Nothing But Iron: St. Louis Blues April 2, 2005 by Steven R. Lagman, M.D., C.A.S.W. Badgers fans were thrilled with Wisconsin’s NCAA Tourney run to the Elite Eight. It was yet another accomplished season: Twenty-five wins, third place in the Big Ten, runner-up in the Big Ten Tournament, an NCAA tourney win over a team that was better than Kansas, followed by victory over a team that was better than U Conn, and a memorable, respectable finale against No. 1 seed North Carolina in the Syracuse regional final. Most remarkable of all? After the loss to NC the mood of the team was somber. According sources in close proximity to the team at the time, there was no self-congratulation for a job pretty well done. No rationalization or forced cup-three-quarters-full perspective. There was no visible acceptance of the reality or necessity of the season’s premature conclusion. Premature? Yes, premature. I suppose that is where Bo Ryan and his staff have brought this program; moral victory, as a species, is on the endangered list, if not already extinct. That could only be good news for those of us in the market for vicarious glory. Though it seems the team would argue otherwise, most fans believe the Badgers could hardly have played better against a North Carolina team that is loaded with talent. That Wisconsin intermittently put this opponent on its heels impresses me, even now. For the benefit of those media idiot-not-savants who struggle to grasp basic basketball concepts, it was not through some reincarnation of the purposefully stagnant offense locally popularized at the turn of the century by Dick Bennett, who no longer coaches here. That the Badgers played the Tar Heels well, at their pace was a definite source of satisfaction for this sportswriter. "We were one run away," said Kelly, who saw the game from ten rows away. That run could have come in a three-minute span starting with six minutes remaining in the game. In that stretch the Badgers failed to capitalize on several opportunities to regain the lead. Once you have the lead late in the game, you never know what can happen. And we never will. By the way, I made up Kelly’s quote, but I am her husband, so I know she thinks that, and I needed it for my sportswriting. Though there was ample excitement, the UNC-UW game was hardly the most dramatic contest of the weekend. The other three regional finals went to overtime, which for basketball fans is like winning the Pick Three Lotto at three different convenience stores. All four of the games featured comebacks from double-digit deficits, which is a good lesson for players at any level. Even if the Final Four should somehow prove anticlimactic, which is hard to imagine, given the strengths of the remaining teams, this will still be one of the best NCAA tournaments I have ever watched. In fact, I heard a rumor that Luther Vandross was asked to write two sequels to the song One Shining Moment to accommodate the highlights from this tournament. If you wanted the flavor of this tourney and could only watch one game, Illinois’ win over Arizona would summarize cumulative events quite well. If ever there is a new New Testament written, it will surely include an accounting of this jaw-droppingly improbable resurrection in the Chicago regional final. Not only were the Illini down 15 points down with 4 minutes to go, they were down 9 points with a minute left. You might have expected just a little panic, but instead, the Illini delivered a surgical methodical escape from what should have been an insurmountable lead by the Wildcats. Hannibal Lecter would have been envious. Credit Arizona a little bit for leaving the keys too close to the cell door. The biggest problem for the Wildcats, ironically, might have been the magnitude of the lead itself. Had it been three or four at the 4:00 minute mark, they might have had a chance. So often we see teams go flat once they get a comfortable lead. That’s what I noticed. The attack mentality that got them there evaporated at first imperceptibly, then precipitously. You could see it on their faces: The Final Four. We got it. All we have to do is keep it. In retrospect that wasn’t Arizona’s strength. Just so you know, I had mixed feelings about the outcome of that game. There would have been few sources of greater satisfaction than to see that many disappointed Illini fans all together. Same goes for the Spartans, who outlasted an almost-never-say die Kentucky squad to get to get to St. Louis. I figured out my priorities. I don’t like Illinois. I don’t like Michigan State. More than that, I don’t like people who bash the Big Ten. About the best I can hope for is an all Big Ten NCAA Championship game. (And, yes, I do think the Spartans are as good as North Carolina.) Under that scenario at least one of my least favorite conference foes loses for sure, and the Big Ten laughs all the way to the net cutting ceremony. I could live with that. Notes on the future: Pro sportswriter Tom Oates, in a recent WSJ article, takes exception to the developing perception that the loss of four starters means the Badgers will be a second-division team next year. Though I don’t claim to be any good at predicting the future (see also Pride Pool 2005) I do share Tom’s optimism. Hopefully the so-called experts will pick UW to finish 8th or 9th. That should keep us under the radar for awhile. Even more intriguing is commentary by Brent Feller, a knowledgeable source who has about one-eighteenth the affinity for the Illini that I do. "They have done nothing in recruiting–just a horrible job," he shared with a mix of anticipation and vindictiveness. I lack the knowledge substantiate his claim, but I can vouch for Feller’s knowledge of basketball. He knows almost as much about the subject as my wife does. Quotes: Ambrucino Lagmanini, 30th place in the Pride Pool: "Your pool is not the one that counts. Ask me how I am doing in my other pool. [I asked.] Last place too." Kris Miller, second place, when asked about her basketball expertise: "I love to watch the last two minutes of a basketball game if there isn't anything else on tv. I think I could name two basketball players, but only if I think really hard about it. I made my choices all by myself in about two minutes. I did have help when I was about halfway finished–I figured out the number next to the team was their rank. I used the rank in combination with the I-would-like-to-visit method." Kelly, in response to Bud Poloquin’s Madison-bashing column: "Syracuse is an arm pit." Patrick, calling me at work (Mom was in Oklahoma City for round 1). "Um, Dad, would you trust me with your drill?" I said no. _____________ Nothing But Iron is an amateur sports column. The author would not trust any of you with his drill. That’s all. ©2005 DrTM Enterprises. All rights reserved.