In a far away land where “social distancing” and “flattening the curve” aren’t staples of conversation and the president never heard of hydroxychloroquine, the University of Dayton basketball team today reigns as Cinderella.
Had COVID-19 not slam-dunked the U.S., we’d be gathering around the water cooler at work or have followed the large screen TV in a popular watering hole (remember those days?) Monday night to marvel at the wonder of the Flyers and their magical ascent to the NCAA Championship.
We’d be talking about Obi Toppin, not Dr. Anthony Fauci, as the go-to guy.
Monday night was supposed to have been the national championship game on TV from Atlanta, the final act of a wide-open year for March Madness. But, since make-your-own masks, drive-by testing and the scavenger hunt for ventilators are the new grim reality, CBS Sportsline.com attempted to give us what the new normal might have taken away in the form of a simulated tournament and inspirational, computer-generated champion, Dayton.
Maybe the math really did come out in Dayton’s favor. Or, perhaps, CBS’ numbers guru, Jerry Palm, just figured the Flyers were a feel-good story we desperately needed.
Either way, it provides food for thought as we wait in line to get into Longs or Costco or while away the hours sheltered in place at home.
According to CBS’ bracket, the Flyers, winners of 20 in a row entering the tournament, got the No. 1 seed in the East and then took down Winthrop (85-70), St.Mary’s (79-72), Louisville (75-73), Michigan State (75-74), Duke (78-77) and Gonzaga (79-78) to win their first national championship.
Just in case there was any confusion, this is how you know it is fiction: No team outside the Power-5 conferences has won the championship since 1990 when Nevada-Las Vegas and Jerry Tarkanian did it.
You hope there aren’t virtual NCAA sanctions awaiting Dayton.
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