The Weight Of The Moment

A couple of years ago I worked with former NFL Coach Herm Edwards. He wears many hats in his post-coaching life, including motivational speaker. I asked him to give me a sample, and he launched into some fiery verse on the difference between anxiety vs pressure. 

It's not completely removed from one of my favorite Malcolm Gladwell chapters about choking vs panic. And it all applies to the NCAA Basketball Tournament.

Under this intense one-and-done spotlight, anxiety, pressure, panic, and choking all come together in a cruel witch's brew. What was Georgetown's Freddie Brown thinking when he passed the ball to North Carolina's James Worthy? Why did Chris Webber call timeout when Michigan had none remaining? How did Derrick Rose miss those free throws against Kansas?

Edwards says that anxiety is good, it's how you know the game is big. The butterflies make you feel alive. But pressure makes you so afraid of failure, that you stop doing the things that instinctually put you in this lofty position in the first place.

And in this 2013 edition of March Madness, we've seen some maddening examples of players and teams buckling under the pressure. If Davidson had completed a simple outlet pass, they would have upset Marquette. If Ole Miss had gotten a timeout after La Salle's go-ahead shot, Marshall Henderson may have been able to make his own NCAA history - but not from the bench. And then there was Kansas, who felt the pressure and fell in one of the all-time March Mishaps.

It's true that Michigan's Trey Burke made one unbelievable play after another to lift Michigan to the historic win, but it never should've been up to him. Unlike what Syracuse University has done to their opponents in this tournament, Kansas allowed Michigan to get close enough to create a miraculous circumstance. And there were a number of reasons it didn't have to be that way.

Kansas was led by top-notch head coach Bill Self and senior point guard Elijah Johnson. They had gotten to this point largely because of these guys but as events unfolded, everything unraveled.

With 2:34 remaining, Kansas led 72-62. Michigan had just missed back-to-back shots, and Johnson had come down with the rebound. As a fan watching at home (and as a TV producer), I would have expected Johnson to walk it up the court while the huge Kansas fan presence gave a standing ovation for a victory that was imminent.

Inexplicably, Johnson forced his dribble into traffic and turned it over resulting in a dunk at the other end. So now the Jayhwaks were only up 8 with 2:22 left. Kansas not only failed to score, but failed to use clock, and Michigan chipped away until it was within a single prayer of a shot.

From that point on, Johnson had lost his mind. There was the key turnover, the missed free throws, the seemingly open layup he missed at the end of the OT session. But his coach wasn't much better. They actually came out of a late timeout in overtime with 6 guys on the floor.

So how do you explain all this? One and done makes you crazy, and when the game's on the line any play could be your last.

Trey Burke was a hero because there was nothing to lose. He had the anxiety, the desperation to save his team. Elijah Johnson crumbled because there was everything to lose. He only had the pressure not to blow it - which of course became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Ole Missed Again?

It was a horrible, terrible, exceptionally bad day for SEC teams with NCAA Tournament hopes. Kentucky lost. Tennessee lost. Alabama lost. But Ole Miss may have sank.

The Rebels were a 12-point favorite at Mississippi State, who had lost 13 in a row. The Bulldogs' season had been marred by suspensions and injuries, and looked to be just playing out the string - except when it came to spoiling the hopes of their hated in-state rivals.

The ragtag Bulldogs held on behind a gutty effort and a boisterous crowd, and may have finished an Ole Miss season that once looked so promising.

As of this evening, esteemed ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi had only 2 SEC teams in. Florida still has a shot at a very high seed despite the performance of their conference as a whole. And Missouri (where I was today) solidified their position with a thorough win over surging LSU.

Lunardi has Kentucky, Alabama, Tennessee, and Ole Miss on the outside looking in. There's still time to play their ways in, but time is running out. If they hadn't noticed the calendar has already flipped to March. And the Ole Miss campus may not be experiencing the madness...again. They'll just be plain mad.

Watching Out For The Horizon

Watching the Tip-Off Marathon today on ESPN, the unofficial kickoff to the college basketball season, I have a different take: Try and identify March's upstarts in November. And I already see a handful from the Horizon League, even with perennial power Butler now in the A-10.

Valparaiso went at 8 AM, they're the preseason favorite. The Crusaders torched Northern Illinois. Valpo is coached by former NBAer and March Madness legend Bryce Drew.

Detroit had St. John's on the ropes in the 2nd half in Queens behind Ray McCallum (the coach) and Ray McCallum (the point guard). The Titans made the NCAA last year as a #15, and returning a senior all-league coach-on-the-floor, they should be even better this year.

And of course last night, Youngstown State left Georgia in the dust in Athens.

Youngstown State went to D1 in hoops 30 years ago, but had never beaten a major-conference team. Until Monday when Kendrick Perry and the Penguins knocked off an SEC team on the road, by 12.

So that's three teams to watch for in a league that can play with anyone. File away for your brackets.

Backtime Official Bracket: 2010 Edition

We refer back to Backtime's Bracket rules, established last year in this forum:

1) Print it the day it's released.
2) Free your mind of any personal prejudice.
3) Grab a pen, not a pencil.
4) Fill it out in 5 minutes or less, relying solely on your instincts.

In this day and age, 3 out of 4 are easy. Item #2 is what gets everyone. How do you free your mind of personal prejudice?

Well, it's simple. Just make your alma mater (Syracuse) and the team you regularly cover (Kansas) #1 seeds. Then they'll face off in the National Semifinals and party like it's 2003 (and in the Elite Eight in '96 as well), only with the Blue team prevailing.

There, that's done. I wish this was one of those wide-open tournaments free of top-heavy super conferences, but unfortunately it isn't. I got two #1 seeds, a #2 (West Virginia), and a #3 (Baylor). Two from the Big East, two from the Big 12. And those two conferences own 6 of my Final 8.

I've got only two dark horses in the Sweet 16, #12 UTEP and #11 Minnesota, both on Syracuse's magic carpet out west.

And only one major 1st Round upset, #14 Oakland over #3 Pitt. Ironic, since Pitt's campus is located in a neighborhood called Oakland. Pitt overachieved this year, after being picked 10th in the Big East before the season, and now they get the early exit.

Kansas over West Virginia in the final for their second title in three years. Nothing exciting, sexy, or outside the box. It's where my instincts led me through the stroke of a pen on Selection Sunday. And it's official.

Backtime Bracket Alert: Meet Your Maynor

In 2007, VCU's Eric Maynor burst on the scene as a sophomore when he closed out George Mason the year after the magical Final Four run to get to the dance. Then he took the show to the next level closing out Duke, before losing to Pitt in OT.

The Senior point guard led the CAA in scoring and assists en route to his second league MVP award. And he is the ultimate closer, averaging roughly 14 of his 22 points per game in the 2nd Half. In this year's title game vs Mason, he did the closing early, assisting on the first 3 VCU hoops before sizzling for 14 points in the first 17 minutes.

I've seen Sherron Collins play all year and lead Kansas to the Big 12 Championship. The senior Maynor may be different in body type, taller and not as likely to get to the rim, but the effect is the same. Get everyone involved early. Take over late.

And he has help. A 6'9" Sophomore owned the game inside with 18 points, 20 rebounds and 7 blocks in the clincher. Word is out on The Larry Sanders Show, hey now. He is a certain NBA pick, maybe even in the Top 15, whenever he decides to leave.

You got a 1-2 combo like that and you have some March Madness history, with the McMayn Man, and you're going to be on everyone's radar. I see VCU playing in the 8-9 game, but Len Elmore called the game, and he thinks they're more of a 12. Either way, this is a dangerous team to think about in your pool. For entertainment purposes only, of course.