When it comes to March Madness, Dick Vitale is never at a loss for words

This year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament nailed its March Madness nickname with the first weekend producing a historic upset and unpredictable results.

Then again, that’s not surprising considering the entire season was devoid of dominant teams.

Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, a Lakewood Ranch resident also known for raising awareness for pediatric cancer research through the Jimmy V Foundation, took time Tuesday to talk to the Bradenton Herald about the NCAA Tournament’s first weekend and who he likes the rest of the way.

Here’s what Vitale shared:

Q. How crazy was that first weekend of the tournament?

A. It just goes to show you, what it really shows you is a lot of kids that can play that a lot of people don’t go out and look at. They look at the list and see all these McDonald’s All-Americans, all these great players that are heroes in their local community and they go and recruit them. There’s a lot of kids out there who can compete. And then there’s a scenario where players play with a chip on their shoulders to show that they’re just as good as that kid that got all that publicity and notoriety. And we’re seeing it, united as a team. I think the other thing that’s a big factor is you’ve got these teams you’re talking about “Upset City,” are teams that have been together, too. They’re not like the one-and-dones. They’ve got familiarity and rhythm. I think it’s great for basketball.

Q. So how has the one-and-done rule really shaped college basketball, where mid-major teams with more upperclassmen have had more success in recent years?

A. Kentucky is still alive and they’re one-and-done. Duke has four kids in their starting lineup that are basically freshmen. You can have success with that. (Kentucky coach) John Calipari has proven it. So has (Duke coach) Mike Krzyzewski, proven it that if you utilize it properly with the teaching, blend people and have great coaching — and those guys happen to be Hall of Fame coaches for a reason. So I’m not a fan of the one-and-done. If I have my way, kids should be allowed to go straight to the NBA if they have that desire. Once they step onto a campus, I’d love to see the baseball rule. I’ve been promoting that for the last 20 years, but nobody listens. I’d love the baseball rule that once you step onto a campus you can’t leave for three years ... or two years at least. But let the kids go. College is not for everyone. College is for kids that want to be in college. A lot of these kids we see playing basketball are only there to get marketability, name recognition and move on to play in the NBA. They could (not) care less about pursuing their degree.

Q. Who do you like the rest of the way?

A. My feeling is I like Gonzaga a lot, I like Kentucky, I like Villanova and I like Duke. I think Duke’s going to win the region. I think Syracuse has made an incredible run. A lot of people didn’t think they belonged. I just think that what they did in five days, to win three games in five days like they did against Arizona State, then they beat TCU and then they beat Michigan State in Detroit, that was an incredible accomplishment. Three in five days. The two-three zone has suffocated people, but I think Duke has some answers for that two-three. I did the Duke-Syracuse game and Syracuse really had no answer inside. (Marvin) Bagley (III) was a dunking machine against them.

Q. With all the upsets, which are the ones that really shocked you besides Virginia’s exit?

A. I’d call them surprises not shocks. Virginia was a total shock. Loyola-Chicago winning on clutch shots like they did certainly surprised people from the likes of Miami and Tennessee. But they set the tone earlier this year how legit they were. They came to Gainesville when Florida was playing well and they beat Florida at Florida. When Loyola did that, I said to myself, “Make a memory of that team. That team could be trouble.” And they are. You don’t just go to Gainesville and beat Florida like that and not be a good team.

Q. What about defending champion North Carolina getting eliminated early?

A. Yeah, the way they got beat. See, Texas A&M had a great preseason ranking. They sort of slid there. Suspensions, had academic problems and then all of a sudden they got a little bit hot at the end and earned a bid. And they were good enough rebound-wise, strong on the glass and not surprised they beat Carolina. I’m surprised they beat them by 21 points.

This story was originally published March 20, 2018 at 4:45 PM with the headline "When it comes to March Madness, Dick Vitale is never at a loss for words."