If the slipper fits
Norfolk State head coach Anthony Evans
Norfolk State upset not only Missouri, but millions of people nationwide Friday evening. The Tigers have plenty of reason to be upset, of course. Their tournament dreams and a possible championship were crushed this season and they will live with the haunting memory of a game they were three points away from winning. They should be disappointed.
The millions, however, could be upset for all the wrong reasons. True, there are many Mizzou faithful out there that are probably not exactly feeling on top of the world right now. Their second-seeded Tigers just got dismantled by the 15th-seeded Spartans that nobody knows. But the other millions who are upset about Missouri’s loss ruining their bracket have no good reason to feel the way they do.
What is often lost in a crazy March Madness upset like many witnessed Friday in Omaha (or more likely in front of their televisions) is the team who did the upsetting and its fans. Part of the plague of filling out a bracket is unnecessary cursing of teams for simply winning, all because they ruined someone’s chance at 50 bucks.
Yeah, Norfolk State made for plenty of Sharpie marks on my bracket – I had Missouri going to the championship game. Although this game does not help my shot at a boost to my bank account, I’m happy for Norfolk State and their fans. Heck, I had only heard of Norfolk State because Kris Kross wore backwards NSU sweatsuits in my elementary school music textbook.
Now I have a reason to remember the Spartans other than for those ancient adolescent rappers (as oxymoronic as that sounds). Think of how exciting it is for those players, fans and students of Norfolk State. Be happy for them. This is the often forgotten beauty of the Cinderella.
B+ 