Column: Tourney game lacked outside entertainment

But when the game ended, I was disappointed. The Tigers’ performance should be applauded. Seriously. We had a rough start but gained the momentum we needed to stay close on the scoreboard and even lead at times. Also, let’s not forget that we were playing Kentucky, the leader in all-time wins and all-time winning percentage in the history of college basketball. Our fans deserve some recognition as well. They screamed until it hurt. Especially the one with the sign that said “Davis actually took his SATs,” referring to junior guard Doug Davis.

But still, I was disappointed. What got to me was the absence of certain features that I believe every NCAA game should have.

Fantastic commercials are to the Super Bowl what cheerleaders are to college basketball. Throughout the entire game I saw cheerleaders on the screen approximately five times. This is inexcusable. Cheerleaders, the ones who are constantly doing back handsprings, throwing small girls in the air, and telling me to shout, “Defense!” are integral to any and every college basketball game. Furthermore, they are the next best thing to watch when teams are taking time-outs.

Next, a key part of the rivalry on the court is the competition between mascots. The mascots were too friendly and never made an attempt to prove which one was the alpha mascot. Nothing makes a fan smile more than two people dressed in giant, furry, animal suits taunting one another.

The culmination of every proper mascot competition is the mascot fight, and I’m guessing that the tiger versus the wildcat would have been an extremely close match — however, I’m starting to doubt my guessing skills because so far my bracket is 24 for 48.

Finally, I saw minimal confrontation between coaches and referees. Though they are often short-lived and rarely turn out well for the coach, these high-intensity arguments are one of the highlights of every college basketball game.

Something about the mix between challenging authority and yelling at someone inches from his face makes for a fantastic display. For the record, both Sydney Johnson ’97, Princeton’s head coach, and John Calipari, Kentucky’s head coach, did well in regard to yelling at their own players, but that is no substitute for challenging the man with the obnoxious whistle.

Some people believe that team supporters should keep their eyes fixed on the court at all times. I strongly disagree.

The reality is that there are multiple informal contests at every ball game between cheerleaders, mascots, coaches and even fans. When any of the contests in the stadium becomes uninteresting, it’s easy to transfer your gaze to another one. Luckily, the Tigers tend to keep things interesting on the court, field and track, but when things do slow down, odds are that I’ll be staring at the cheerleaders.