{"id":8007,"date":"2010-03-26T10:00:08","date_gmt":"2010-03-26T14:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.AchieveMax.com\/blog\/?p=8007"},"modified":"2013-07-01T15:42:16","modified_gmt":"2013-07-01T19:42:16","slug":"bracket-browsing-at-the-big-dance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/achievemax.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/26\/bracket-browsing-at-the-big-dance\/","title":{"rendered":"Bracket Browsing at the “Big Dance”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, it’s that time of year again … March Madness … when anyone who loves B-Ball forgets all else for a few short weeks.<\/p>\n

As much as I love the game\u2014from my high school days through 20 years of announcing both boys’ and girls’ games at my alma mater\u2014I’ve always felt the game mirrored life in so many ways. There always seemed to be valuable lessons to learn on the court and yet, ultimately, many never seemed to learn many of the most crucial and often times most obvious. The same certainly holds true today.<\/p>\n

As we advance into the NCAA “Sweet Sixteen,” I couldn’t help but notice an ever-emerging trend in the bracket results thus far.<\/p>\n

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  1. 5 teams have been eliminated after losing by a mere THREE POINTS!<\/li>\n
  2. 5 teams are now history after being beaten by only TWO POINTS!<\/li>\n
  3. 3 teams have had their Championship Dreams destroyed by coming up ONE POINT short at the buzzer!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now for those who constantly tell us: “DON’T SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!” … I’d love to invite you into the locker rooms of the above 13 teams to spread your gospel.<\/p>\n

    A free throw is considered “small stuff” by far too many people on and off the court! To others it’s the decisive factor between a very long and challenging winning or losing season!<\/p>\n

    I watched one of my favorite teams, heavily favored by the way, get booted out of the Big Ten Tournament in their first game. Simple math tells the ugly story.<\/p>\n