The End of My March Madness..

Hail to the Orange,
Hail to the Blue,
Hail Alma Mater,
Ever so true (so true).
We love no other,
so let our motto be Victory,
Illinois, Varsity! (Listen)

This is the University of Illinois alma mater. It is such a simple song that every student and alumni can sing. As thousands of students, alumni, and fans sing the alma mater during the halftime of every Illini game, the Chief Illiniwek dances (see vedio) and stands at the center of the field with his arms extended towards the sky. This celebrated tradition known as "Three-in-One" has been performed for nearly 75 years. In Taiwan, we don't seem to have this kind of long lasting relationship with school. If you don't agree, can you sing your school alma mater? (^_^)

You must be wondering why i am still so involved in college ball game after graduating from Illinois for more than 6 years. Of course it is related to the gender. Usually men have one additional DNA - Sports - compared to women. (Angie might be an exception. How luck i am to have my wife watch ball game with me). But most importantly, it is related to the unique traditions that i have experienced in Illinois. I still remember the first Illini ball game Angie and I went to. I was fascinated by the full house of crowds dressing up in Orange (our school color) and singing the alma mater together. These traditions really become common memories that all students and alumni share.

Back to the March Madness...
"A Season to Remember" perfectly describes Illini's amazing journey last year, as Illini made to the final championship game the first time in Illinois's 100 year men’s basketball history. What a great season! This acomplishment sets a high expectation for Illini fans like me coming to the tournament, but I do realize the challenge to repeat what Illini has done last year.

However, Washington's stunning 67-64 win over Illinois in the second round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament shocked me and ended my March madness this year. With 36 seconds left in the game and Illini chased by 2, I prayed for another come back as we did last year. Well...You know what happened! Sometimes you wonder why we can't have both teams win, so nobody leaves the game heart broken.