Dear Head Coach Mike Martin ’94 and the Brown University Bears Varsity Men’s Basketball Team,

I hope this missive finds you well. I am first and foremost a fan of your team–one of a select group, really–but I am also a concerned freshman at the university you represent. You see, there are only a few things I want to come away with from my college experience: a decent education; some good memories; some means of securing steady and potentially lucrative employment; and a trip to the NCAA Divison I Men’s Basketball tournament.

Unfortunately, this latter desire seems out of reach. Reaching the NCAA tournament (aka March Madness, aka The Big Dance) requires winning the Ivy League regular-season title: the Ivy League–echoing its academically elitist, survival-of-the-fittest ethos–is the only of the 32 D-I conferences that does not hold a postseason tournament to determine its winner. Postseason tournaments reward good teams, but they also reward lucky ones. Regular-season championships only reward good teams. And as an alumnus like yourself probably knows, Coach Martin, the Brown basketball program has had trouble offering any good teams, much less consistently good teams.

Before I go any further, I want to offer the following disclaimer: I love the Brown basketball team. I attended three of the past four home games, and only missed the fourth because of an unavoidable scheduling conflict. I am possibly the only person ever to download the 790 AM Radio app in order to listen to Brown basketball games on my phone. I have used ESPN’s Gamecast feature to follow every road game of consequence. And I think, from my admittedly limited observation, that every single member of the team seems like both a good human being and a competent basketball player. I just wish this collection of good human beings and competent basketball players could provide Brown the one additional dimension it sorely lacks (besides global prestige on par with its rivals, decent weather, and a nap room). [Read more →]

ROOOOOOOOAR

Here’s something you may have missed whilst enjoying your eggnog, Santa, and [whatever else people do for Christmas, don't ask this Jew]. Playing Providence College at home for the first time since you were born, Brown men’s basketball pulled a shocking upset of its in-city Big East big brothers, winning 69-68 on a three-pointer from just-announced Ivy League player of the week forward Tucker Halpern with seven seconds remaining. Halpern’s trey completed a seven-point comeback in the last 43 seconds. Awesome.

OK, so this rockin’ victory happened last Friday, but give us a break (eh? break? see what I did there?), we’re on vacation. Da Bears get another crack at an in-state rival with more pedigree when they go to URI tomorrow. Ivy League play opens January 19 at Pizzitola vs. Yale. Blog will be there. Will you?

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Not all of us are basketball fans, but when it comes to March, one thing rises above all the jibber-jabber of the world and stands as a glowing beacon of guestimation and lost productivity for all mankind: MARCH MADNESS. The first weekend of back-to-back-to-back-to… well, you get it… basketball has just gotten under way. Rather than discuss all the matchups (and delight in how early Harvard is going to bite the dust), we’re bringing you golden nuggets of prediction from our two literate people who occasionally browse ESPN.com resident experts in college basketball: Seth Kleinschmidt and Julien Ouellet. So kick back, pray for LIU-Brooklyn to pull off an upset, and get that CBS music stuck in your head.

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The men’s basketball team tore through Columbia Saturday night, earning a 94-78 victory. The matchup marked the final home game for Bruno’s lone senior, Jean Harris ’12, who connected on the Bears’ first basket of the night and finished with 17 points. The squad was extremely efficient, shooting 57.7 percent from the field and an astounding 63.6 percent from beyond the arc. Point guard Sean McGonagill ’14 led the team with 28 points to go along with eight rebounds and eight assists.