Craig Degel

March madness, Thursday Thrills:
A day at the NCAA's

11:00 a.m.

I woke up Thursday in my hotel room to find my tournament pool bracket was as worthless as the Student Union Referendum.

And it was only two games in.

11:05 a.m.

Washington is beating Xavier. I have Xavier in the Elite Eight. I cry myself back to sleep.

12:10 p.m.

Richmond is up early on South Carolina. I begin to fully realize that God does not like me.

12:35 p.m.

The UA pom squad walks into the Hard Rock Cafe. My day perks up considerably.

12:40 p.m.

My $8 sandwich is the size of a White Castle. Welcome to California.

12:50 p.m.

Northern Arizona is beating Cincinnati. I tear up my bracket.

1:15 p.m.

Cincinnati pulls it out. I go to the corner store for scotch tape.

2:00 p.m.

I get to Arco Arena because I actually want to watch South Alabama play Illinois.

2:02 p.m.

What the hell was I thinking?

2:36 p.m.

I get a glimpse of Tennessee's cheerleaders.

2:38 p.m.

Medics revive me with smelling salts.

3:30 p.m.

South Alabama and Illinois are tied at 30. Insomniacs everywhere are cured.

4:00 p.m.

I decide watching "Old Yeller" again would be a lot more fun than South Alabama - Illinois.

4:02 p.m.

Thankfully, the game is over.

4:03 p.m.

The media head like a pack of vultures, for the free buffet.

4:15 p.m.

Two chili dogs, a chocolate chip cookie, and one soda later and I'm glad to be a sportswriter.

4:50 p.m.

The Tennessee cheerleaders are doing a routine.

4:57 p.m.

I just realized Tennessee and Illinois State have been playing for seven minutes.

5:00 p.m.

Someone just told me South Carolina lost to Richmond. I tear up my bracket again.

7:25 p.m.

Illinois State pulls it out in overtime. Somebody passes me a roll of tape.

7:27 p.m.

The UA pom girls are back. I decide the Tennessee cheerleaders can't hold a candle to the Wildcat ladies.

7:32 p.m.

Arizona is up 5-0 just 22 seconds into the game. This could get ugly.

7:39 p.m.

It's 29-12. real ugly.

8:05 p.m.

Arizona is now up 34-25. Somewhere some doofus in the media is formulating a question about UA's first round losses.

10:05 p.m.

The doofus speaks. "Did you take this game seriously considering this school's history of first round losses?" he asks.

Miles Simon, whose team has just won 99-60, shakes his head and laughs.

11:35 p.m.

My stories are done and there's free beer in the media hospitality room. What am I doing in the arena?

11:50 p.m.

Samuel Adams in my hand. My day is getting better.

Midnight:

Me and the guys from Sacramento State go to the Hilton on a tip that the Tennessee girls are partying.

12:07 a.m.

Tip is good. They're in the hotel spa. (UA girls still sexier.)

12:09 a.m.

I feel like a pervert so I head back to my hotel.

12:30 a.m.

More free beer.

2:00 a.m.

Too much free beer.

2:02 a.m.

I crawl to my hotel room only to find that the king size Snickers bar I had eaten out of the minibar was not replaced with a new one. I cry myself back to sleep.

Craig Degel is a journalism senior. He covers men's basketball for the Arizona Daily Wildcat.

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