Hello again, It’s an exciting time of year! The snow is melting (for the fifth time I think), the birds are singing, and the sun is hot! It can only mean one thing - time for NCAA March Madness.
We like to celebrate March Madness here at MotionWorks, if only to create some excitement to get us through the prolonged agony that can be springtime in Wisconsin. It is fun to watch these games, and even the state high school basketball games. We see stories like our own in a time not too long ago, the struggle to overcome, the will to win, and the execution to overcome a big deficit, or the blow of defeat that teaches us something too. However, this year, the Wisconsin Badgers are giving us a little more than a several day diversion from our still too cold to really do anything outside weather.
In case you missed it, the under-rated #8 seed Wisconsin Badgers just defeated the top team #1 seed in the entire tournament - last years’ tournament champion - Villanova. What a game it was, with an ending in the last seventeen seconds that proved once again, that defense wins championships (free throws don’t hurt either)!
The most interesting part of this win began one week earlier, with the Wisconsin Badgers being seeded in the tournament far lower than their Big Ten counterparts who they beat handily during the regular season. With this slight placing a solid chip on their shoulders, the Badgers had more than a little bit to prove, when after winning their first game against Virginia Tech on Thursday. Then Saturday came, with the buzz even in Badgerland being low expectations for a win against the domineering reigning NCAA Divison One Champions Villanova.
During the game, top Badger players got into foul trouble early, resulting in more bench time than playing minutes. The Wisconsin Badger bench brought their “A” game, with the Badgers up by 4 at the half. Early in the second period, the Badger held their own, but after even more foul trouble, they fell behind and it looked like the Badgers just might fold. With five minutes left, top players with 3 and 4 fouls returned to the floor, and proved the value of seniors on a basketball team with experience playing together in the tournament. The Badgers could not and would not be rattled by a supposedly superior team. Choosing instead to believe in themselves, Wisconsin calmly and methodically got back in the lead and didn’t let it go with seventeen seconds remaining.
Expectations are powerful. When high expectations exist, the pressure is on, and we feel it. With low expectations, the pressure is off, and we are left to our own internal motivation to get the job done. What kind of stuff are we made of? Will we sink or swim? Will our teammates do the same? Life offers many opportunities to practice perseverance, resilience, and a chance to “beat the odds.” The Badgers showed up to play. What will we do with our next opportunity?
Carrying on,
Jill
Dr. Jill Murphy
Owner/Physical Therapist
MotionWorks Physical Therapy