Sixteen's dreams

To reach the unreachable star, no matter how hopeless

More learned minds than mine will parse the NCAA men's basketball tournament for you this week. They'll pick apart the seedings. They'll argue who is the best of the Big Ten. They'll warn you, perhaps, that talented UCLA is a threat to go all the way to San Jose and beyond. They'll give you the salt on Pepperdine and debate whether Gonzaga, everyone's favorite dragon slayer, can follow Dan Dickau's mop into the later rounds.

But I am no brackethead. All I can do is to invite you to join me in dreaming the impossible dream. For a few days, before the Madness begins, we can champion the lowest of the lows. Winthrop, Holy Cross, Boston University and Siena -- these are the tournament's Sweet Sixteens.

They have nowhere to go but up. So what if a No. 16 seed has never won a game in the men's tournament? So what if the No. 1 seed typically puts the game away before you make it to the head of the beer line? One day, maybe this week, 16 will be the lucky winner in the basketball lottery.

OK, I'll admit that when I first heard about Duke-Winthrop, I thought it was a character from Trading Places. (Looking good, Dahntay! Feeling good, Tywan!) But now I understand the meaning of this game. The battle for Carolina is at stake. Winthrop represents the rebel south and all it has to do is beat the Blue Devils -- the defending national champions, a top seed five years running and a team that's coming off a 298-point win in its conference championship. Big deal. Winthrop can put English on the ball (thanks to sophomore guard Alex English Jr., son of you-know-who) and they've got a Marshall Plan (at last word, coach Gregg Marshall was trying to get Duke to trade him Jason Williams for Tywan Harris). Do you believe?

Or maybe the miracle happens in the East Region. Who are these impertinent little Terps from Maryland anyway? Sure, Siena will be travel-weary by the time it gets to Washington for Friday's game after beating Alcorn State in a play-in game Tuesday night. But hey, the Saints didn't lose to an unranked team in the ACC tournament. I know, I know, that loss will only make Gary Williams and his top-seeded Maryland men more determined to flatten their little opponents. But you have to admit, the whole concept of a play-in game sounds grade-school cute. And cute is what the basketball gods favor.

Boston University? Who says it's a hockey school? Who says a pack of Terriers can't out-yip a herd of Cincinnati Bearcats? One thing's certain, Coach Bob, Friday's game in Pittsburgh isn't going to be a Hug-in. "They're physical, but we're not going to back down from it," says BU forward Billy Collins. Besides, the Terriers, who watched the selection show from a pub on Commonwealth Ave. and did a collective boogie when they didn't draw Duke, just put away some (Maine) Black Bears in conquering the America East.

And of course there's Holy Cross, guided forever by the spirit of Gordie Lockbaum. Kansas may have gone 29-3 but it did drop an absolutely meaningless game to Oklahoma on Sunday. Holy Cross coach Ralph Willard -- who says that his opponent "is pretty darn close to perfect" -- was hoping for a 15th seed. A little disappointment won't stop his Crusaders though; this is the same club that as a No. 15 last year nearly upset No. 2 Kentucky in the opening round before falling 72-68. It has been 55 years since Holy Cross won a national hoops title, which may explain why Kansas star Drew Gooden has never heard of the Crusaders. "What are they, the Gaels?" he asked. The nerve of him! His Jaycrabs should be ashamed.

So there they are, the teams of hope. Join me for a few days, before our bubbles burst. Close your eyes and envision BU vs. UCLA in an acronymic second round, imagine a Charlotte-Winthrop debutantes' ball in Greenville, S.C., picture windmills coming to life on the flatlands of La Mancha and dream the impossible dream.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Kostya Kennedy takes sides every Tuesday at CNNSI.com. The thoughts expressed here are solely those of the writer.

 

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