The NCAA championship game has finally arrived after three weeks of upsets and exhilarating finishes. Tonight's conclusion of the 2011 NCAA Tournament features the Connecticut Huskies and Butler Bulldogs. One team is trying to return to their glory days of the past, while the other returns to the championship game looking for their first shot at glory. It is a game with many storylines.
But one certainly takes precedence over all of the rest. That is the Butler Bulldogs attempting to become the first non-power conference program to win the basketball national championship since UNLV over two decades ago.
But it isn't just the Cinderella story of a small school looking to knock off another big boy. The underdog card has been played to death already. Sure, it would do a world of good for so many of the small schools in America across the NCAA sports community if the Bulldogs were able to cut down the nets tonight. But it isn't even about that tonight.
The bottom line is that the NCAA wants Butler to defeat Connecticut tonight.
Scratch that last notion.
They need them to win the championship game tonight.
There are quite a few reasons why it would be a good thing for Butler to win it all tonight, but Pat Forde of ESPN brings up the number one reason.
Forde points out that "These are troubling times for college sports fans. Auburn won the 2010 football national title while under NCAA investigation. The team it beat in the BCS Championship Game, Oregon, is currently under investigation. And the team Butler will oppose Monday night, Connecticut, was hit with sanctions in late February for major NCAA violations."
Jim Calhoun is suspended for part of next season, if he decides to return following this season. The school is also in hot water now that Nate Miles has reportedly decided to open up to the NCAA regarding all of the violations.
Look at what happened at UConn and Auburn and Oregon. Look at Texas A&M and LSU. Or what about North Carolina? The list goes on and on and there is no end in sight.
As entertaining as it would be for Congress to believe that they can get involved and fix the recruiting problems plaguing the NCAA, it will not fix the dark cloud that hovers over college sports.
The NCAA needs a program without any controversy to win a championship. They need a good story to be able to sell when they are looking to profit on their sports.
Forde says to "Think of the statement made if the Bulldogs can win a national title by recruiting smart, high-character, low-maintenance players. Think of the impact they could make by winning it all without operating in the so-called gray area, which in most instances is really the cheating-but-not-caught area. Think of the adrenaline shot college athletics would get from a champion that hasn't succumbed completely to the facilities and salaries arms race."
With all of that being said, the NCAA is rooting for a team to win tonight. It is hoping that the program with no black marks against it can help the NCAA clean up its image.
The NCAA is rooting for the Butler Bulldogs to win the 2011 NCAA championship.
The NCAA is not rooting for the underdog. In fact, they generally do not show any support or favoritism toward the underdog. They are a corporation in a way, who basically allows the "big boys" to have all of the advantages. But tonight, for one night only, the NCAA is rooting for the Cinderella story.
It is what the NCAA needs.
But one certainly takes precedence over all of the rest. That is the Butler Bulldogs attempting to become the first non-power conference program to win the basketball national championship since UNLV over two decades ago.
But it isn't just the Cinderella story of a small school looking to knock off another big boy. The underdog card has been played to death already. Sure, it would do a world of good for so many of the small schools in America across the NCAA sports community if the Bulldogs were able to cut down the nets tonight. But it isn't even about that tonight.
The bottom line is that the NCAA wants Butler to defeat Connecticut tonight.
Scratch that last notion.
They need them to win the championship game tonight.
There are quite a few reasons why it would be a good thing for Butler to win it all tonight, but Pat Forde of ESPN brings up the number one reason.
Forde points out that "These are troubling times for college sports fans. Auburn won the 2010 football national title while under NCAA investigation. The team it beat in the BCS Championship Game, Oregon, is currently under investigation. And the team Butler will oppose Monday night, Connecticut, was hit with sanctions in late February for major NCAA violations."
Jim Calhoun is suspended for part of next season, if he decides to return following this season. The school is also in hot water now that Nate Miles has reportedly decided to open up to the NCAA regarding all of the violations.
Look at what happened at UConn and Auburn and Oregon. Look at Texas A&M and LSU. Or what about North Carolina? The list goes on and on and there is no end in sight.
As entertaining as it would be for Congress to believe that they can get involved and fix the recruiting problems plaguing the NCAA, it will not fix the dark cloud that hovers over college sports.
The NCAA needs a program without any controversy to win a championship. They need a good story to be able to sell when they are looking to profit on their sports.
Forde says to "Think of the statement made if the Bulldogs can win a national title by recruiting smart, high-character, low-maintenance players. Think of the impact they could make by winning it all without operating in the so-called gray area, which in most instances is really the cheating-but-not-caught area. Think of the adrenaline shot college athletics would get from a champion that hasn't succumbed completely to the facilities and salaries arms race."
With all of that being said, the NCAA is rooting for a team to win tonight. It is hoping that the program with no black marks against it can help the NCAA clean up its image.
The NCAA is rooting for the Butler Bulldogs to win the 2011 NCAA championship.
The NCAA is not rooting for the underdog. In fact, they generally do not show any support or favoritism toward the underdog. They are a corporation in a way, who basically allows the "big boys" to have all of the advantages. But tonight, for one night only, the NCAA is rooting for the Cinderella story.
It is what the NCAA needs.
