Why the Sweet 16 is still worth watching

Today my dad called out to from another room and said, "Isn't this about as bad a Sweet 16 as we could have? Between North Carolina, Kentucky and Xavier all making it, and no mid-majors that have a chance to do anything." He then thought for a moment before adding, "I guess that means I won't have to spend time watching the games."

And while my dad is right, this is a disastrous Sweet 16 for Dayton and Duke fans (exacerbated by the fact that it was Duke's loss to Lehigh in the the Round of 64 that in theory made it easier on Xavier to make the Sweet 16). But when I have the chance, I'll be catching games this Thursday through Sunday, because there are some awesome ones still available. Sorry to all the Bobcat fans out there, but I don't see North Carolina-Ohio as one of them. OU making it to the Sweet 16 is probably the best story of the tournament, but the size of North Carolina looks like something it will be just about impossible for the Bobcats to overcome. A 15-30 type shooting day from the three point line might make a difference, but otherwise, I'd say the ride will be over in Athens. How about NC State vs. Kansas though? North Carolina State has been one of the pleasures to watch in the tournament's first four days, looking like it is on a mission. The Wolfpack big men have been unstoppable, and they will be going up against the best big man in the country this season (numbers wise) in Thomas Robinson from Kansas. Not to mention that T-Rob is pretty entertaining to watch anyway.

And what about the two games opposing each other at the top of the bracket, Kentucky-Indiana and Syracuse-Wisconsin? If UK-IU comes close to the first meeting between the two teams, it'll be worth the price of admission, and Wisconsin finally looks like it is playing the level of basketball it is capable of, while Syracuse righted the ship in the third round against Kansas State. The Orange are never going to be the same team defensively without Fab Melo, but they have the opportunity to be a much more deadly offensive team throughout the game. The Orange are not out of the national title hunt yet.

The bottom line is this: The Sweet 16 and Elite Eight are almost never as fun as the rounds that precede them. The sheer volume of basketball (and therefore number of entertaining games that transpire) that whittles the field from 64 to 16 is difficult to overcome. But the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight still have in them what has always made college basketball the best basketball there is: you get to see these guys lay everything out there. We get to watch these players give it absolutely everything they have, because for most of them, it will be the last Sweet 16 game they play. For the players coming from North Carolina and Kentucky, it will be the last fun, team-oriented basketball they play.

Getting to see guys really care about winning, and going as hard as they can to keep on playing is the best part of this tournament. With perhaps the exception of Kevin Garnett in his first year with the Celtics, stuff like Robbie Hummel's reaction walking off the court and in the press conferences just doesn't happen in pro sports. It's why college basketball will always be the best. It's why I'm going to keep on watching.