Sometimes rooting for the juggernaut is more entertaining

For fans of bracket making, upsets and Cinderella stories, the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s College Basketball Tournament is the perfect occasion to get their fill for the year, but sometimes it’s better to root for the juggernauts.

It’s no secret to those who go through the yearly ritual of filling out brackets that there is likely to be at least one “upset” in the tournament. In a 68-team, one-game tournament, it’s not a stretch to believe that a minnow can rise to the occasion and knock off a much bigger team. In fact, there are people out there who live for this type of thing. I’m sure a few people are going to pencil in the University of Kentucky to be the first number one seed to lose to a 16 despite Kentucky being undefeated and the top overall seed, therefore facing the lowest seeded team, or number 68.

Here are a few statistics concerning number one seeds in the “Big Dance.” They are undefeated in the first round since the tournament expanded to 64 teams (120-0). It hasn’t even been close in recent memory. In round 32, whether playing the eighth or ninth seed, a top seed in the region has only lost 16 of those 120 contests. It gets a little closer in the Sweet Sixteen with ones holding an 82-22 record over opponents. It is not until you get to the Elite Eight that you see number one seeds anywhere near .500 with a record of 48-34 against opponents. Here’s the kicker: 21 of the 34 losses are to second seeded teams and 8 of the remaining games are against third seeds.

Now, go back to your bracket and pencil Kentucky into the National Championship game, but fret not because that’s not a bad thing.

Personally, I don’t like seeing these stories of small colleges from parts unknown winning over perennial title contenders. They are playing with borrowed time. Eventually, they meet a team they just can’t beat, and the game quickly becomes a snorer.

That’s not the case when rooting for the juggernaut. I know it’s difficult. People want to hate the big teams that can’t be beaten, but in terms of entertainment, you are going to get the best bang for your buck by wanting the best teams to win every game and advance deep into the tournament to face one another.

Sticking with Kentucky, there are two outcomes to a game involving John Calipari’s All-World squad. They are either going to destroy anyone they face, which will be entertaining because you’ll see highlight plays on both ends of the court, or they are going to lose to another talented team, which will be entertaining because it’s bound to be a back-and-forth hard-fought game.

There are many reasons why people don’t want to root for the bigger teams. No one wants to be called a bandwagoner, but isn’t the same thing being done when you latch onto the Florida Gulf Coasts or Lehighs of the world? With the hipster movement of current times, it’s uncool to root for someone considered popular.

Cinderella stories are nice, but there’s only so much someone can stomach before talent and entertainment wins out. It’s time we start looking for the dominant teams to dominate, and let the minnows get eaten by the sharks.