NCAA Basketball season wrap-up: the good, the bad and the ugly

Upsets, Bubble teams and Selection Sunday: all the drama that is NCAA basketball is coming together in one glorious weekend. It's been a season chalked full of suprises and disappoints, as well as speculation on whose shoes will fit Cinderella's glass slipper this year.

The Good:

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have had a storybook season, from a top 25 preseason rank to a 27-6 record leading into the NCAA tournament. Bob Huggin's squad proved their legitamacy by winning their first-ever Big East championship in a down-to-the-wire battle against Georgetown. As Da'Sean Butler drained a game winning, into heaving traffic jumper, it became obvious that West Virginia is more than just lucky. Look for them to make a run in the Dance.

Syracuse: After a preseason loss to Division II school Le Moyne, many doubted whether Syracuse would be a formidable squad. However, Wesley Johnson has lead his team to a 28-4 season and a #1 West bracket bid. With only Gonzaga, Kansas State and a struggling Pittsburg team to contend with in the west, Syracuse has a great chance at the Final Four, if not the Championship.

Kentucky: With a prestine 32-2 record, the Wildcats have secured a #1 seed in the East bracket. Lead by John Wall, Calipari's squad has been looking better and better. However, the 'Cat's my not be invincible. They have struggled against teams like Mississippi State and Alabama, as well as suffering a loss to unranked South Carolina. While the 'Cats may breeze through their bracket, an upset is not unlikely if their playing it too close gets the best of them.

The Big 12 Conference: Last year, the Big 12 served as the biggest suprise in the NCAA tournament. This year, they have kept their tournament presence, sending 7 of their 12 teams (Kansas, Kansas State, Missouri, Baylor, Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State) to the NCAA tournament. Though usually laughed at when it comes to basketball, if the Big 12 continues to put over half their conference in the NCAA year after year, they may reach the status of the Big 10 or even the ACC.

*Other notables inculde Duke, Kansas, Maryland and New Mexico.

The Bad:

Michigan: Despite optimistic pre-season rankings, the Wolverines have been a major disappointment. Though the Big 10 has been much improved from their mediocracy,

The ACC conference: Ususally one of the best conferences in NCAA basketball, the ACC has been less-than-impressive this year. Though 6 of their teams made the tournament, only 2 (Duke and Maryland) have a serious chance of making the Sweet Sixteen. ACC powerhouse North Carolina failed to even made the tournament, an unheard of occurance that happened only twice in a decade (2003 and 2004).

The Ugly:

North Carolina's season: College basketball simply doesn't get any uglier than it did for the North Carolina Tarheels this season. The defending champs fell so low throughout the season that they failed to make it to the NCAA tournament they had won the previous season. Though this is not necessarily an uncommon occurance, it is completley out of character for the powerhouse Tarheels, who have been conference champions twice this decade and regular season champs five times in the last decade- dominating their powerhouse conference literally half a decade. Williams' squad has been a complete disappointment this year, and it is not uncommon to see anger, confusion and disorganization among this once-prestine squad. Something that has been uncommon for the Tarheels this year? Wins.

UCONN: Without Calhoun, the Huskies were a lighthouse without a beacon, and they were unable to win games even after his return. Connecticut finished at a extremely disappointing 17-15 record and failed to make the NCAA tournament.

So, fill out your bracket, have a little fun, cheer on your team and get caught up in the madness!


*Photos taken from ESPN website.

If I'm just bad news, then you're a liar (Best song lines for when you're upset)

It has been quite some time since my last blog, and I can honestly say I am not expecting readership at this point. However, I felt like writing one just for the practice of it and to get a few things off my mind. I have never believed in blogging about one's feelings, and I don't like wearing my heart on my sleeve or trying to evoke sympathy. I have, however, found that when something bad happens, I turn to music, and I felt like sharing some of my favorite lines I use when getting over something heart-wrenching. Some lines are uplifting, some are bitter. Some will make you smile, some will confuse you, or even flat-out appall you. These lines are real, though, and each tell a story. Weaved together, they portray a story that has become mine. So, for all your viewing pleasure, here are my top 20 jam out song lines for when you are angry, depressed, confused or just flat out heart broken (and not necessarily from a romantic interest, these apply to any situation).

1. You gotta swim, don't let yourself sink. Just follow the horizon, I promise you it's not as far as you think. - Jack's Mannequin, "Swim"

2. I'm a wishful thinker with the worst intentions, this will be the last chance you get to drop my name. - Taking Back Sunday "You're So Last Summer"

3. It's coming down to nothing more than apathy: I'd rather run the other way than stay and see the smoke and who's still standing when it clear. - The Fray "Cable Car"

4. The truth is you could slit my throat, and with my one last gasping breath I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt. -Taking Back Sunday "You're So Last Summer" (My personal favorite song line)

5. How many times can I break til I shatter? Over the line, can't define what I'm after...I always turn the car around. -O.A.R. "Shattered"

6. I'm alive, I don't need a witness, to know that I survived, I'm not looking for forgiveness. I just need light, I need light in the dark as I search for the resolution. -Jack's Mannequin "The Resolution"

7. All I ever learned from love was how to shoot somebody who outdrew ya. -Kate Voegel, "Hallelujah"

8. With every word you say, say something sweet- 'cuz all I taste is blood between my teeth. -Jack's Mannequin "I'm Ready"

9. Now your games are finally playing you- and I can play them too. -Low vs. Diamond "Killer B"

10. Give me everything you've got now, I don't feel a single thing. -Jimmy Eat World "Night Drive"

11. I found a tidal wave begging to tear down the dawn. Memories like bullets, they fire at me from a gun, a crack in the armor. I swim for brighter days, despite the absence of sun, choking on saltwater. I'm not giving in... I swim. -Jack's Mannequin "Swim"

12. I never knew that everything was falling through- that everyone I knew was waiting on a cue to turn and run when all I needed was the truth. -The Fray "Cable Car"

13. Forget everything you think you know about me- this isn't high school. -Brand New "Last chance to lose your keys"

14. I can still be ruthless, if you'd let me. -Something Corporate- "Ruthless"

15. Well I'm always coming down from the night before where I've left you. -Jack's Mannequin "What gets you off"

16. Big hearts are for breakin' -Jack's Mannequin "American Love"

17. All that I feel is the realness I'm fakin' - O.A.R. "Shattered"

18. So call it quits, or get a grip. -Brand New "The Boy who blocked his own shot"

19. What I mean to say is that it's all gone to nothin with you. Nelo "All gone to nothing"

20. If I'm just bad news, then you're a liar. -Taking Back Sunday "You're So Last Summer"

How Bad is the Swine Flu? (Video Commentary)

Things my father taught me- Part II

It is impossible to describe my father's character without reflecting upon his actions. This is why I am sharing the things my father taught me.

It is rare, when meeting someone new and speaking of my past not to start a sentence with "why I was a little girl, my father..." I never realized before just how much of who I am and what I love has come from my father. One of my biggest passions is dancing. It is not a rare sight to see me dancing at every opportunity, even if it is just around the kitchen while doing dishes. At a wedding, someone once asked me who taught me how to dance. The answer? "My father." From the time i was old enough to walk, my father would spin me around the kitchen, teaching me how to keep time to the music and some of the swing moves he had used in his heydays. In high school, track was the love of my life, and my father never missed a meet, whether it was 20 miles from home at the local level or 200 miles away at the state level. My biggest heartbreak of my life came my freshman year, when I was ranked in state in the 400 meter race, but was unable to qualify at districts because I got called for jumping the gun. I walked off the track with my head held high- right to my father, who held me while I sobbed like a child.

My father taught me the importance of support and hobbies, and he also taught me the importance of family. Our family is incredibly close-knit, and my father has been a major part of it. Both parents have worked hard at peace-keeping among our family, but it was my father who wouldn't rest until he made sure everything was fine among the family. Even when I moved away for college, if I got in an argument with either my brother or mother, I could expect my father to call me every day and pester me until I made up with the person I was bickering with. If it was my brother, he would also get similar calls until the issue was resolved. This always drove me crazy, but it always worked. Because of the values our father instilled in us, my brother and I are extremely close and also close with our parents. My father also taught me, through example, several things about relationships. I got to see firsthand the way in which he treated my mother, which was with a manner of utmost respect. Our household was one in which important decisions were joint decisions made by both parents. I never doubted whether my father loved us or whether my parents loved each other.

The most important decision my father taught me, however, was the importance of religion and a strong faith in God. Though he was catholic, my father sacrificed, attending a Methodist congregration to ensure our family would attend church together every Sunday. He worked to make sure my brother and I were familiar with the scripture, even at an early age. When my neighbor died prematurely of a heart attack, my father told me after the funeral, "We live, we die, and everything in between we do for God". I never forgot these words.

It is because of my father that I am the person I am today. When I was younger and foolish, I would cringe and feel insulted to hear people tell me I was "just like my father". Today, when I hear that phrase, I smile, say "I know" and feel truly honored. I feel I can be a decent person because I was able to absorb the things my father taught me.

* Photo is of my family at my brother's wedding

Things my father taught me: Part I (When he got sick...)

Four years ago, my father got sick. I can not say what disease ails my father, because not even my father knows. At the time, I'm not sure what was worse- seeing my father plagued with a disease which could not even be diagnosed, let alone cured, or watching a man who had been vigorously active slowly become less and less energetic. Our family watched with heartbreak as my father slowly went from a man who played golf at least 350 days out of the year, refereed basketball and even played basketball with friends a few weeks every winter to a man who required 12 hours of sleep per day.


Even though I was an "adult" by this time, I could not fathom what was happening to my father. It did not make sense that he could go from so active to so tired in such a short amount of time. His condition went from bad to worse and it wasn't long before he had trouble standing. He would 'bob' up and down or brace himself against whatever he could grab to prevent himself from falling. Once, at a wedding reception, a man who had just been introduced to my father made a joke about his balance being affected by too much alcohol. My father has not drank alcohol in almost 20 years.

My father has been to countless doctors, been "diagnosed" and re-diagnosed far more than is acceptable and changed medication almost regularly for the past four years. By now, my family has almost come to accept the gut-wrenching fact that no one seems to be able to help him, but it doesn't make it any easier or less painful. My father doesn't let us feel sorry for him and he tries acting tougher than he is at times or even downplaying his condition. I think he forgets sometimes that I'm 22 now, not 5 and this makes it impossible to hide the severity of his condition from me. I love him for trying, though. Having a sick father has been heart breaking, but it has also made me appreciate what he has meant to our family. He is our pillar, and I will never forget the things my father taught me.

*Picture is my mother and father dancing at my brother's wedding

Why I was wrong about blogging

When I first heard this class included tri-weekly blogging, I cringed. In my mind, blogging was a lame outlet for drama queens to express their every thought and emotion. The last thing I wanted to do was read multiple entries including boyfriend problems, fashion disasters, chick flick raves, Twilight talk or the phase OMG. Nor did I want to contribute to writing which I feel is not the least bit credible.

This is why I am so grateful I was mistaken about blogging. While undoubtedly these sub-par blog entires exist on the world wide web, the UNK blogs have been delightful and can be put in the category of legitimate compositions. I have discovered the power of using the web to express your viewpoints on vital issues, politics and even the things you love (in my case sports). With the click of the mouse and the stokes on the keyboard, you can voice your opinion on pressing issues, entertain others, critic anything from food to movies or just blow off some steam during finals week.

Perhaps the best part of the blogging experience has been the opportunity to read high-quality writing. While I have taken several literature courses, some of the best student writing I have encountered has been in the form of my fellow classmates' blogs. It is refreshing the read such good writing, and I fully expect quite a few of my classmates to be published in the future. Blogging can be shallow, but it does not have to be. I have enjoyed the experience, and I am glad that I was wrong about blogging.

Still running...

Out of the few things I've managed to love in my life, track my be one of the biggest. In high school, track was my life, but I made the mistake of giving it up so I could follow my at-then boyfriend to a community college that did not offer the sport. At the time I made the decision, I vowed to never look back, never think of track again, but lately it's been all I've thought about because I have come to a conclusion as of late: a college semester is like one big race.

I ran the 800, so I will use that as a basis of comparison, partly because it's what I'm familiar with, but also because it is a fitting race to compare a semester to. When running this race, one starts out strong, working to get into a good position. This is much the same as a semester, when a student begins with enthusiasm, working to be placed above the rest of the pack. However, the race is longer than the first hundred meters, and soon you find yourself settling into a comfortable pace. You find yourself lulled into a false sense of security, thinking this isn't so bad. This is parallel to the middle of the semester, when students begin to relax, organize their schedule and feel as if they have control.

Just when you get comfortable, you go a few meters further and suddenly, the pace does not feel so comfortable. Fatigue has set in, and you find yourself struggling to push through the exhaustion. This is comparable to the phase toward the end of the semester, when students feel worn down, and have trouble envisioning the light at the end of the tunnel. You find yourself wondering why you strapped on your cleats (or picked up your pencils). The reward does not seem worth the means, and one finds themselves thinking, what's the point?

This is the stage where the weak falter, and drop out of the race, or their classes. The strong push through, even though they're undoubtedly dreading the last phase: where you must run harder than ever despite the fact that you're thoroughly exhausted. Naturally, this is the 'dead' week and finals week stage. If you can manage to push through, however, nothing feels sweeter than crossing that finish line. So put on your running shoes and finish the race that is the final part of the semester.