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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
‘Idiot factor’ aside,
’Bows are a lockIT is foolish to pick games on paper, because the games aren't played there. Which explains the annual meltdown that is my NCAA Tournament bracket.
(Well, that, and the fact that when it comes to picking games I am an idiot.)
But I have to say that tomorrow's NIT matchup, Hawaii at Utah State, has all the makings of a sure thing.
That's right. I'm saying the Rainbows are a lock.
Now, there are many intelligent reasons to go against this pick (and that's not even getting into the idiot factor).
Let's face it, Utah State is 25-3, and nationally ranked.
These guys are good.
The Aggies should be playing in the NCAA bracket. It's not just bitter hyperbole, they really did deserve better. They were robbed.
This has been THE national story to come out of the tournament selection show (other than the Phil Martelli-Billy Packer verbal slap fight). All the experts (or at least the people who play them on radio and TV) are talking about how good Utah State is and how it got the shaft.
And it did. Make no mistake. The shaft, it got.
And this is another cross-Pacific road trip for UH, after a season of them, to what could be an extremely hostile, intense college basketball environment.
So you would think Hawaii is doomed.
But you fans of the underdog know what is coming. You've seen this happen to your own teams too many times before. You know this is a classic scenario for further heartbreak, that when it rains this way, it always pours.
A small school that has its dreams dashed when it is unfairly relegated to the consolation bracket (and all the country agrees and tells it so). And now it is supposed to strike back, with emotional vengeance, show the world, and prove itself in the NIT?
Forget it.
And remember that UH is a good team, too.
This looks like a "bowl game" matchup. You know how good, exciting college football bowl games are prized like the rare gems they are.
Why is that? Well, in part because when you a take a three- to five-week break, your timing and momentum can take a hit.
But also because, in these unique situations (kind of like a postseason tournament, yeah?), one team is often mentally ready to go and another isn't.
And sometimes you can see it coming.
And often, it isn't close.
The NIT is a strange thing to be up for.
Utah State had its moment stolen.
Utah State is emotional. Utah State just took a slap in the face.
Hawaii feels good about this NIT. UH just got new life.
Which do you think lasts past tipoff?
Now, the travel might just catch UH. And the atmosphere, too, and the altitude. (And a lack of rebounding.) And a team that went 25-3 should certainly be able to do the job should the Rainbows fade, or show up not quite ready to win.
But I don't think so. This Cinderella story was taken away before it had a chance to begin. It was over as soon as that bracket was announced.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com