Dancing, Dancing, Dancing

First of all, The Common Man has to point you, gentle reader, in another direction, to the blog of the Uncommon Wife, for an excellent post about life as a graduate student. Second, he'd like to point out that he has ammended his essential links to include good friends of the blog, Lt. Rob and Markandsarah. For friends who want to keep up with their exploits, there you go.

Like most right=thinking Americans, The Common Man looks forward to the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament every year. It is an athletic oasis in a late-winter desert of no sports, where he can drink his fill before continuing to plod on toward Opening Day (which really should be a national holiday). The tourney begins tomorrow, and while The Common Man is unsure how much of it he'll get to watch, he'd like to share his insight with you. Here are The Common Man's Final Four (keeping in mind that The Common Man does not watch nearly enough college hoops to be considered an expert):

1) Florida: This is an incredibly deep team and the returning champs from last year. They did not graduate anyone significant from that year's team, so they are experienced and play well together. This is Joakim Noah (who looks a lot like a woman with that long poofy hair and plucked eyebrows)'s last chance to make an impression on NBA scouts before he goes pro. Aside from overconfidence and Noah looking like a tall Sanjaya (gotta start watching American Idol, people), there's nothing not to like here.



2) Kansas: Another really deep team. Kansas is the most versatile team in the tourney, able to win a defensive battle or running game. They can shoot from the outside or pound it inside. Aside from the fact that they're Kansas and Kansas always seems to shoot itself in the foot, there's nothing not to like here.







3) Ohio State: Wow, three number one seeds in the Final Four. How original, The Common Man! How bold! Well, these three just are head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in Division I. Ohio State's Greg Odin (who, seriously, looks 45 years old but is only a freshman) is one of the top two players in the country and has dominated this year despite breaking his hand at the start of the season. Aside from the fact that they're Ohio State, and The Common Man (as a PSU guy) despises all things OSU, there's nothing not to like here.

4) Texas: The Common Man makes this pick based on how freakishly good Kevin Durant is (the other player who is in the top two in the country). This is the point where Durant puts his team on his back (a la Kirby Puckett in 1991) and drags them and their befuddled coach almost to the top of the mountain before he runs out of oxygen and is left to die in the snow next to George Mallory (look it up). Sure, they're going to have to go up against UNC in the Sweet 16, but Durant will neutralize UNC's big men. Georgetown in the Elite Eight will be a very tough game. Aside from Texas coach Rick Barnes coaching like he has a blindfold on and has replaced his clipboard with a oujia board and is clasped tightly to Durant's ankle as he runs up and down the floor, desperate to do anything to hold him back, there's nothing not to like here.

In the final game, The Common Man has Kansas vs. Texas (probably a bad choice to beat OSU, but The Common Man will ride the hot hand), with Kansas winning it all.