Can I Offer You Some Basketball in these Trying Times?
Alright, Baltimore fans, it’s your resident loser coming to you with some helpful advice. Yesterday sucked for Ravens fans, I get that. Waking up today and continuing to feel like the refs jobbed you (they didn’t) and that the league is rigged (it isn’t), is going to be a waste of time and emotional energy. I’m not going to sit here and say being in denial about how it was the Ravens who cost the Ravens a ticket to the Big Game; I’m just not going to do it. Instead, I’m going offer you some helpful advice on what to do with your sports fandom for the next couple months.
It’s college hoops season, baby!
Your football season is over, and I doubt a majority of people around Baltimore will watch the Super Bowl for any reason other than hoping Kansas City loses. In the meantime, dig yourself into some roundball and forgot about that oblong egg. This Saturday is loaded with awesome matchups to look forward to. We’ve got:
#4 Houston vs. #7 Kansas
Former Towson standout Nick Timberlake and the Kansas Jayhawks take on the Houston Cougars in Phog Allen Fieldhouse which might as well be renamed to the Madhouse with how the crowd is going to be. Now, did I just realize in this exact moment that this may be too close of a reminder to Kansas City for some to be able to handle? Yes. Be that as it may, you’ve still got a kid who could create a great story by having a breakout game after struggling for most of the season, and he has ties to the Baltimore area! I’ll be rockin my Timberlake jersey starting at 4PM to support the kid.
#12 Duke vs. #3 North Carolina
Is there really much that needs to be said here to show why this game should be of interest to you? College basketball’s best rivalry renews and I’m ready to have it injected straight into my veins. If you need motivation to watch this game I’ll never be able to understand how you live.
#23 Iowa State vs. #15 Baylor
Iowa State is sneaky one of the most entertaining teams in America yet again this season, having upset Kansas inside Hinkle Coliseum this past weekend. Baylor is coming off a triple-OT (loss) thriller against TCU and the Big 12 continues churning out high-quality game after high-quality game. Maybe you miss the start of this game while catching the back-half of Duke/Carolina, but I think most people have the ability to go multi-view these days and should make full use of that. There’s no telling what will happen in this game because there’s no predicting anything in the Big 12; it’s that good of a league this year.
#5 Tennessee vs. #6 Kentucky
Ahhh the ol’ unstoppable force meets immovable object type of game. No, I don’t mean good offense vs. good defense. I mean both John Calipari and Rick Barnes both being consistent disappointments when things matter most. This matchup is thrilling on paper, but I’ll be watching closely to see which coach takes their trains further off the rails when things matter most! A train wreck can be just as entertaining as a beautiful game.
Don’t forget the local teams!
Your heart is broken over the Ravens blowing an opportunity for another ring, so what? Take it from a lifelong fan of a bunch of losers: move on to the next one. No, seriously, move your focus over to either the Maryland or Towson men’s basketball teams. The Terps have looked significantly better over their last few games, and are developing enough momentum to get a greater sense of buy-in from fans, especially with students starting classes for their spring semester this week. Meanwhile, Baltimore’s own, Towson has ripped off 4 wins in a row, including 3 over top players in the CAA conference. Not to mention, they just took out their arch-rival Delaware on the road this past weekend! The Tigers play a style of basketball true to the culture of the Baltimore region. Grit, defense and hard-nosed action defines how the Black and Gold get down. It’s a perfect excuse to buy-in and focus on them instead of how the Ravens only ran the ball with running backs 8 times this past weekend.
The Ravens loss is heart-breaking, there’s no denying that. But instead of dwelling on it, move over to some hoops and find something to invest your time in since the Orioles don’t get started for a while. College hoops and Spring Training may overlap… but are we really going to watch for pitchers and catchers to report instead of diving into the fun and chaos that is March Madness? C’mon now.
