Where I'm from, we take basketball seriously. Specifically college basketball, specifically Kentucky basketball, a.k.a. the greatest tradition in college basketball.
*This was written before they lost to Indiana on Saturday, but hey, all the points are still valid.
I don't know what it is, but there's something to be said about being born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, the home of all that encompasses University of Kentucky basketball. And March Madness raises that intensity to no degree. I grew up watching the games during class in elementary school, and even eight hours away from my home, find myself obsessing silently with the few other Kentucky fans near me.
Kentucky basketball is not about the exact tournament, it is not about the bracket, it is not about every point. It is about the home away it creates for every UK fan. It's the excitement of wearing your Kentucky blue on game day and watching the players and Coach Cal get just as riled up. It's about throwing up your three goggles in every photo and feeling a connection to every person that wears a UK shirt. It's the warm feeling of shouting a C-A-T-S CATS CATS CATS and knowing your fellow Kentuckians will cheer with you. It's the giddiness of seeing the different celebrities that share the same love of it with you. It's the feeling of knowing that Lexington will be painted in royal blue the next few weeks and knowing that they all cheer for the same team and have the same love of our home away from home.
"Enough talking. Let's ball." -- Coach Cal