College sports are full of upsets, heartbreaks, miracles and dreams come true. Even though exhibition games don't actually count,"" two Big Ten teams were upset by Division II teams. But the question remains, what should people make of these results?
On Nov. 2, Michigan State lost in double overtime to Grand Valley State by a final score of 85-82.
Four days later, Ohio State fell to Findlay by a final score of 70-68. Even though both of these teams are ranked among the top 25 Division II teams in the nation, you have to ask yourself: Should Big Ten teams be tripped up by Division II teams?
I don't care if these games are listed as exhibition or not. It is embarrassing if a Division I university is defeated by a Division II underdog.
Exhibition games should count for something, especially because these games may be the only time smaller schools have the opportunity to battle more distinguished university programs.
I'm sure the Division I teams make a concsious effort to win their exhibition games, but I highly doubt they give it their best effort, especially when I see their starters spending large amounts of the time on the sidelines.
Those two games are not the only upsets the NCAA basketball league has experienced this season either.
No. 20 Kentucky lost its second regular season game to the unranked Gardner-Webb last week Wednesday in the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic. This mid-major team did not pull ahead by just a few points, nor did it get lucky in overtime; Gardner-Webb won by 12 points. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, this game actually did count.
Basketball is not the only sport to have these upsets. Of the Top 25 college football teams, No. 4 Kansas and No. 13 Hawaii are the only two teams to win every game this season. No. 7 Ohio State got bumped back from the No. 1 spot last week after its loss to unranked Illinois Sunday.
The constant shifting of the Top 25 teams may occur this basketball season if ranked teams continue to falter to less talented teams. Playing down to the opponent's level seems to be a problem most teams have had trouble overcoming this year.
Perhaps the most important questions regarding college sports this season is whether or not these upsets should be considered nightmares or miracles. Whenever I think about this question, my mind automatically takes me to the movie ""Hoosiers.""
For those of you not familiar with this film, ""Hoosiers"" is about a smalltown high school basketball team from Hickory, Ind., that has to rebuild itself under the command of a well-disciplined first-year head coach.
After weeks of the team struggling and the townspeople questioning the system of the new coach, the team finally finds a way to come together and qualifies for Indiana's state championship game. Instead of playing a different small town team, Hickory must battle the most powerful high school in the state.
You guessed it. At the end of the movie, Hickory unexpectedly defeats its opponent with a shot at the buzzer.
This outcome was viewed by the audience as a miracle, but should all of the upsets in college sports this season be seen in the same light?
In my mind, it all depends on which team you are a fan of. As a UW student, I would be be embarrassed if the Badgers lost to a Division II school, and I'm not even a player.
I'm sure every small school athlete dreams of defeating a Division I powerhouse. This gives them an advantage, since they have nothing to lose.
In the end, it all comes down to one thing: heart. Some teams have more heart than others. Those are the teams that cause upsets. Those are the teams like Hickory.
If you think ""Hoosiers"" is one of the best sports films of all time, e-mail Crystal at crowns@wisc.edu.
