MIDNIGHT IN THE MARCH OF MADNESS

(AP Photo Elise Amendola)

I guess there is a reason for why it is called March Madness.  Based on just the opening day, I don't know where to begin.

Perhaps starting with the obvious: the Big East took a big blow today with three of four teams in action packing their bags and heading home. The next time they lace 'em up will be in October when "Midnight Madness" begins.  Well, midnight, in a way, sort of struck for Georgetown, Marquette, Notre Dame and if not for a missed free thrown, Villanova's bus would have been heading back to Philadelphia.

But the Wildcats pulled it out, just as good teams do when they have the opening and made some key shots in the overtime period and withstood a very, very strong effort by Robert Morris to advance to the next round.

Washington over Marquette was not as big as a surprise as the Huskies were the conference champs of the Pac-10, a conference that took some abuse nationally for poor teams this year.  But sometimes the "experts" have little facts seeing how most of the West Coast games are on after the midnight hour and mostly on regional television.

But Old Dominion over Notre Dame?  Ohio, not to be mistaken with Ohio State, downing Georgetown by putting up the most points against a Hoya team in the NCAA tournament in 70 GAMES !


Now I for one am a big fan of the Big East, and absolutely love the conference championship at Madison Square Garden. But has the tournament taken too much out of the sails of this behemoth of a conference?  Are teams tired of beating each other up and end up starting slow, playing down to their opponents?

Maybe.

But I don't want to take anything away from the Ohio's and Old Dominion's of the world. They played great, made the big shots, played tough defense, and deserved to win.  They wanted it more.

Call it an upset if you will.  I think most will call it Madness.