march madness, baby.

i love march madness. love it. love. it. there's a scene from annie hall that has woody allen saying, "love is too weak a word. i lerve you. you know, i lo-ove you. i luff you. there are two "f's." i have to invent... of course i love you." that's exactly how i feel about college basketball and, more specificaly, march madness. there is something so pure, so passionate, so real about the sport. i'd rather watch a college basketball game that do almost anything else. as i type this i'm watching the second of two semifinal games in this year's tournament (ohio state -- the team i picked in my bracket to win it all -- won earlier today. hee.) and i can scarcely contain my glee. i don't even really care who wins this game, and i'm still paralyzed by the action on the tv.

when i was in high school (the waning years of my athletic self) i always dreamed of playing basketball for duke; but not on the women's team. i wanted to play for mike krzyzewski. point guards for duke were idyllic. it was the dream position on the dream team. and i was an indiana fan, so it took a lot for me to want to play for duke. i went to the opening round of the tournament this year, during which i saw the now-infamous duke vs. vcu match, which duke subsequently lost. the loss was disappointing, no doubt, but seeing coach k. in person, on the floor, talking to his boys was beyond exciting. is that vaguely crazy? possibly. we were up in the third tier where the air is thinner... but still. swooning.

why do i love college basketball? it's hard to summarize, but among the reasons: i love the defense. i love the offense. i love the freshman point guard and center who can read each other like a book after having played together in high school. i love the players who are 5'6" and the players who are 6'6". i love the alley-oop, in a forum where it's still thrilling. i love the mistakes and i love the hustle to correct them. i love the lack of names on backs of jerseys. i love watching a point guard take it to the hole. i love three pointers. i love how famous and important alumni come out to support their teams. i love that coaches are more like parents and less like glorified towel boys. i love the respect and i love the commitment. i love the unadulterated joy after a win, and the agony after a defeat.

it. is. beautiful.
go buckeyes.