March Madness – UPDATED
You’re probably wondering, “Why is Lynn writing about March Madness?”
You may be surprised to know that I became hooked during the Ralph Sampson years at the University of Virginia (1979-83) while still living in Richmond (and never dreaming that I would someday move right down the road from Ralph’s hometown of Harrisonburg).
All the Cavaliers pulled me in but mostly Ralph, who was like a rock star — winning certainly excites a university, a community, and the Commonwealth — and UVa coach Terry Holland, the man who guided his talented team.
Terry Holland was probably the Tony Bennett of the day, a quiet man who inspired respect and dedication from his players. Those were the days when UVa and the University of North Carolina were arch rivals — well, I suppose they still are — but they were arch, arch rivals back then with Dean Smith coaching the UNC Tarheels with his “four corners” defense on the court.
Ahh, our Cardiac Cavaliers. Anyway, Ralph and Terry made me a lover of the game and especially March Madness. I became a Hoos fan for life (never dreamed of someday having a niece who would become a Class of 2018 UVa graduate). Has it really been 25 years since UVa made it to the Final Four?
And during those years of rivalries there was Coach Valvano from North Carolina State who took his Cinderella Wolfpack team to the Big Dance in 1983, and won. Who can ever forget Jimmy V running around the court after his Cardiac Kids won with a basket at the buzzer? What’s not to love about that? (A short 10 years later the world lost Jimmy V to cancer — see his 1983 ESPY speech given one month before his death at the age of 47.)
Confused about terms like The Big Dance, Sweet Sixteen, Final Four, and others? Here’s a great article that’s like a “NCAA Tournament for Dummies” (see March Madness Terms: Understanding The Big Dance).
The memories continue with the ACC Tournament currently underway, and then the NCAA picks on Sunday. Get your brackets ready! And then it’s basketball, basketball, basketball until the playoff game on Monday, April 8.
Guess which team I’ll be rooting to win the whole thing? Go, UVa Hoos!
UPDATE 4/6/19: The NCAA tournament is down to the Final Dance and UVa is still in! First they made it to the Sweet Sixteen, then the Elite Eight, then the Final Four where they beat Auburn at the buzzer to make it into the Championship Game.
Monday — the Final Dance. It will be between the University of Virginia Cavaliers and either Texas Tech or Michigan State. All I know is I’ll be supporting our Hoos. Win or lose, they have made us all proud to make it this far. Wahoowa! #GoHoos
| Round | Livestream | TV | 2019 Dates | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selection Sunday | March Madness Live | CBS | March 17 | N/A |
| First Four | March Madness Live | Tru TV | March 19-20 | Dayton, OH |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 21/23 | Hartford, CT |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 21/23 | Salt Lake City, UT |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 21/23 | Des Moines, IA |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 21/23 | Jacksonville, FL |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 22/24 | Tulsa, OK |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 22/24 | Columbus, OH |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 22/24 | Columbia, SC |
| 1st/2nd Rounds | March Madness Live | CBS, Tru TV, TNT, TBS | March 22/24 | San Jose, CA |
| South Regional | March Madness Live | CBS, TBS | March 28/30 | Louisville, KY |
| West Regional | March Madness Live | CBS, TBS | March 28/30 | Anaheim, CA |
| East Regional | March Madness Live | CBS, TBS | March 29/31 | Washington, D.C. |
| Midwest Regional | March Madness Live | CBS | March 29/31 | Kansas City, MO |
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