March madness is coming to a close and only four teams remain in contention for the championship. Although “the big dance,” or any dance at all eluded the men’s basketball team for the second year in a row, many athletes at N.C. State are in pursuit of a championship of their own – the intramural championship.
The field of 141 men’s open teams and 37 co-rec teams has been narrowed down to 4 each. However, rather than North Carolina, Louisville, Villanova and UConn, the men’s final four consists of WPW United, Simple Jack, Money Bi$cuits and Pippen Ain’t Easy. Abusement Park, Blouses, who got next and Snap Crackle Pop remain in co-rec contention.
The action begins tonight when Abusement Park and Blouses square off and who got next and Snap Crackle Pop face each other at 7:30 p.m. Those two games will be followed by WPW United against Simple Jack and Money Bi$cuits verses Pippen Ain’t Easy at 8:30 p.m. in Carmichael Gymnasium.
Several players from each of the opposing teams know or at least have played with or against each other in pick-up games. The familiarity of the other players and teams should make the games even more intense.
“The next team we play, we know most of the people on the team. And they have a group of guys on the team that have won it the past couple of years,” Matt Kostelic of Money Bi$cuits said.
“I think we will have a pretty tough game [against Pippen Ain’t Easy], but if we play as a team and do what we’ve been doing we’ve got a pretty good shot at winning.”
Pippen Ain’t Easy, arguably the most talented team in the tournament, is comprised of a few players from last year’s men’s open championship team, Mercy Rule, and is looking to repeat and continue its success into the National Intramural Championships.
“Repeating would be fun. I am doing it with a little different team this time, I’m doing it with some friends who I have been playing with for a while,” Anthony Parris of Pippen Ain’t Easy said. “I’ve been in the championship for the last three years – we lost in the championship two years ago and won it last year – and we’re in the final four again this year. But our bigger goal is to get back to nationals and win nationals because we had an early exit last year.”
Parris is also a member of the co-rec team who got next and notes that he will be looking for a championship in that bracket as well. According to Paris, having girls that know how to play effectively is a huge key to success.
“Usually we pick up girls that aren’t afraid to shoot and [are] able to play defense,” Parris said. “We pick up girls who know how to play basketball and are able to run the floor, but being sound defensively is probably the biggest thing.”
Nostalgia will fill the gym tonight as teams battle for a shot at the ever-so-coveted intramural champions t-shirt.
“When you get out there, especially this far into the tournament it really feels like a high school game again,” Kostelic said. “You got people on the sidelines and people watching the game and cheering, it just brings back memories. It makes you feel young again.”
Parris agreed with Kostelic and said intramurals have always been a way for him to continue to compete and have fun with the sport he loves.
“I’m reliving my hoop dreams,” Parris said. “It’s the closest thing I’ve got to playing basketball with real refs again.”
