Are you ready for some ... basketball?

It's only my opinion, but I think the first two days of the NCAA Tournament are the best two sports days of the year. I'm not terribly interested in games pitting major conference teams against each other, but when Winthrop is taking Tennessee to the wire, it's riveting stuff. (I was lucky enough to staff Vermont's win over Syracuse last year in Worcester and I don't think I've ever enjoyed an event I covered as much.) After the last of the true Cinderellas is eliminated this weekend, my interest in the tournament wanes until it's down to eight teams playing for the Final Four. ...

The Dartmouth women's team has a tough road ahead Sunday with Rutgers, perhaps the best defensive team in the country. Still, the Big Green will enjoy the weekend. The players are wearing shirts bearing this message on the back:

1 ticket to Leede Arena - $6
1 slice of pizza postgame - $1.25
1 pre-game meal - $12.50
1 Dartmouth degree - $120,000
Back-to-back trips to the Big Dance - Priceless

All of which is bringing on another rant. About the only thing as annoying as the Ivy presidents' ban on going to the playoffs is the Ivy League's lack of a postseason basketball tournament. While opinion is divided on the issue (Penn and Princeton fans abhor the idea that someone might sneak through and disrupt their hegemony) players, fans and coaches from six other schools would like nothing more than a chance to get a taste of the postseason. I've written about this many times and won't rehash all the reasons why I think it's a good idea. For someone else's perspective, check out what the Syracuse Daily Orange has to say, with quotes from Penn coach Fran Dunphy essentially supporting the tournament idea. (The DO requires signing up to read more than the first "take" but it's a quick and painless process.) Today's Cornell Sun has a column supporting the idea as well.