I miss basketball. I miss being on the court. I miss being with my team, and right now, I really miss being part of March Madness. During my four years of college, I was fortunate enough to play each year in the NCAA tournament. Bowdoin made it to four consecutive elite eight games; two painful games away from winning a national championship. We didn’t win, but, I consider myself lucky for the experience.

I remember the night after we lost the national championship game during my freshman year. I remember writing in a journal about how badly I wanted to win one. I remember feeling competitive that night, feeling determined. I never consistently played as determined as I wanted to that night. Even though we didn’t win, I look back on my four years and recognize all of our accomplishments-- most of the time I manage not to think about the short falls. I’m good at rationalizing the situation. What else can you do with the regrets and the feelings of not living up to your potential?

One thing I’ve done is become a Stanford women’s basketball fan. I’m living vicariously through them. I’ve been to 6 or 7 games this season and I love this team. Their starting five are smart, competitive, consistent, team-oriented and incredibly talented. Watching this team, you can feel how badly they want a national championship. Interview after interview, they talk about their goals, and how much they want to win it all. I feel for them. I want to believe they can do it. This season, I want to believe they can beat the University of Connecticut (UCONN). UCONN has been unstoppable this year and they are the only team to beat Stanford. UCONN is faster, more athletic, and probably more talented player for player-- but I ‘believe’ this Stanford team could be a national championship team.

Sometimes I wish Stanford didn’t have to win it all so that the players would have no regrets after the final buzzer. But then again that’s the beauty and craziness of March Madness; the drive to win it all and be the last team standing. The tournament is about the excitement, the pain, the determination and effort, and finally the celebration. By mid April there will only be one team left, only one team in the country gets to end its season on a win. I’m hoping it’s the Standford Cardinals.