There Is A Method To My March Madness

by Kevin Burton    I can’t imagine a scenario where I am completely immune to the madness.    While you and your office mates filled out brackets last week, that was only a fleeting thought for me. Didn’t come close to working up the enthusiasm. But that doesn’t mean I can’t be found on the …

A Wichita State, Post-Season Resurrection

by Kevin Burton    I printed an NIT bracket Sunday night, because I always do. I was looking for one thing, but got myself a shocker.    Make that a Shocker, capital S  Shocker.    Just two days after Wichita State lost in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, and one day after I posted a …

Deflated Wichita State Program Limps Offstage

by Kevin Burton    Well, at least it’s over.    The 2024-25 version of Wichita State basketball bowed out yesterday, when the Shockers lost an American Athletic Conference tournament quarterfinal game to Memphis 83-80.    The team went 19-14 this year and will not go to a post-season tournament. They were far from sublime, not …

Why Do We Love March Madness So Much?

by Kevin Burton   In the bad old days, being without a girlfriend, or a date, or even a prayer, on Valentine’s Day was a sharp searing pain to the psyche.    Now by comparison, being without a basketball team for the big dance, or even the little dance, is a dull ache. March Madness is …

SI: North Carolina’s NIT Decision Was Lame

by Kevin Burton    North Carolina head basketball coach Hubert Davis, hurting after his team coughed up a 16-point lead and the NCAA tournament final to Kansas last April, nevertheless had gracious words for his players.    “I can’t be more proud of the group that I just coached this year,” Davis said in a …

Of Past Glory, Duds And Small Things

by Kevin Burton    The first time I heard the word “dud” was in the context of fireworks.     Something you paid good money for didn’t work.  The promise of boom-boom, the reality of silence, or maybe a little hissing.    No bang for the buck.    Of course the term applies to many other …

More Hoops Notes: Midtgaard Comes Alive

by Kevin Burton    Wow, shame on me!    I did a story about the players who left Wichita State’s basketball program after last year (“Ex-Shockers Prospering With New Teams,” Feb. 7) and didn’t even mention Asbjorn Midtgaard.    He averaged just 2.7 points and 2.6 rebounds per game in his three seasons at WSU. …