This year’s NCAA Tourney is off to a slow, forgettable start.  Calling in all the mid majors: can we please get an upset people?

SCOTT JACOBS

What was that?

No upsets (sorry, 10. Maryland over 7. Cal doesn’t count). No number on

e was ever even threatened.  They said this tournament was top heavy going in, and so far it’s holding form.  With the exception of the Terps, and 9. Texas A&M knocking out BYU (again!) there have been no monumental takeouts, not even a blip on the underpants of society.

Everyone left work for this?

They say today is one of the most unproductive days of the work year, but the only people cheering today are the predictables, the ones afraid to go for a jaw dropping upset, and instead keeping their cards close to their chest.  The ones who put in four one seeds in the Final Four, not because they’re brilliant, but because they’re gutless.

Well, I’ve got news for them, and the rest of the country: the NCAA Tournament is so big not because of high seeds constantly prevailing, but because the little guys sometimes get their chance to crash the party.  It’s about Bryce Drew and Valparaiso.  It’s about Stephen Curry and Davidson.  Sure, the higher seeded teams prevailing means that the matchups will be arguably better, but what separates the NCAA Tourney from most other sporting events, is that anything can happen.  That anything includes the likes of George Mason in 2006 and Villanova in 1985.

We remember the great title games, and its inevitable that the highest ranked teams will end up competing for a championship,  but its that rare time when a 13 seed, or a 14 breaks through and does some damage that ultimately makes the NCAA Tourney must see-tv each March.

Don’t get me wrong.  Watching all number one seeds compete in the Final Four was exciting, and they played some great games, but wouldn’t it have been more interesting to see a team like Davidson and Curry take their act to the Final Four to compete with the big dogs?

So tonight, can we at least get a scare.  Memphis didn’t get scared by Cal State Northridge today.  They just got woken up.  Duke was scared last year against 15. Belmont in a wild 71-70 Dukies escape.  That’s what I want to see.  These little schools get so few opportunities to compete on the same level as the NCAA’s elite, and it’d be nice to see a few dazzling upsets, at least a few buzzer beaters somebody!

So even though Northern Iowa put up a nice fight (I had them in the Sweet 16, whoops!) it never felt like they were going to beat Purdue. Butler-LSU was entertaining, but c’mon!  Where’s the overtimes, the crazy improbable bench player stepping up and becoming a house hold name over night?  Am I jumping the gun just a 1/4 of the games through?  Yes!  But I say it in quiet desperation that this tourney will heat up.

Tampa anyone?

Okay, so that probably won’t happen again, where a 12 and a 13 face off, but that’s what makes the tourney glorious.  I remember picking San Diego to beat UConn last year, on just sheer gut, and hope that the little team from the WAC could make some magic happen.  And they did!  They beat UConn.  And it was great theater, such an entertaining game.

Yes, North Carolina, Louisville, Pitt, Memphis, pick a name out of the top 10 and one of those teams will likely be crowned champs.  But it’s so much more fun, when the little guy has their day.  So here’s to Cinderella.  You left your right slipper at my place.  Pick it up before midnight.  There’s still lots of dancing left to do!

By the way: what’s up with the generic court designs for every site?  Let each site stick out, and let them do what they want.  The courts are starting to be as predictable as the teams.

Photo: Feature from Getty Image
Photo: Getty Images

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