Madness, Won't You Get Here Already!

Growing up, March was my favorite time of year, holding more allure than even the summer months. That's saying a lot for a boy with a July birthday and who spent countless hours in the sun each vacation playing nearly every sport, game, etc., there is.
But it was the dawn of spring each year that was the most exciting because, since the age of about 10, I've been a huge college basketball fan, especially of the University of Arizona, where I would one day attend college and from where I'd graduate.
You see, being a Wildcats fans means looking forward to March Madness, the branded name of the annual NCAA Men's College Basketball Tournament. It's a right of passage and, in my opinion and that of several people I know, the most exciting sporting event — amateur, professional, or in the case of many college players, semiprofessional — that there is.
It always helped that my Wildcats made every NCAA tournament from 1985 through 2009, the second longest streak ever behind only North Carolina.
The 'Cats stumbled in 2010 after Coach Lute Olson, uh, retired but returned in new Coach Sean Miller's second season, a familiar Sweet 16 appearance. Then, last year, the 'Cats came within one shot of heading to their fifth Final Four, losing by two to eventual national champion UConn.
So, here it is, almost the middle of February, and after a slow start Arizona has won four in a row and, despite injuries, is playing with intensity and good defense, even if the free throw shooting leaves something to be desired. The team wasn't and still isn't expected to do much this season, and yet another NCAA berth remains in doubt considering how average Pac-12 teams have played.
But I will hold out hope for another excitement-filled March, when it's much better to be mad.