After the first weekend of March Madness, there's one K.C. area program still just as excited about March Madness - the Kansas Jayhawks - while the rest of the local teams are left to lick wounds or try and shake themselves from the unthinkable.
At least the Jayhawks are alive. KU survived a potential upset by Purude to advance to another Sweet 16, something Rock Chalk Talk predicted but feared wouldn't happen in a potential failure for this Jayhawk team to realize its potential:
With five minutes to go it looked like a year where Kansas would somehow exceed expectations and fall short of them at the same time.
But they won. The border rivals? Not so much. Missouri has, predictably, had the nastiest of weekends among area teams, with their one-and-done shocker loss to Norfolk State so stunning - and infuriating for Tiger fans - that Rock M Nation set up a specific "venting thread" for angry, vitriolic ranting (depending on your allegiances, it's either great therapy or high comedy). There's also fine, fine passages of writing dedicated to the same sentiment as the four-letter commenter crowd:
Missouri fans are the most optimistic masochists you've ever met in your lives. They'll spend their lives preparing for the gut punch and let their guard down only as the blow is in mid-delivery. Bill and I have long since scoffed at the "Same old Missouri" mentality, and with valid reason hidden behind the thickened layers of cynicism. Beyond the blinding reflection of confirmation bias lies the fact that metaphorical bar continues to be pushed, a fact lost among those whose metaphorical bar somehow filters success through a colander that leaves behind only the black sludge of carefully handpicked moments of despair for use in our collective misery.
For Kansas State, the third round loss against Syracuse is only part of the story at Bring On The Cats, as the suspension of Jamar Samuels shortly before the game clouded the reaction of fans and media.
The controversy isn't over, as Frank Martin directed questions about the suspension to athletic director John Currie after the game and said it was the administration's call to suspend Samuels for the game. Currie did nothing to set the record straight or explain his decision over the weekend, which is only allowing the controversy to fester. At some point this week, the administration needs to tell everybody what happened and why they made the decision they did.
For more on everything March Madness, head over to SB Nation's college basketball page.
