CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. -- I sometimes wish I had a better origin backstory for my college basketball fandom. I can't subjectively recall anything about storming the court as a child, nor can I vividly remember the first time I watched my team in the NCAA Tournament. I left class early in order to watch Boston College play Pacific in 2006, but I was already in college and understood the sport and both the allure and appeal of playing deep into March.
Nope, my introduction to college basketball didn't come from television, though I think everyone, including seven year olds, emulated the Fab Five when they tried to dunk a styrofoam basketball.