Just a few weeks ago the national media descended on Memphis to market what was the highest ranked regular season basketball game of the year. The media machine was in full force, and Tennessee and Memphis did not disappoint. If only for one night Tennessee (of all places in these United States) was the center of the basketball universe. Now one question remains. What were the members of the NCAA selection committee watching when all this was going on?
Given the recent seeding handed down to the Tennessee men’s basketball team, there are a lot of you out there looking for answers. I have a few theories about that. In their haste to catch up on new network television, it is safe to assume that basketball was the last thing on the minds of the men behind the brackets. Here are some of my guesses as to what may have been on the tube in the residences in question. Maybe they were watching:
– The Taylor Hicks Story. Synopsis: The Soul Patrol reunites for one night to celebrate the underdog legend that brought America together with his watered down version of the blues and his nervous ticks.
– Wizard of Oz II The Wizard Strikes Back. Synopsis: Tired of being the man behind the curtain, and eager to exert his will on the “final four” adventurers the Wizard sets out to exterminate Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and the Scarecrow. Oddly enough the entire film is set in Kansas.
– Caddyshack III. Synopsis: After taking a few lumps in the first two installments of the Caddyshack series, the country clubbers strike back with a vengeance, proving once again that there is no room for non-members in their world of high society.
– American Express, State Farm and Me. Synopsis: This is the authorized biography of Mike Krzyzewski. It tells the story of his early coaching days with Bob Knight, gives the true pronunciation of his last name.
Please keep in mind that this is all speculation. I understand that there are several on the selection committee that may have been watching Nick at Night or perhaps some of MTV’s finer offerings. One thing for sure, they were not concerned with what was happening in Memphis on that particular Saturday.
For a team that put everything on the line by playing a torturous out of conference schedule, UT was not rewarded for their effort. Regardless of what the men behind the curtain were watching, if UT makes a deep tournament run this year, Bruce and company’s accomplishments will never again be ignored.
Now this UT basketball team needs to focus on the business at hand. It is time to put that giant chip on our shoulder and march through the field of sixty-four with the men in orange. When the dust settles, perhaps next year the selection committee will have a new film to watch. It will be titled Mr. Smith Goes To San Antonio. Final Four here we come. Go Vols!