Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
I believe I've found the one underhyped thing in all of college basketball -- the annual North Carolina - Kentucky basketball game. Sure, every year there's the obligatory mention of the two winningest programs facing off, but considering it's a yearly matchup between two top programs who:
...it's a pretty rare event indeed. Both programs deserve praise (and get it from unlikely sources) for keeping the game on the schedule five years running, and it's always been an good game to see, even in the early years of less than stellar UNC performances. (And good for Doherty for keeping a game on the schedule that wasn't about to increase is job security.)
As for the game? I need to reevaluate my expectations for this team. I need to reevaluate my expectations of how I was going to change my expectations. The team played well, and deserves better than the compliments they got for the Illinois game. They reminded people that they're not solely a team of freshman, and that the old hands made a championship squad for a reason, not just to haul gear for future NBA stars. And Reyshawn Terry may prove to be that guy yet. I've always assumed this team was tournament bound, and I'm beginning to think that's nowhere near enough of a challenge for them.
After all, a fair number of these kids have had their gear hauled by a future NBA star. What's to stop them?
- Do not share a conference.
- Are not close to one another geographically.
- Don't have a traditional rivalry.
- Aren't paired by a television-created corporate-branded synergy meeting.
...it's a pretty rare event indeed. Both programs deserve praise (and get it from unlikely sources) for keeping the game on the schedule five years running, and it's always been an good game to see, even in the early years of less than stellar UNC performances. (And good for Doherty for keeping a game on the schedule that wasn't about to increase is job security.)
As for the game? I need to reevaluate my expectations for this team. I need to reevaluate my expectations of how I was going to change my expectations. The team played well, and deserves better than the compliments they got for the Illinois game. They reminded people that they're not solely a team of freshman, and that the old hands made a championship squad for a reason, not just to haul gear for future NBA stars. And Reyshawn Terry may prove to be that guy yet. I've always assumed this team was tournament bound, and I'm beginning to think that's nowhere near enough of a challenge for them.
After all, a fair number of these kids have had their gear hauled by a future NBA star. What's to stop them?
--T.H. Sunday, December 04, 2005
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