College Basketball Christmas

This is probably the one day of the year in which those who are in school/gainfully employed wish they were jobless in front of the TV. There is no more gluttonous event in all of sports than the first two days of the NCAA Tournament. From noon to midnight, we're treated to twelve hours of (usually) dramatic basketball. Brackets can be busted within the first three of those hours (I sincerely hope I didn't just curse myself). Hell, even the Prez has the time to fill out a bracket.



And this year, college basketball is doubly important to us Pittsburghers, as Penn State joins the perennial contenders, Pitt, in the dance for the first time in 10 years. State will square off against Temple at 2PM today, while Pitt joins the fracas against UNC-Ashville at 3PM.

The biggest question facing the Pitt squad is whether or not they can finally make it over the hump and make it to their first Final Four since 1941. There's no doubting the abilities of head coach Jamie Dixon. Dixon has solidified Pitt as one of the powerhouse basketball schools in the country. However, Pitt has always seemed to hit road blocks in the tourney. As a #1 seed, this season would appear to be Pitt's easiest road to the finals, who wouldn't face a seed higher than #4 until the Elite Eight. However, their road may go through last year's runner-up, Butler University. While Butler has lost much of the firepower from the squad that narrowly lost to Duke; namely star forward Gordon Hayward, their tournament experience may pose a threat. I mean seriously, who could ever forget this:



So will it be another early exit for Pitt? Or are they Houston bound? I'll be updating this post with Penn State and Pitt results as the day progresses

The fun starts now.