The coverage leading up to this game has been amazing. We've had a great deal of the national media getting in the corner of Cornell and pumping them up as the little engine that could, a rag tag bunch of hardworking smart kids destined to win. Meanwhile, Kentucky has been portrayed as a bunch of kids that couldn't care any less about their studies and are lead by a slimy coach willing to do anything to win.
Maybe Matt Jones of KSR said it best when he wondered why the media keeps talking about how hard the Cornell players work in class or how quickly they can solve a Rubik's Cube puzzle, and fail to mention anything about the positive things the Wildcats have done off the court... you know the same kids that raised more than a million dollars for Haitian relief efforts, visit children in the hospital on a regular basis, or made a teenage fan's dreams come true on her 16th birthday? No mention of that... only how awesome Cornell is and how evil Kentucky is comparison.
But maybe that's what the media is paid to do, hype up games with a clear hero and villain, and with some games that might be difficult, but not with this one. You have a #1 seed team with NBA players against a #12 seeded team that doesn't even offer athletic scholarships. Throw out the elitism/racist debate... those are just the facts and its easy to see why both the casual fans and national media are getting behind Cornell. To be honest, if this was Cornell against Kansas, Syracuse, Michigan State or Ohio State, I'd probably be rooting for them too.
With all of that said, in less than two hours, none of the silliness we've heard (or contributed to) this week will matter. Ten players will take court and will determine who's the better team on this night. I've gone on the record to say that I truly believe Kentucky will win comfortably. A few weeks ago, I might not have felt that way, especially after squeaking by Alabama and Mississippi State in the SEC tournament. However, during the first two games of the NCAA tournament, Kentucky has been a team on a mission, a mission to prove both the naysayers and haters wrong. Yes, they're young and inexperienced, but they're also good (REALLY good), and they're more than capable of winning this tournament. Anyone that didn't believe that a few weeks ago certainly should after watching the Wildcats put on an absolute clinic during those opening round games in New Orleans.
Tonight, they'll have to prove everyone else wrong... again; and I, for one, think they will rise to occasion once more. Cornell might be better in the classroom or solving the Rubik's Cube in record times, but they still trail the Wildcats in one key area... basketball.
And tonight, that's all that matter.
Maybe Matt Jones of KSR said it best when he wondered why the media keeps talking about how hard the Cornell players work in class or how quickly they can solve a Rubik's Cube puzzle, and fail to mention anything about the positive things the Wildcats have done off the court... you know the same kids that raised more than a million dollars for Haitian relief efforts, visit children in the hospital on a regular basis, or made a teenage fan's dreams come true on her 16th birthday? No mention of that... only how awesome Cornell is and how evil Kentucky is comparison.
But maybe that's what the media is paid to do, hype up games with a clear hero and villain, and with some games that might be difficult, but not with this one. You have a #1 seed team with NBA players against a #12 seeded team that doesn't even offer athletic scholarships. Throw out the elitism/racist debate... those are just the facts and its easy to see why both the casual fans and national media are getting behind Cornell. To be honest, if this was Cornell against Kansas, Syracuse, Michigan State or Ohio State, I'd probably be rooting for them too.
With all of that said, in less than two hours, none of the silliness we've heard (or contributed to) this week will matter. Ten players will take court and will determine who's the better team on this night. I've gone on the record to say that I truly believe Kentucky will win comfortably. A few weeks ago, I might not have felt that way, especially after squeaking by Alabama and Mississippi State in the SEC tournament. However, during the first two games of the NCAA tournament, Kentucky has been a team on a mission, a mission to prove both the naysayers and haters wrong. Yes, they're young and inexperienced, but they're also good (REALLY good), and they're more than capable of winning this tournament. Anyone that didn't believe that a few weeks ago certainly should after watching the Wildcats put on an absolute clinic during those opening round games in New Orleans.
Tonight, they'll have to prove everyone else wrong... again; and I, for one, think they will rise to occasion once more. Cornell might be better in the classroom or solving the Rubik's Cube in record times, but they still trail the Wildcats in one key area... basketball.
And tonight, that's all that matter.
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