Before Thursday afternoon, I’d never heard of the University of Northern Iowa. If you’d asked me, I’d have told you I thought it would be a rather sorry place to go to school.
Now, I’m a huge fan.
Ali Farokhmanesh just might be my new favorite college hoops player. His 3-point shot destroyed over 50 percent of the brackets out there. Even President Barack Obama’s.
That’s the great thing about March Madness—chaos. Last year’s tourney saw all four No. 1 seeds advancing to the final four for the first time in the history of the Big Dance. Boring. Now? Well, we’ve got a number-12 seed going to the sweet 16.
Cornell is the first Ivy since Princeton’s final-four run in 1979 to make it to the second weekend of the tournament, and though the analysts are quickly jumping on the Big Red bandwagon, you can still hear a bit of astonishment in their voices when they take a look at Cornell’s two double-digit wins this past weekend.
It’s why even the most casual of fans can get into college basketball come March. Because suddenly it’s not about pedigrees or records—it’s about who matches up best in those two hours.
Upsets and close calls rule the tournament, especially this year, when the first day saw three overtimes. Cinderella stories make the tournament fun. It was Davidson’s run two years ago that inspired the nation, and this year it seems three teams are trying the slipper on for size.
Farokhmanesh sunk two game-winning threes in the final seconds of both of the Panthers’ wins, but Mickey McConnell’s 25-footer to put Villanova away shocked the nation, too. And Cornell’s path of destruction to the Sweet 16 has some people scratching their heads.
The media are loving it. There’s nothing better than a Cinderella story.
Like how Cornell showed up to the Jacksonville arena early only to find out that they couldn’t warm up with basketballs until 57 minutes before tip-off. With plenty of time to kill, the team fashioned a ball out of paper, about three inches in diameter, and spent the time making fake layups, 3-point shots, and passes.
These teams also aren’t as coached in dealing with the press. As an Ivy League reporter, I can testify that the average number of reporters at a press conference doesn’t usually exceed the number of fingers on both hands. Now, the entire nation wants to know what was going through their heads.
St. Mary’s players whispered to each other in the press conference after their victory over No. 2 seed ’Nova, interrupted each other, and said things like, “Best win ever. Ever.”
Cornell’s Louis Dale snuck a “Friday Night Lights” quote into his post-game comments, on a dare from his teammates.
On an ESPN broadcast, Farokhmanesh was asked if he had any nicknames, and the senior just shrugged and said most people call him Ali. Not “Money” or “Neon Deion” or “Sexy Dexy” or “Ice” or anything else. People just call him by his first name, Ali.
It’s refreshing to hear these teams talk about the long road, the four years of effort they put in to get to this point. There aren’t many one-and-dones that go to Northern Iowa, St. Mary’s, or Cornell.
These are players that, in all likelihood, will not make the NBA. They will probably be the students in the commercials sponsored by the NCAA—going pro in something other than sports. That’s what makes their runs so exciting.
St. Mary’s faces No. 3 seed Baylor, Northern Iowa will play No. 5 seed Michigan State, and Cornell tips off against top seed Kentucky. The chances of each team advancing to the next round are slim. But then again, so were their chances at the outset.
That’s the thing about March. It’s madness.
Holly MacDonald is a Barnard College senior majoring in history and English.
sportseditors@columbiaspectator.com
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