Molly Tumanic

Watching the NCAA Men’s Tournament game between Georgia Tech and Kansas on March 28 reminded me of why I enjoy the NCAA, especially this time of year. I enjoy college sports more than pro, especially when it comes to basketball.

Just watching that game made me want to be in St. Louis that weekend, not just to see the game, but also to capture the raw emotions that come with competition, especially tournament competition. That might be the photographer in me.

Seeing the images on television, I just couldn’t help but wish I had a camera there. There was the Kansas bench as Kansas’ J.R. Giddens sank the 3-point jumper at the buzzer to take the two teams into overtime.

Players were holding each other back, resisting the urge to rush the court. Kansas’ mood was later dampened in overtime, however.

I think there also is more emotion involved in college sports. For most of these athletes this might be the only time they play the sport at this level, with national attention. Not only that, but for some of the senior athletes this might be the last game of their college career. The tournament seems more at a personal level anyone can relate to, partly due to the fact that it’s college. The athletes involved are students like us.

The excitement and upset of the tournament this weekend produced photos with great extremes when it came to emotion.

There was the photo of Connecticut’s Emeka Okafor and Coach Jim Calhoun with their almost unbelievable smiles after UConn’s win over Duke in San Antonio on Saturday.

This is in contrast with the photo of Duke’s Chris Duhon looking down, unlacing his shoes in the locker room after the loss. Duhon is a senior at Duke, and I think the photo really captured the fact that this was the last college game for him. The photo was a somber look that really captured the idea that this was it.

The weekend also created some great images that did not have athletes in them at all. I think one of my favorite images of the tournament was shot as a youth basketball team dribbled around the Alamodome in San Antonio Sunday. The enthused look on the childrens’ faces also reminded me of why this tournament involves so much more than any pro-level sporting event.

The exhilaration of the weekend left two teams in the NCAA Tournament. UConn will play Georgia Tech in the NCAA National Final today at 8 p.m. in San Antonio on CBS.

For me, watching the NCAA Tournament is not just about the scores, the plays or who advances, it’s the love of watching the raw emotion that comes with it.