Nick Morgan, Sports Editor
As we come to the end of conference tournaments, it’s time to start thinking about the big dance. Since its beginning in 1939, the NCAA basketball tournament has been home to some of the biggest storylines in sports history. Each year, Cinderella teams make waves, busting brackets all over the country; giants fall to the most unexpected opponents; and names are made on the grandest stage of them all — the March Madness Tournament.
Here in the Bluegrass state, the middle of March feels like Christmastime in the streets of Lexington, Kentucky. It seems like John Calipari’s squad has hit its stride at just the right time. Having suffered a blowout loss at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils four months ago, the Kentucky Wildcats are 26-4 since.
Questions arise regarding who’s going to be the one to step up for the Cats this time around. Fifth-year senior Reid Travis should be returning from a knee sprain and PJ Washington looks as dangerous as ever, but will they have enough support from the rest of the cast to look for the team’s first championship since 2012?
Another local team making a statement this season is Murray State. Just a four-hour trip south down the Western Kentucky Parkway in Murray, Kentucky, the Racers are making a name for themselves behind top-five NBA draft prospect, Ja Morant. The Racers were the first team to punch their ticket to the big dance, having defeated Belmont University in the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship game on Saturday, March 3. Morant, the 6-foot-3-inch sophomore out of South Carolina is leading the way, averaging 24 points and 10 assists per game.
A lot of questions surround Durham, North Carolina, and the Duke Blue Devils as they await the return of their superstar and projected top draft pick this summer, Zion Williamson. The 6-foot-7-inch forward left Duke’s Feb. 20 game after getting injured a few minutes into the first half. Questions about whether or not Williamson should jeopardize his future career by continuing to play through the injury have been a common talking point for analysts across the country. However, per Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, Williamson is scheduled to make his return during the ACC Tournament.
The NCAA Tournament runs from Tuesday, March 19, through Monday, April 8, and will be broadcast on CBS, TBS, TruTV and TNT.
As we anxiously await Selection Sunday and the beginning of one of the grandest sporting events of the year, all we can assume now is that, just like every year, March Madness will not disappoint.
