liberty Bell.
Because of “Roy Being Roy” and TGU in general, there was a consensus of national sportswriters and cultural pundits that Villanova would be the sentimental choice – a/k/a “the good guys” versus “the serial cheaters”. If that was indeed the case, and I expect it was, then the average casual fan in fly-over America who has no clue where Villanova is is happy…. and now ready to watch The Masters and Baseball.
As I noted a week or so ago, as I started paying closer attention to this UNC team over the past month, I grew to like “the players”. They (the players) all seem like “good kids” and I like “good kids”. The Villanova players seem like “good kids” too. That neither roster featured “One & Dones” was, IMO, “a very good thing”. Villanova was led by a “gym rat” white kid who appears to be a “throwback” to a bygon
e era. I liked that.
The hovering stench of TGU notwithstanding, both Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson and their mates were, for me, easy to “pull for”. I’m glad it was Marcus Paige that led the dramatic comeback in the final minute. Will his OMG off-balance “3” be lost and forgotten by
what happened next? Sports is very cruel that way. Sports is very cruel in a lot of ways…..
Thrill of Victory ….. Agony of Defeat. In order for there to be a Winner there has to be a Loser. To fully appreciate “being the victor” one must look over at “the vanquished” and realize “there but for Fortune / Fate go I”. Heart-broken college kids and goggle-eyed spittle-spewing board monkeys are incapable of such insight. They prefer to blame referees and all sorts of other ridiculous excuses to mask the reality of “we just got beat”. College kids hopefully grow out of such immaturity. Board monkeys will not…. they are doomed to roast for eternity in the Third Level of Hell.
It’s no secret (duh!) that I find Roy Williams to be insufferable and as delusional and unsympathetic as I find the average beady-eyed Carolina Way Holocaust-denier. The combo of Insufferable Roy, TGU, and the Holocaust-deniers is the #1 Reason I was able to watch this game with no emotional attachment to either team. I am, however, grateful for the juicy column fodder that both Roy and TGU have provided me.
No, I was NOT “hoping UNC would lose”…. I simply didn’t care if they did. The litmus test that my lingering estrangement from my Alma Mater is complete.
I don’t know much about Philadelphia. I once had to drive across the Walt Whitman Bridge at rush hour in a driving rainstorm. That left me with a negative opinion of “Philly”. I know Villanova is one of the 4-5 basketball-playing schools in/around Philadelphia but I have no visual concept of “it”. I’ve never known anyone who went there.
Urban private schools “in the Northeast” are a genre I don’t know much about. I don’t read about Villanova students doing the “stoopid whiney snowflake crap” we always read about going on at UNC and Duke. Actually we don’t read about “that” happening at NC State either. Watch for an upcoming incredibly insightful column about “that fact”. I prefer colleges that are run by “responsible adults” and not by whiney snot-nosed junior anarchists and ideologues. I digress…..
Jay Wright seems to be a very fine fellow who has been loyal to his employer and they to him. I’m sure Villanova’s rival fans hate him and spew all sorts of nasty crap about him …. yawn. I’m sure he is now on “the short list” for every “sleeping giant” who has grown tired of their current coach…. and of every NBA team not named Golden State. Jay Wright obviously is a very fine BB coach who knows the “type of kid” that he wants for his system…. and that system has been consistently successful for quite some time. I hope Jay Wright really is as “good a guy” as he seems to be. Being on a stage with Roy, it’s easy to come across as “the likable one”.
Winners tell jokes… have parades and get rings…..
Losers blame refs… piss and moan and claim “we wuz robbed”.
What’s next? I haven’t seen that Roy did/said anything “Roy-ic” after the game. Hopefully we will all be spared any more “Roy” for awhile. Yes…. I CAN come up with column material if that is the case.
ForTheRecord: Marcus Paige handled his “after a heart-breaking loss” press conference A WHOLE BETTER than CAM did. I’m just sayin’.
The hovering stench of TGU continues to hover…. and hover….. and hover. Maybe it will be resolved “soon” but I don’t think so.
It WAS “A Classic”. Not The Classic, but A Classic nonetheless. I like “Classics”.
As good as Game Six of the 2011 World Series?….. not quite, but “on the short list”.
###
Don’t Miss Art Chansky’s Thoughts too …. LINK!
