We received this indirectly, but it is a brilliant read.
Be sure you get there a little early on Saturday. I
don't know what your plan is, but . . .
In '01 I went to the Duke pep rally, and it was pretty
fun. The food was good, and the band was there with
the cheerleaders getting everyone pumped up.
You need to get to the arena for at least the last 15
minutes or so of warm ups. In your seats for that
time. There is nothing like walking into that arena
on Saturday afternoon.
Seeing the division of the arena into the four schools
cheering sections is great, but it's the atmosphere.
The feeling is the combination of accomplishment and
hope that all four schools feel.
It's kind of like everyone's spent the last week
basking in the glow of actually making the Final Four,
and then suddenly on Saturday, everyone realizes "My
God, we could WIN the National Championship."
There's a confidence there too. An earned confidence.
Getting to the Final Four gives you that right.
It's very happy and satisfied and yet incredibly
hopeful. I've been all sorts of a places and done all
sorts of things, and I've never felt energy like that
any place else. Ever. It's my favorite day of the
whole damn year and walking into that arena on
Saturday is a remarkable thing, even if your school
isn't there.
FWIW, Monday night isn't near the same feeling. It's
much more apprehension. It's funny, but winning that
one game on Saturday changes everything. Saturday's
win makes the championship SO close that the
satisfaction of making the Final Four is forgotten,
and the its optimistic possibility of a national
championship becomes a tense desire for one.
It's as though on Saturday, the brass ring, while
close, is still an idea, while by Monday night, the
fans have just grazed the ring enough to know its
real, and knowing that it's real, they WANT it.
If Saturday is about hope, Monday is about avarice.
There's nothing better than the Final Four. Nothing.