Grady Gallagher | Blogger

And just as it came upon us, it is no more. This March was as good as advertised and left me one final thought: I can’t wait till next year.

Let’s look back on the moments that will make this March memorable. In no particular order…
• FCGU Lob City- Of course, I rip on the Big East all year then take Georgetown all the way to the final four in my bracket. Poor. Little did I know down on the coast of Florida was a university that beat Miami early in the year and had some pretty athletic white dudes. I still know none of their names, but some of the dunks late in the game against GTown were phenomenal. Their point guard rubbed me the wrong way initially, but man, he could pass the rock. I also enjoyed this team’s charisma, and how, not quite carelessness but rather loose, they played. They had nothing to hold back because they didn’t have anything to lose, and if they lost, they were just another 15 seed.
• WitchCraft- Just like life, March has its highs and lows. One low for Iowa State fans was watching Aaron “Mid-Shot Hitch” Craft hit bottoms in the closing ticks of the third round game. In reality, Craft had kept the Cyclones in the game by missing multiple front ends and turning the ball over, while Clyburn lead the heroic charge. It was really too bad that the call near the end was ruled a charge when it was a block. The Clones did not have the refs on their side near the end of games throughout the year it seemed. I have too much to say about this game to write here, so I will stop with this: Even though I think Chris Babb did sprain his ankle pretty badly, if I were in his situation, and this was possibly my last game, I would do anything to get back on the court. Even if I played for 30 seconds and realized the pain was too much, and I wouldn’t help, the fact that all of my teammates would see that I am willing to do absolutely anything for them to win is worth much more than actually playing.
• Shocking the World- For any nerds who closely follow my blogs, I did say watch out for Wichita State to make a deep run (called it!).
• Ouch- Because Louisville completed their title run after what happened to Kevin Ware, that injury will, most likely, be this tournament’s calling card forever more. I really don’t have much to say about it. I saw it live; it was disgusting. I could see the team really cared about losing him. Honestly, for the remainder of that day I took caution when jumping and landing on a single leg.
• First Half of the Natty- I was thrilled with the way the National Championship game started with fast pace and people making shots. Sometimes the moment gets these guys so nervous, and it’s just a defensive grind that is not good to watch. As I have said before, I always appreciate the players who can make shots early on the big stage. Trey Burke was just feeling it at the very beginning, and then his backup, Spike, put on a show as well. If you were watching it, you loved it. Near the end of the first half, Hancock was raining and got L’ville back in the game. The second half wasn’t bad by any means, but the only plays that really stuck out were Siva’s lob to one of Louisville’s bigs from about the free throw line and when Behanan sealed the deal with a layup with a few minutes left when McGary was literally draped all over him along with two other Michigan players. Overall, it was an awesome national championship to cap an amazing season.
• Lastly, ONE SHINING MOMENT- It is impossible for me to watch these three minutes of highlights without getting the chills. Seriously, so good. I would give anything to have the job of making that video. I hope the guys who do make it get paid a lot of money. They deserve it. It’s a tradition unlike any other, and it’s just pure awesomeness. It’s the perfect culmination to the best tournament in the world. We thank you, CBS.

Thanks for reading everyone! Here’s the link for One Shining Moment if you missed it…. Or just want to watch it again.