Behind the Scoreboard - Claude Vinson


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Behind The Scoreboard
By Claude Vinson

Cinderella ousted in Final Four

The bloom is gone from the rose.

The coach turned back into the pumpkin.

The glass slipper fit someone else and yours truly’s fantasy of the ideal championship game featuring an All-SEC cast simply went “poof.”

Parity wasn’t reached or breached. The George Mason Patriots, who had wowed the collegiate basketball world for days, saw their chance to break a handful of records, go up in so much smoke and missed opportunities. Never mind that they beat the last two national champions on their way to this year’s Final Four. They did Michigan State in first and then North Carolina.

There was one historical stigma which seems impossible to overcome – an 11th seed getting to the championship game.

It has to tug at the heartstrings. The underdog penchant in all of us just wanted those George Mason critters to just have a shot, even if we didn’t know who they were.

I can admit, secretly, of course, egging them on (after all, they were playing a SEC team). The Cinderella tag seemed to have fit them a lot better than it had Gonzaga.

But the play from the Patriots was lackluster at best. Even the coach admitted that there was no “fire.” They appeared to always be a few critical steps behind the Gators, especially when it came to offensive rebounds. The gap between the teams at the end seemed unreal (73-58). I would have easily picked an overtime for these two.

By the time this is read, all will know a new national champion. There is hope for us SEC stalwarts. So, Big Baby Davis and the Bayou Bengals were no match for the cruisin’ Bruins. Whatever happened to their shots from beyond the arc? It was unbelievable that they missed so many attempts.

Really, no matter how it turns out, the SEC is still a winner. Entered the playoffs with six contestants and two going to the final four. That ought to show the Big East a thing or two.

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