March Madness: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love March. March to me means two things: Iranian New Year and college basketball. I admit, being a girl, that I came late to March Madness party. My love for March Madness did not start until I was in the seventh grade. My awesome seventh grade teacher, Mr. S., made us all participate in the bracket system. Since there were so many kids in our class, we each got two teams assigned to us and we were supposed to follow their rise and fall through the tourney. That first year I was assigned Duke and some other team I don't remember. Folks, you have to remember that these were the Christian Laettner years. And, I was a 12 year old girl. Crushes ensued. I have to admit that the boy is still cute. Anyway, that's also when I became a Duke fan. It's when I got hooked on college basketball. We didn't have cable at home and it's hard to share a tv with six people in a household but in March I would not back down from the watching of basketball. I don't think my family understood my fanaticism, espcially since I am a really crappy basketball player.

When I got into high school my love for Duke and Laettner didn't diminish. I still remember watching that awesome Duke-Kentucky match up (Sorry to bring up old wounds, Ryle). That crazy Laettner shot that no one thought would go in. And then, it did. I was babysitting that night and the kids were all asleep but I yelled so loudly that they woke up. And my love for Duke just increased.

I've been mocked for my Duke love by most guys who know me. In fact, and please don't hurl insults my way, Andrew, I was rooting for Duke when they lost to Indiana. Even after I had sent in my acceptance letter to IU. But then something changed.

Finally, I was able to attend a school with a real college basketball program. I was able to know who the players were. Hell, I even saw some of them in the library. I was able to get season tickets to see basketball games. I was able to sit under the basket and yell and cheer. It was glorious. I miss going to those games. I need to get tickets for a game next year; preferably a game where we play and beat Illinois. Who wants to meet up in B'ton? B-Mart, it seems fitting that you should join me.

After attending IU, I can say that my Duke love is quite diminished. In past years, Duke would have been in my Final Four no matter what. That's how blind my love was but now I realize that I was wrong. Duke will always hold a special little corner of my heart since it's due to Duke and Coach K that I began my March Madness love but now that first true love has been supplanted by a deep and abidding love for my Hoosiers.

This year I am in two pools. Which seemed like a way to make up for not being able to participate at all last year since I was so frakking sick. I am in the GMYH pool, where I am doing pretty well and holding my own. I am also in my annual Redden pool; where my only goal is to beat DiRRty. I made different choices in each pool and right now if I had combined the two I would be dominating both pools. However, I am not. But it's still only round one. And I am along for the ride.

I hope you all are enjoying yourselves some college basketball goodness.