We interrupt the weekly local political blog to bring readers this public service announcement on how to fill out their office or internet NCAA basketball tournament pool brackets, due later today or first thing tomorrow. Tomorrow the first round games of March Madness, 2008 Edition, commence.  Economists in fanciful studies proved that worker productivity takes a measurable  dip on this seminally American  Thursday and Friday, with office and other workers everywhere spending  too much time talking about and watching  college basketball games, and completing the ubiquitous “brackets” for the friendly office pool or more serious dough.

March Madness, the 65 team 64 game single elimination college basketball tournament, stands head and shoulders above the second place event in the US to constitute the most watched broadcast television extravaganza over its three week compressed schedule.  March Madness, unlike its pale cousin, the BCS in college football, constitutes a true national championship, including 1 out of every 5 Division I college basketball schools in a grueling win or go home format.

But the real appeal of March Madness?  The ever-present “Cinderella” underdog.  While parochial fans may cheer for their local teams, the whole NATION can get behind one of these charming underdogs that sometimes make it to the Final Four (think George Mason in 2007) or even win the champtionship (think North Carolina State in the 1980’s). It never fails that some little  known college will go deep into the tournament, and in a heartbeat create a national fan base.  May I suggest that this year fans watch the Drake University Bulldogs to fill that Cinderella role, a team already touted to constitute “the” story in 2007-08 college basketball.

Drake, a private university founded in 1881 and located in Des Moines, Iowa, matriculates less than 6,000 students.  A long time member of the Missouri Valley Conference it began this season with a first year head coach (Keno Davis) coming off a 17-15 season (only its SECOND winning season in the last 20 years), without four of their five starters.  The sportswriters and coaches of the Missouri Valley picked the decimated Bulldogs to finish ninth in the ten-team conference, and even a humble Davis picked them sixth.  What happened to the Bulldogs?

Only a 28-4 season, winning the regular season conference title and the conference tournament for the first time in school history with a 30 point blowout of the NCAA bound Illinois State Redbirds.  Did I also mention the AP and ESPN polls ranked them in the top 20 for eight weeks and they defeated top ten Butler AT Butler in the ESPN Bracket Busters event?  Talk about coming out of nowhere!

But the story does not end there.  The Bulldogs win with a wide open perimeter game very close to European basketball with four perimeter shooters and one penetrating player.  EVERY player (but one) for the Bulldogs constitutes a three-point threat (Bucky Cox, the 6’ 8” FORWARD sank three out of five three point attempts in the MVC tournament final) neutralizing big men since they must come out to play defense.  And sometimes that defense proves ineffective with starter Klayton Korver backing up to the emblems in the middle of the court to sink threes.

But the most unlikely hero of the Drake Bulldogs?  Senior Adam Emmenecker who up until this season possessed no scholarship, content in his role of walk on with only two starts and an average of .9 points per game.  What did this humble young man accomplish this season?  MVC player of the year, MVC tournament most valuable player, and a single season school record for assists.  Did I also mention that Adam obtained the honor of Academic All America OF THE YEAR with a cumulative grade point of 3.97 while carrying FOUR majors in Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration (for the math challenged that means he received ONE B in his ENTIRE college career)?  Did I also mention that NO starter for the Bulldogs carries a GPA of less than 3.0, and the average GPA of all starters stands at 3.4?  Yes, Virginia, one can be smart and still win basketball games.

The only concern?  Last week I felt that no one outside of Iowa or the states touching Iowa knew anything about the Bulldogs, but in the last seven days the national media jumped on the bandwagon, pre-identifying Drake in the role of this year’s Cinderella, despite their 28-4 record and current number 16 ranking.

So in my capacity of providing sage basketball advice, pencil the Bulldogs into the Sweet 16 on your bracket.  You will thank me later.

Signed: The totally disinterested and objective Timothy C. Myers, Sr., Drake University College of Business and Public Administration (1981) and Drake University School of Law (1984).

GO BULLDOGS!!!!

Tim Myers                                                                                                                       Commentary

Tim Myers is Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Landscape Development, Inc.  He has been writing on a wide variety of local topics for more than 11 years. His commentaries represent his own opinions and not necessarily the views of any organization he may be affiliated with or those of the West Ranch Beacon.