“One Shining Moment” is here to stay forever, which makes it all the more impressive that [ESPN’s Michelle Beadle][1] had the originality and pluck to bag on it as “so cheesy.”
I’ve always considered “One Shining Moment” a guilty pleasure. I feel like I should hate it because I too find it cheesy, but I can’t take my eyes and ears off the season-ending, rapid-fire NCAA tournament highlight video synced up with the song for the past three decades.
I like it.
And I hate it because it means the NCAA tournament is over, so it’s sort of like the second shot in the gut. The first comes when your favorite team either doesn’t make the field on Selection Sunday or is one of the 67 schools eliminated with a loss.
The playing of “One Shining Moment,” written by David Barrett and performed by Luther Vandross, means we have to wait another 49 weeks for the next Selection Sunday.
Sure, the regular season is an enjoyable journey, but it can’t approach the tournament.
To salve the wounds of the passing of another tourney, I headed to [NCAA.com][2] to learn of next year’s key dates and sites.
Selection Sunday is March 17.
The closest arenas to Lawrence for first-and-second round games are BOK Center in Tulsa (217.5 miles) and Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines (234.1 miles). Tulsa is a Friday/Sunday site with the games slated for March 22 and 24. The games in Des Moines will be played Thursday/Saturday, March 21 and 23.
If the Jayhawks are anywhere in the 1-through-4-seed range, a safe bet, then they’ll open the tournament in either Tulsa or Des Moines.
The Midwest Regional will be at Sprint Center for the second time in three years, the East at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the South at KFC Yum! Center, the West at Honda Center in Anaheim.
The Final Four is scheduled for April 6 and 8 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
[1]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jxoqJGpZ_s
[2]: http://www.ncaa.org/championships/future-division-i-mens-basketball-championship-sites