The United States is a country obsessed with sports. That being said, there are really only a few annual sporting events that truly take over the public’s viewing interests. Football might be the United States’ #1 sport, but from mid-March to early April, the nation throws itself head-over-heels into in to a college basketball frenzy.

For months leading up to the NCAA Tournament fans hang on experts’ every last word, regardless of the fact that no matter how well versed people are in “Bracketology” chances are their bracket is going to suck. People might even enjoy lamenting how awful their brackets are during the tourney as much as they do watching the games Alumni gather all over the country to root on their alma maters and reminisce about their glory days. Dips of every kind are made in households across all 50 states, as families and friends meet to talk trash and watch the games.

The interactivity of March Madness cannot be rivalled anywhere else in the American sports landscape. People who have absolutely no day-to-day interest in college basketball fill out brackets. Everyone puts in five dollars for tournament pools with their coworkers, family members, or friends. Facebook and ESPN run huge campaigns encouraging people to fill out brackets online.

Las Vegas comes alive during the NCAA Tournament with sports fans coming in from all over to lay down some cash on the games. I have buddy who goes to Vegas with all the men in his family for the first two rounds of the tournament every year. If you can’t make it to Sin City, you can always do your college basketball betting over the Internet.

The tournament has become so successful largely because of upsets. Any team on any given day has a chance to win. It seems like every year a team that no one’s ever heard of makes a “Cinderella” run in the tournament, captivating the general public’s interest in the process. The story of the underdog never gets old. People want to see the Kansas’ and Kentucky’s of the Top 25 get upset by Mid-Majors like George Mason and Northern Iowa.

The idea of the underdog fits the American dream like a glove. Everyone loves the story of someone making something big out of something little. All it takes is some key free throws down the stretch of a ball game or one lucky three point shot and the impossible becomes reality. Almost nothing is impossible in the Big Dance. Sure a #1 seed has never lost in the first round, but it’ll happen eventually.

In the NBA you can almost predict before the season starts what four or five teams have a realistic shot of winning a NBA title. Look at the final scores in the NBA during the regular season. You’re lucky if there are one or two close games. When two teams step out on the court and lay it all the line for forty minutes people will watch. That’s what happens in the NCAA Tournament and for a solid month the public can’t turn away from the T.V.

When you watch the tournament this year, don’t spend the whole time worrying about if this will be the year you win your office pool. Don’t obsess over why you think your buddy is an idiot for picking all #1 seeds to make the Final Four or Wofford to upset Wisconsin. Just admire the way the intensity and unbridled emotion on the court. The game of basketball was meant to be played the way it’s played in March Madness. So just enjoy it.

-Sean Heffernan

by Jim March

Missouri embarrassed Illinois in St. Louis Saturday afternoon. An uninformed spectator would likely talk about how much Rejus Benn’s injury hurt the Illini. A fairly astute observer would talk about how the depleted stable of running backs may have hurt Illinois’ ability to run between the tackles. However, in truth Isaiah "Juice" Williams, Illinois’ Senior quarterback, was the problem this weekend. ...

Every time the cameras scanned the Illinois sidelines, they would find and stop for a moment on Williams.  His expression did not change. Blank. With few exceptions, “Juice” stood by himself on the sidelines, arms folded, seemingly unaware of what leadership entails. He showed no life coming off the sidelines for the first offensive series. The game was over before it started. Williams displayed absolutely no enthusiasm for a game he’s been waiting eight months to play. On Saturday, Isaiah “Juice” Williams had no heart. 

 Williams gave fans in Champaign-Urbana cause for hope coming into the season. Since he took over as starter halfway through his freshman year, he served as a sparkplug for an often listless Illini offense. On Saturday, his uninspired play was the corrosive thread that quickly ate away at his team. This may seem harsh and overly critical, but it manifested itself on the field.

 The schematic strengths and weaknesses of the “Fighting” Illini offense serve as the poetic truth of the situation. The Illini ran out routes and bubble screens successfully. They worked the outside the hash marks and moved the ball down the field well. In the middle of the field it was another story. Except for WR Jarred Fayson’s highlight reel catch down the middle with a minute left in the first quarter and consecutive first down runs up the gut by RB Mikel LeShoure in the second quarter, Illinois was absolutely worthless within the hash marks. With no ability to run up the gut or throw over the heart of the defense, Illinois was left with 7 yard passes at the numbers. Even on basic throws to the outside, William’s inaccuracy showed that he is not a pocket passer. 

After taking a day to contemplate this game, it seems Williams was more concerned with shedding his image as a running quarterback and proving he could pick apart defenses from the pocket. There were moments where we saw glimmers of hope that Juice was coming to life, acting like a Senior quarterback should; they were fleeting.  In the end, all we saw was an average pocket passer who doesn’t know how to lead.

 On the other side of the coin, Blaine Gabbert was phenomenal in his first collegiate start. After a couple of shaky plays on the first drive, the Sophomore QB got very, very comfortable: completing 25 of 33 passes for 313 yards and 3 touchdowns, and rushing for 39 yards and another TD. Gabbert delivered what many analysts expected to see out of the other starting quarterback. In the same way, Missouri WR Danario Alexander played the part of Rejus Benn. Alexander wore down the opposing defense and had his name called all day, hauling in 10 catches for 132 yards. Illinois’ played bend-don’t-break defense and they actually did a fair job keeping Illinois in the game through the first half. The constant chipping away by the Gabbert-Alexander connection eventually wore down their resolve, and Mizzou left St. Louis feeling pretty good about the direction they’re headed.

 The arrow certainly is pointing up for the Missouri Tigers in a season that was supposed to be a rebuilding year. If Gabbert can carry the swagger we saw Saturday into Big 12 play, they can challenge Kansas and Nebraska for the Big 12 North crown.  Conversely, if Williams doesn’t find the ‘Juice’ that made Illinois electric offensively in recent years then they will start 1-4 and the season will be over by mid-October.

Get ready for the sporting world's next blockbuster scandal because here it is: The Louisville Courier-Journal has reported that Louisville head basketball coach Rick Pitino paid a woman $3,000 to get abortion in 2003. ...The woman, Karen Cunagin Sypher, according to a Louisville police report had sex with Pitino in a Louisville restaurant after hours and again on at least one seperate occasion. A few weeks after the initial sexual encounter Cunagin Sypher contacted Pitino (who is married with five children) claiming she was pregnant and had no health insurance. Pitino met Cunagin Sypher at the condo of strength coach Tim Sypher (whom Karen Cunagin Sypher later married, though the marriage is now in divorce proceedings...crazy I know) and agreed to pay for the abortion. Cunagin Sypher is facing extortion charges against Pitino for attempting to blackmail the Louisville coach into paying her $10 million. Pitino's lawyer indicated the coach will not address the issue in the media until the court case. For now it appears that Pitino is not being charged with any crime and the University of Louisville expects him to be the Cardinals head coach come college basketball season.

The world is screwed up right? I feel like a police blotter writer nowadays. It's seems that there's little else these days than scandal in sports. As we speak the David Ortiz/Manny Ramirez steroid ordeal, Michael Vick's return to the NFL, Dante Stallworth's manslaughter case, and Patrick Kane's cab driver mash up have been dominating headlines. Now this monster drops on our doorsteps?! You know Pitino's refusal to talk about the incident outside of the court room is not going to make the story go away any time soon. Things only seem to get weirder. I'm half expecting Bret Farve to come out of retirement tomorrow.

What do you think of the Pitino abortion scandal? Share your thoughts below.