My email:
Will,
Love your stuff, but man oh man, sit back and behold the ballad of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
The Deacs haven't been to a Final Four since Billy Packer was its point guard in 1962. That is Wake's only trip to the Final 4. Had 2 of the best players at their positions in the HISTORY OF BASKETBALL in Tim Duncan and Chris Paul and still couldn't get there. Had the National Player of the Year in Josh Howard in 2003 and lost as a #2 seed to a #10 seed in the 2nd round. Had a starting lineup featuring 4 future NBA players in 2009 (James Johnson, Jeff Teague, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Ish Smith) and got utterly destroyed in the 1st round by Cleveland freaking State. Ranked #1 in the country at one point in both 2005 and 2009 and failed to even make the Sweet 16 either season.
And the coup de grace, William, the real kick in the nuts: OUR HEAD COACH FREAKING DIED. Seriously, what other program can claim to have had its beloved head coach die suddenly and unexpectedly? He was murdered by God. RIP, Skip Prosser.
Adding insult to injury of course is the fact that UNC and Duke are 45 minutes away, going to Final 4s and winning national championships like it's their job. UNC's motto this year was "Redemption," like they endured so much suffering by advancing to their billionth Final 4 and losing in the title game last year, that they DESERVED a national title this year. And the motherfuckers got it. Sigh.
Keep up the good work, but next year when you do this list, I expect the Deacs to be pretty high up on this bad boy, assuming there isn't a shocking rash of coaches' deaths in the next 12 months.
