For Murray State Racer fan, Adam Crawford, Belmont’s upset in the Conference Championship signals that March Madness is here.
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It was just two years ago that Belmont was in the Ohio Valley Conference Championship game in its first year in the conference. Belmont had a small lead and future NBA point guard, Isaiah Canaan, was trying to lead his team to a second consecutive championship.
It wasn’t meant to be for the Murray State Racers in 2013, and the same fate was destined to befall them in 2015. After the second longest winning streak in college basketball came to a close on Saturday night at the hands of a last-second dagger three-pointer by Belmont’s Taylor Barnette, the Racers found themselves waiting to see if they’ll be shown some love and somehow get a bid to the Big Dance.
On the other side, Belmont secures their second appearance to the NCAA tourney in three years, and seventh since 2006, with the last two coming courtesy of wins over Murray State.
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As a man born and raised in Murray, Kentucky, and the grandson of a 35 plus year season ticket holder, I’m more hurt by this loss than I would be if my Alma Mater, University of Kentucky, were to get put out in the SEC tournament next weekend.
But this is what college basketball is all about, right?
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It’s about seeing all the guts left on the court. All the work over the last year come down to the wire in a conference championship or an opening round game. It’s about seeing the little guys do what they aren’t supposed to do.
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This is why March Madness is aptly named March ‘Madness.’
It’s about seeing all the guts left on the court. All the work over the last year come down to the wire in a conference championship or an opening round game.
It’s about seeing the little guys do what they aren’t supposed to do.
There has been much debate this season about if what Kentucky has done this year is good for college basketball.
I have a hard time giving this debate much thought because I think college sports are really about one thing—watching kids pour their heart into a sport they love. To find themselves in all the preseason prep-work and then leave it all on the court. It’s about the growth.
Yes, Kentucky has become a “NBA factory.” According to Bill Simmons, since Calipari took the reigns, and for the top 3-4% of college athletics, that’s what’s in the best interest for the athletes. But when you’re talking about schools like Belmont and Murray State—it’s usually not the case.
We love watching March Madness because of the ups and downs that come with single elimination tournament play, but I think that’s rooted in the idea that these kids have worked their entire lives to play in one game in hopes of playing just one more. It’s rooted in the idea that many of these seniors will never play organized basketball again once the buzzer goes off and they become entranced by a scoreboard that’s not in their favor.
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This year the Racer seniors are wondering if tonight was their last organized game.
Hopefully it won’t be.
Hopefully they will get a bid to the tournament and we’ll have two OVC teams in the tournament.
I think the conference would be as deserving this year as it would be any other in the conference history, but if not—the maturation and the values both learned and earned are what’s it truly about. They may not be able to think about that at the moment, but in time, college basketball will serve them in ways that go beyond what happens on the court.
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Photo Credit: Associated Press/Mark Humphrey
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