Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
Thursday, March 17, 2005, Washington Post

Root, Root, Root For . . . Some Team

All right, start cheering . . . "Let's Go Terps. Let's Go Terps . . ."

Whoops! For the first time in 12 seasons, the Maryland men were not invited to the NCAA basketball tournament, which starts today. Other local favorites Georgetown, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech didn't make it either. But that doesn't mean you can't get into the so-called March Madness. Here are some ideas for picking a team to root for at the Big Dance.

George Washington: The Colonials, who won the Atlantic 10 tournament for the first time, are a young, exciting team that may surprise some people. But they have a tough first-round game against Georgia Tech. So GW might be out by Friday night.

Women's Teams: This time of year, it's easy to overlook the women's NCAA championship. Don't! The women's tournament should be the most competitive in years, with a dozen teams having a chance to win the title. Local favorites Maryland and GW made the tourney. In fact, Maryland is the host for six regional games Sunday and Tuesday. Maryland and GW have solid squads that should win their first-round games. But then the going could get tough against powerhouses North Carolina and Ohio State.

Small Schools: A great part of every NCAA tournament is when a small school shocks a basketball giant. This year, three small schools that might win some games in the men's tournament are Creighton, Gonzaga and Bucknell. You have to pull for these Davids against NCAA Goliaths. The smallest school in the women's tournament is St. Francis (in Pennsylvania), with 2,000 students. That's smaller than some local high schools.

Great Nicknames: I love teams with colorful nicknames, such as the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette, the Iowa State Cyclones and the Niagara Purple Eagles. I barely know what some team nicknames mean. But according to the American Heritage dictionary, a Catamount (Vermont) is a mountain lion, a Lobo (New Mexico) is Spanish for gray wolf and a Moccasin or a Moc (Tennessee at Chattanooga) is a water snake that lives in the South.

North Carolina: Why should anyone but a fan who bleeds Carolina blue root for the Tar Heels? Well, according to statistics kept by the NCAA, the University of North Carolina graduates 67 percent of the players on its men's basketball team, the best among the top 16 teams in the tournament. That means North Carolina is winning the right way. (Don't root for Kentucky, though. Shamefully, only 8 percent of Wildcats players graduated in six years.)

One more thing: If you root for the Tar Heels, you may be rooting for the team that will win it all.