March Madness in November

“It’s awesome baby!” These are the words of Dick Vitale. That’s what a lot of people say when it is March and the NCAA men’s tournament rolls around. Upsets, that is the reason a lot of people love the NCAA tournament; the excitement and unpredictability of every game. So far this season there as been three games that would be the equivalent of a number 16 seed beating a number one seed in the end of the season tournament.

Appalachian State University upset the University of Michigan in the Big House at the beginning of the college football season. Michigan is the winningest team in the history of division 1-A (FBS) college football. Now the basketball version, that means look out Kentucky! Gardner-Webb and Kentucky both entered the game on Wednesday November 7, 2007 with a record of 1-0. And from the very beginning Gardner-Webb showed that they would win the game….and they did! Last year Gardner-Webb only managed to win nine games on its way to a 9-21 record which was good enough for a 7^th place finish in the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Gardner-Webb jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first four minutes and never looked back. From that point on Kentucky did not get within 7 of the Runnin’ Bulldogs. The final score in the rout of the Wildcats was 84-68. The largest lead that Gardner-Webb had was 18 points.

Oddly enough both of these huge upsets came from the hand of North Carolina schools. ASU is located in Boone, N.C. and Gardner-Webb is located in Boiling Springs, N.C. A 110 mile drive since there is no road connecting the two.

Kentucky was not the only team to get shocked early in the season. Both Ohio State and Michigan State lost exhibition games to in-state schools. Ohio State lost a slim game 70-68 to Findlay. And preseason Big Ten favorite Michigan State lost a double overtime game to Grand Valley State, who is known for being a college football power not a basketball power.

The key difference in these three losses is that both Ohio State and Michigan State lost exhibition games. But Kentucky lost the second game of the regular season! Already in the men’s basketball season and the upsets are starting to come out.

Every game does not mean as much in college basketball unlike college football but a loss like this early in the season could cost a team a higher seed at the end of the season.