The beauty of the NCAA Tournament, and what helps separate it from the College Football Playoff, is that big dogs share the stage with underdogs.
If the CFP offers the same six or seven schools every season, with a few strays tossed in now that the format has jumped from four to 12 teams, the 68-team NCAA Tournament opens the door for “others.”
Yale upended Auburn last March. Oakland shocked Kentucky. Grand Canyon and James Madison also pulled first-round upsets. Cinderellas rarely reach the Final Four – only four longshots seeded 11th or higher have reached the national semifinals since 2000 – but that doesn’t diminish the march through basketball madness. (Note: The women’s tournament features less depth; no school outside the top 10 has made the Final Four since the tourney began in 1982).
Underdogs seldom do a ton of damage in the tournament, with chalk usually prevailing. But when it happens, Americans enjoy watching Jack slay the giant.
Sadly, it’s going to be happening less and less. Among the unintended consequences of the transfer portal, basketball’s Goliaths will be even harder to topple. For the first time since the tournament expanded in 1975, no mid-majors made the Sweet 16, largely because the Dukes and Kentuckys are destination schools with deep pockets that can pluck the best players from “feeder” schools.
Seven of the 15 players named to the Associated Press All-America team began their careers at mid-majors. Not too long ago some of them would have turned heads as smaller-school stars of the Big Dance. Now they make headlines at a higher level. Good for them. But not so good for their former programs.
It’s only mildly surprising that next week’s Final Four features all No. 1 seeds for the first time since 2008. But it’s not distressing. As much as underdogs tug at the heart, at the end of the day, fans want to watch a heavyweight fight. Florida vs. Auburn and Duke vs. Houston should provide that.
The issue is not the Final Four but the prior 2 ½ weeks. Only six lower seeds defeated higher seeds in the first round, and none of the winners was worse than a 12 seed. The biggest upset in the second round belonged to Arkansas over St. John’s, but the Razorbacks hardly can be considered a Cinderella. Favorites then went 12-0 in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
The court will tilt even more toward big-school dominance when revenue sharing kicks in next season and the haves further outspend the have-nots.
The NCAA Tournament remains a spectacle not to be missed, but this year it lacked the Cinderella upset that sets it apart from football. Unfortunately, the glass slipper no longer fits.
March Madness exposes cracks in Ohio State men’s basketball
Watching the NCAA Tournament, especially from the Sweet 16 onward, revealed that OSU men’s basketball needs to improve in bunches if the program is to become relevant in mid-to-late March.
The Buckeyes, who missed the tournament for the third consecutive season, simply are not in the same class as the teams I saw on the floor the past two weeks. Their lack of size down low was further exposed after watching talented big men with touch impact the first round through Elite Eight. And OSU’s overall length is limited compared to teams from the Southeastern Conference and Big 12.
You could not possibly watch the Big Dance and not think the Buckeyes have two left feet.
Ohio State spring showcase will include game format
Good news: Ohio State’s April 12 Spring Showcase in Ohio Stadium will include a game format. When OSU first announced that the annual spring game would be rebranded a showcase, my concern was that the many fans who never get to watch an actual game in the fall would be disappointed.
Buy Ohio State books, posters, gear from CFP title win
But Ryan Day said Monday there will be an actual game-type format, along with other activities. Crisis averted.
Listening in
“We believe Justin is the starter. We believe in Justin. We believe we can win with Justin, so we’re excited about Justin.” – New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey, on the status of former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract with the Jets.
Off-topic
A group chat among friends broke out Sunday night when the tornado sirens began blaring in my neighborhood. The discussion topic was whether you head to the basement during tornado warnings. I enjoy checking out the skies when bad weather rolls in, so it’s a tug-of-war with my wife over how quickly we head below. I usually lose, which she reminds me is better than losing my life. Probably why women live longer than men.
Sports columnist Rob Oller can be reached at roller@dispatch.com and on X.com at @rollerCD
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