Wow! Who knew, when we started this blog just under a month ago, that the Shockers would come this far, knocking off major conference titans Seton Hall and Tennessee ... with extreme prejudice!
For those of us who were already on the bandwagon, I have to say, it feels like a validation of what we've been saying all along. The rest of the so-called "experts" may have counted out Paul Miller, Sean Ogirri, and P.J. Couisnard, but we never lost faith.
Coach Mark Turgeon is the only current Shocker to have been to the Sweet 16 before, in 1986 as a member of some major-conference school whose name escapes us at the moment.
Not since the days of Xavier McDaniel and Antoine "Big Dog" Carr have the Shockers made noise at the Big Dance. As the song goes, "What a long, strange trip it's been!"
I can't believe you're okay with making a Grateful Dead reference on this blog--I thought I knew you. . . .
ReplyDeleteMy favorite story of the day is the Candace Parker one, but I've been told in the past that I favor highlight plays too much . . . whatever.
The Shockers. The best basketball team in Kansas. Good God. My pool entry- still alive, thanks to my selection of Texas as the eventual champion. In this topsy turvy world who can say what is right and wrong. with that in mind, I picked Texas- my arch nemesis- to win it all, giving W his Texas "freedom sports" tri-fecta. No commie ball included, but with Basketball, football and baseball, who is to say that TEXAS is not undeniably the greatest sports state EVER!
ReplyDeleteI see there's no groundswell for turning this into a Wichita St. blog (or pretending it was one all along), so I'll drop it.
ReplyDeleteIP, I don't care for Texas either, but you can bet I'll be pulling for them against Duke should that rematch occur.
A&M didn't do so poorly, either. Maybe we can at least steal Darrell Arthur away from the Texans ...
I'm just trying to dwell on the positive. As my favorite songwriter once put it, "I will ... get by. I will survive."
I picked the Shock in my bracket, but it's pretty cool that they or George Mason will get a crack at the final 4 (albeit against UCONN).
ReplyDeleteYancy summed up my attitude about the KU loss best, that it stings a little less when I've still got 1 team in it. This happened the last time that KU and Memphis were set to meet each other in the 2nd round in 2003, when Memphis as the #7 seed pulled the choke job against #10 Arizona St. and Ike Diogu. KU almost lost that day too against Utah St, but pulled it out to salvage what would've been the worst sports day ever for me.
I rooted for Bradley in the last round against Pitt, but now that they are up against my Tigers, I hope they get what's coming to them and get my sweet revenge.
Oddly, Bradley and Memphis played each other in the 1957 NIT Finals, when that tourney still mattered a lot. They beat us 84-83. Not this time.