Are You Serious?!?
November 20th, 2007 by Colin DwyerIn honor of everyone’s favorite college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale, our senior college basketball writer, Colin Dwyer, will be chronicling the “are you serious?!?” moments of the 2007-2008 basketball season.
Dick Vitale and his unforgettable enthusiasm.
Gardner – Webb went into Rupp Arena, shot 53% from the floor, embarrassed the ‘Cats into a 35% field goal percentage, and pushed around the most successful college basketball program in NCAA history for 40 minutes, coming away with a 84 – 68 dubya.
Mercer went ahead and spoiled O.J. Mayo’s debut by thumping the Trojans in USC by 15. The Bears forced Mayo into 8 turnovers, 4 fouls, and very mediocre 42% from the floor.
How ‘bout the tourney regulars from Belmont? Knock off Cincy (on the road, obviously)? No problem. Then you’ve got the Bear”k”ats (yeah, that’s a “k”) from Sam Houston State pullin’ off the upset at Texas Tech and making Bobby Knight’s face turn yet another shade of red. Of course, there was the North Texas Mean Green makin’ Oklahoma State look like their…well, you know.
Why is it that mid–majors have the coolest nicknames while the major conferences are so boring? Kentucky Wildcats. UConn Huskies. UCLA Bruins. Yawn. I’d rather root for the Stetson Hatters or the “Tribe” of William & Mary any day of the week.
All of these upsets were topped off by the stunner Siena College pulled off in front of 6,200+ screaming Saints fans Saturday night. After attending the game, my buddies Tex, Gaff and I shuffled down to the hole–in–the wall bar across the street, drank our faces off, and were convinced Siena was goin’ to the sweet 16.
If Dicky V had been calling the Davidson/North Carolina game, there’s a 67% chance two things would have happened: 1) Dicky V would need an oxygen tank halfway through the 2nd half and 2) he may create the single greatest word of all time, “superschintillatingsensationalamazing,” after watching Stephen Curry and Tyler Hansbrough butt heads. Speaking of awesome broadcasters, why are Dicky V and Gus Johnson not broadcasting games together? This is such a slam-dunk. They could have been calling the New England Revolution/Houston Dynamo MLS final on Sunday and I would have watched every second.
What does all of this mean? Simple. It means College Basketball is back, and Cinderella is ready to get her party on. Seriously, you can almost feel March Madness…and it’s only November. We’re in for a season long symphony of Dickie V’s raspy, hoarse voice calling out, “ARE YOU SERIOUS AMERICA???” We’re in for Gus Johnson having multiple heart attacks during the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Tournament. We’re in for college kids storming courts, and for the most insane season in all of sports to get rollin’.
