When I look at the schedule of the Sweet 16, only one game really sticks out to me. Only one game on the schedule for tonight has so much at stake and could prove so much to basketball fans around the globe. Only one is worth watching above all its competitors. That game is Cornell versus Kentucky in the Carrier Dome, home of the Syracuse Orange. However, not surprisingly, it is not the Orange-Bulldogs matchup earlier in the night that should be watched, but the Big Red-Wildcats pairing instead.
Why, you ask? Well, there are so many storylines that go along with the game. They actually make the game more than a game, like every potentially great sporting event. It is not only Cornell versus Kentucky. It is also an Ivy League school versus a big-time basketball school. It is an ultimate underdog versus an ultimate favorite. It is an experienced, solid team versus a young, flashy team. It is an ultimate team versus a collection of individual stars. It is the four-year student-athlete versus the one-and-done pro-bound player. So, it is also the college game versus the NBA game in a way. Going deeper and deeper, it is a white-dominated team versus a team with mostly black players. It is a contrast of race. It is the hard-working high school student who also plays basketball versus the highly-touted AAU star who lives for the game. Catch my drift? I could go on and on about the contrasting styles exhibited by these two teams. They are complete opposites in every way possible, starting from the head coaches to the star players to the actual schools in question.
However, the only way this game will ever be remembered ten years from now for all of these storylines and contrasts and intrigue is if Cornell wins. If the Big Red somehow upset the Wildcats, it will propel the team into the history books. Then, all of these storylines can continue to be discussed ten years from now and fifty years from now. If the Wildcats win, as they are favored to do, then this game will fall under the what-if category, leaving us all wondering what could have been. It will just be another favorite restoring parity in the NCAA tournament. So, it is up to either the Cornell Big Red to win the game or the Kentucky Wildcats to choke the game away if we are to continue talking and analyzing from afar.
What is my opinion? Well, I am just going to let the game do the talking from this point on. At around midnight, we will all know whether it was worth even talking about this matchup before the game. It will all be decided on the court at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse. But, do not get me wrong. I will be rooting for the underdog to take down Goliath. For tonight at least, Cornell is my team. Why? Well, let’s just say that I want March Madness to become even a little bit madder.
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