I’m not the first to say it but let me be the LOUDEST. TBS did a terrible job with the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show. The production was amateurish. The announcers stumbled through it. Their lips and the sound didn’t match. The announcing teams in alphabetical order was anticlimactic. Need I go on? The NCAA should scrap these folks for next year and return to a tried and true formula!
Toughest region in the tournament? The Midwest. Kansas, Duke, Michigan State, Auburn and Wichita State. Fortunately, the winner won’t have to play each of those teams.
By the way, National Media, Tiger Woods STILL hasn’t won a golf tournament in years. Tying for second place, however, did send them into near hysteria, leaving some of them breathless.
How do you include Oklahoma in the tournament field and exclude Oklahoma State? Simple. Money. Trae Young, the scoring phenom of Oklahoma, brings viewers. Viewers bring ratings. Ratings bring money. End of question!
Mike Leach, the “Mad Scientist” of college football and currently head coach at Washington State has, for years, advocated a playoff system for college football modeled after the March Madness format for college basketball. A 64-team football bracket would provide a lot of surprises, no doubt.
For the first time in history, the NCAA generated income of over $1.1 Billion in 2017. Yes , that’s BILLION. It’s a big stack and it is why you don’t see the “Big Boys” of college sports get spanked by the NCAA. It might hurt the “cash cow”!
The Big 12 has just completed 22 basketball seasons. The Kansas Jayhawks have won or tied for the title 18 of those 22 seasons.
There is a little irony involved in the first-round pairing of Wichita State and Marshall in the basketball tournament. Those are the two football programs that are forever tied together by the plane crashes, for both schools, in 1970, that ruined a lot of lives, ruined the Wichita State football program and yet, propelled Marshall into big-time college football. When you watch the Shockers and the Thundering Herd on Friday, think about those that lost their lives some forty-eight years ago.
For those of you who watch and participate in March Madness but are not necessarily all year basketball fans I want to offer a few explanations for a few terms you may hear on television.
PICK AND ROLL. That DOES NOT mean that you get to pick your favorite pastry before the game.
BOX AND ONE. That DOES NOT mean a boxed gift plus another one from your best friend.
DIAPER DANDY. That DOES NOT mean a new, cute, little baby in the house!
CROSSOVER DRIBBLE. That DOES NOT mean an accident in the bathroom.
A SKYWALKER. That DOES NOT have anything to do with a Star Wars movie.
PLAYING THEIR TAILS OFF. No. That DOES NOT mean anything like it sounds. Posteriors will remain in place.
FORCE IN THE PAINT. Again, this DOES NOT have anything to do with a Star Wars movie.
THE THREE BALL. That DOES NOT have anything to do with playing pool, or billiards.
GET ON THE GLASS. That DOES NOT have anything to do with having a glass of wine at the end of the day.
Fill out those brackets and enjoy. By the way, it’s Michigan State hoisting the hardware at the end of all of this madness!

Buddy Tabler is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune and his views don’t necessarily reflect those of the paper. He can be reached at budtabler@gmail.com.