Championship Week Saturday - Quick Hits and a Little Philosophy

Championship Week is drawing to a close. I love watching the small conference tournaments where it is almost certainly win you're in, lose you're done. Winners of conference tournaments get the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

We watch the games because they present a tableau of human drama with all the elements of classic Greek tragedy.

Aristotle defined tragedy thus: "Tragedy is a form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear. Its action should be single and complete, presenting a reversal of fortune, involving persons renowned and of superior attainments,and it should be written in poetry embellished with every kind of artistic expression."

And you thought you were just watching hoops.

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We also watch to see the outstanding performances that some athletes rise to in championship moments. Meet Anthony Johnson of Montana whose 42 points propelled the Grizzlies into the NCAA tournament over Weber State. Even better than Montana hero's 42-point game: His back story by Jeff Eisenberg

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Vermont's Evan Fjeld took the court today in the America East final just days after his mother passed away from cancer.

Fjeld, a junior from Durham, N.C., informed his teammates about his mother’s failing health Monday after the Catamounts returned from the University of Hartford, where they advanced through America East’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.

“Evan is a strong young man; he didn’t tell anyone that his mom was dying this winter,” UVM coach Mike Lonergan said. “Our guys were shocked. We see his mom at all the games."

Fjeld said he was given the option to sit out the championship game to grieve his loss.

“If you knew my mom, she would not have had that,” Fjeld said. “So I’m going to go out and play as hard as I can play, because this is really an escape for me, and for all my family back home, hopefully it will be an escape for them, too.”

“When Evan told us, it was very emotional,” UVM junior guard Joey Accaoui said. “As a team we all felt the pain. It makes you realize there is more to basketball than the winning and the losing; it’s about the relationships we build.”

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Bubbles bursting? Minnesota beat Michigan State and their head whiner Tom Izzo (what a crybaby), but according to ESPN's bracket guru Joe Lunardi they are still on the outside looking in. Illinois knocked off the Badgers and apparently solidified a spot. 

Minnesota stays alive, stuns Michigan St. in OT

Illinois tips Wisconsin, moves into Big Ten semis 

Not so fast, my friend. This morning already delivered one upset with Houston upsetting UTEP. Because UTEP is good enough to merit a spot without winning the conference title, so Houston just stole a spot. Houston tops UTEP for 1st NCAA bid in 18 years.

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That win also marks the return of Tom Penders to the NCAA big stage and apparently saved his job. The well-traveled Penders is far from universally loved.

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  The best little scandal in Texas - Sports (relating the scandal around the 1999 release of a player's grade when Penders was at Texas).

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  Penders Resigns Under Cloud - Los Angeles Times (when he resigned from George Washington)

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  Houston's Clear Thinkers: UH is hiring who by Houston attorney Tom Kirkendall and UH booster.

And then there's his man-perm. I don't know who his little buddy is.

Thanks be to Tivo. Back to the games.