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With the end of the college basketball season, it’s time for a few reflections on March Madness and all that surrounds it.
One not so shining moment
What was, overall, a decent NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship will be remembered for the final sequence in the title game. The end, with Houston unable to put up a potential game-winning shot against Florida, is what will standout years from now.
Where did the mayhem go?
March Madness will also be remembered for the lack of madness, with little drama and the lack of Cinderella success.
The schools from the non-power conferences have become feeder systems for the big boys, who pluck away the best players, like Donovan Dent, from the New Mexico’s of the world.
Some have suggested players should only be allowed in the transfer portal twice. Something to consider. It might bring some order while allowing athletes to still make NIL money.
Now, what can be done about the out-of-control coaching carousal?
Richard Pitino
While it was disappointing to see Richard Pitino leave New Mexico for Xavier, it came as no surprise.
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The move seemed to be in the cards the last couple of seasons. After all, Pitino did a really good job. Still, it would be refreshing to hear a departing coach say, “I’m leaving for more money and prestige.”
While Pitino said, “getting back to the East was appealing,” let’s be clear; Ohio is not exactly on the East Coast.
Eric Olen, who?
UNM’s hire of Eric Olen to replace Pitino isn’t glamorous but it might be sneaky good.
Olen orchestrates a style that fans will like. The 44 year old is relatively young, but with experience. Olen was extremely loyal to UC San Diego, 21 years in the program.
Ultimately, Lobo fans want to know how loyal he will be to UNM. Yes, a five-year, $6.5 million contract might buy some allegiance, but it’s not enough to keep a successful coach from having a wandering eye.
The last laugh
As the UNM coaching merry-go-round rotates, I thought back to what might have been.
When the Lobos were looking for a coach after Dave Bliss left in 1999, a high-level UNM administrator told me that Bill Self begged to interview for the job. The administrator laughed at the idea, implying that Self’s pedigree wasn’t UNM worthy.
At that time, Self was at the University of Tulsa. Self eventually landed at Kansas, on his way to a Hall of Fame career and two national titles. Who’s laughing now?
Bracket busted
My NCAA bracket was off to a great start, until the New Mexico-Marquette game.
Yep, I picked against the Lobos. Shame on me. Things pretty much fell apart after that.
Knee-jerk reaction
The NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship had the air sucked out of it nearly from the start with a knee injury, but it rallied with a player’s previous knee injury part of an uplifting ending.
USC’s JuJu Watkins, National Player of the Year, tore an ACL in the second round and will likely miss next season. It was heartbreaking, leaving a touch of sadness hanging over the rest of the tournament.
However, Watkins can take heart in the performance of Paige Buekers, who willed UConn to the national title.
Buekers had an ACL injury of her own in 2022 but stormed back to become a hoop legend and the number one pick in the recent WNBA draft.
What a break during spring break
Whether it was coincidence or planned, the scheduling of spring break during the first week of March Madness by Los Lunas Schools and Belen Consolidated Schools was epic!
Students and teachers watched the games without having a dark cloud of homework or class preparation floating above.
TV old school
Speaking of watching March Madness on television ... it used to be a pain in the patootie.
The telecasts were exclusively on CBS, so we were stuck watching the one game assigned to our TV market. If you did get lucky enough to be assigned your favorite team, CBS might switch away to a more “competitive” game.
These days, with TNT, TBS and truTV also in the mix, viewers can just flip around.
Besides, we get analysis from Charles Barkley and company.
After further review, hurry up
We all want college basketball officials to make the correct calls, especially near the end of a game.
Still, does going to the video monitor for review have to take so long? Please, figure out a way to speed up the process.
With players standing around, and coaches using it as a timeout, one team likely benefits more than the other during these breaks in the action.
