The art of the upset

Christening a new college basketball season

The+NCAA+basketball+season+began+a+week+ago+and+has+been+a+wild+ride.+If+things+continue+normally%2C+the+season+will+culminate+in+April

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA basketball season began a week ago and has been a wild ride. If things continue normally, the season will culminate in April

It is December at last which means football is dying down and almost every sport except college basketball is nowhere to be found. In some minds, this marks the tried and true “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”. Hoops season is back baby! And the world is a little bit more vibrant because of it.

Legitimately, only 10 days of the season have passed but there has been much disappointment for some clubs and overwhelming jubilation for others. Some of the notable results include Kentucky losing to the Richmond Spiders (maybe the best name in basketball), Villanova being taken down by the Virginia Tech Hokies squad, and Virginia falling to the University of San Francisco Dons. Freshman Gabe Reichle who is a player on the highly touted Oregon Ducks uttered this sentiment that summarizes the initial week… “Hopefully we play better tomorrow.” (Missouri 83- Oregon 75, on 12/2) (Quote on 12/3)

Hopefully we play better tomorrow.

— Gabe Reichle

Weird things have occurred, no doubt. The unpredictability though is what makes the sport interesting right out of the gate and why March Madness is the cultural icon that it is. The extenuating circumstances that COVID has forced may have something to do with the woes early on, and make no mistake it will only become more wacky from here. Before the end of the year, the Associated Press top 25 will be a bonified carousel for those teams attempting to climb the mountain. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Could we see another number 1 seed lay slain in the tournament? Only time will tell. All we can hope for currently is that this season of college hoops continues at full force.