This tournament is in an AU. As you can see, I messed around with the Power Ranger time line so I could include Rangers from SPD. This tournament takes place in 2005.
The beginning of spring. For most people, the extra amount of sun during the day brought happiness. Many people believed that the sun and the idea of spring relieved them from stress. They could feel the end of the year coming and summer break in their grasp. People walked more briskly and care free. Ah yes, to most the Spring Time was considered one of the best times of the year.
Though to some, spring brought pressure and chaos and most of all madness. When March came around, some people knew that this would be the most pressured and stressful month of their year. Yes, March meant March Madness, and this meant the NCAA basketball tournament was going to begin.
Though this tournament was different from any other. True, it seemed like a normal game to most as the rules were the same. Two twenty-minute halves and over time if needed. Seven fouls until the penalty for a team and six fouls for a player to be fouled out of the game. The team who scored the most amount of points at the end of the game wins and like always there are only five players on the floor at the time. Though this is what made the tournament so crazy and different from other sports, you lose and you go home. No matter how far you made it in the tournament, one loss meant elimination. There are no second chances. There were sixty-four teams to start and the one team that could go undefeated would win it all.
For some teams, it was worse than others. The lower seed you were, the harder teams you had to face first. Though for the high seeded teams, being upset by the lower seeded teams was one of the worst feelings that they would ever feel. Being undefeated for any time is a near impossible feat and only one team could do it. This tournament not only tested teams skills, but their mental toughness and their desire to win it all.
For Angel Grove University, this would be a real test for them. This was the first year that both teams got into the tournament and was their first entry in history. Both teams had a scrappy eighteen win season and lost ten games, but by coming in second place in the Pacific Ten Tournament, both teams cemented a spot in the round of sixty four. Their teams were fairly young and they were the twelfth out of a possible sixteen in the West Part of the Bracket. To make it worse for both teams, they both had the number one seeded Duke teams in their division. There was no doubt that Duke was the best team in both the Men and Women's division. To get into the final four, which was the promise land for any team, it would mean that Angel Grove University would have to beat the Duke Blue Devils.
There were two days before the tournament began and both teams were nervous. While they were happy to have a spot in the tournament, they knew that winning would not be so easy. In fact they knew that the odds against them were unreal. They were just hoping to do the best they could and give it their all at winning. They were practicing like crazy since the brackets were announced and they were well prepared for this. They just hoped that everything would go well. It was a late night and all the teammates decided to get together and have some dinner. They were all talking amongst themselves and were recounting the six days ago when they heard that they were in the tournament.
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Both teams had just finished some running drills when they went to the TV to watch ESPN. They were all crossing their fingers as ESPN was about to release which teams made it to the tournament. All the players were kind of jittery. They knew that their eighteen win and ten loss season was kind of scrappy, but they were hoping that their second place finish in the PAC 10 tournament which they finished in second place and gave them an overall record of twenty one wins and eleven losses would be good enough to cement them a place in the tournament.
After a lot of speculation and talk by the announcers, they were ready to release the bracket.
Bill Cower: "Ladies, and gentlemen. Here is what you have been waiting for. The release of the Men and Women NCAA Basketball Division 1 tournament. In just five days, March Madness will begin. Just to remind you, there are four brackets and sixteen teams in each bracket. Each bracket has seeded teams numbers one through sixteen. The number sixteen team plays the number one team, the number fifteen team plays the number two team, the number fourteen team plays the number three team, the number thirteen team plays the number four team, the number twelve team plays the number five team, the number eleven team plays the number six team, the number ten team plays the number seven team, and the ninth team squares off against the number eight team. Lets start off with the ladies bracket."
Steven Jackson: "In the South, the seedlings are number sixteen, Central Connecticut. At number fifteen we have Texas A&M. At number fourteen we have Creighton. …"
For the women team the list went on forever. They were no nerve racked because they hadn't been called once yet. Only the Western bracket was left and the girls knew that they could not possibly be ranked higher than number ten. If they weren't called soon, they knew that they would not be in it.
Langston McDonald: "Finally in the Western Bracket. At number sixteen, Penn State. At number fifteen, we have Pitt. At number fourteen, we have SIU. At number thirteen, we have Rutgers. At number twelve, we have Angel Grove University. Quick congratulations to the girls team as this is their first bid in the tournament ever."
As the girls heard this, they screamed as loud as they could. So they weren't number ten, but they made the tournament and did a nice job. They quickly quitted down as they wanted to hear the number five team they would play against.
Langston: "At number five we have Illinois. … At number one, we have the powerhouse of the tournament, the Duke Blue Devils."
The girls were a bit scared to hear this as Duke was the powerhouse of the tournament and if they had to face them, the best team they would probably have to face in the tournament. The girls learned this the hard way, as they got crushed eighty nine to fifty the only time they played Duke during the season, not to mention the fact that Angel Grove was the home team. Though, they weren't so concerned about Duke right now. They were just concentrated on beating Illinois and making it to the round of thirty-two.
Bill Cower: "Now to start with the Men's bracket."
Steven: "In the South, at number sixteen is Nevada. Louisville is at number fifteen. Albany is number fourteen. Long Beach State is thirteen. Xavier is number twelve. BYU is number eleven. Creighton is number ten. Surprising UPenn is number nine."
The men's team was also starting to get a bit nervous as they knew that if they weren't called up soon, it meant they would not be in the tournament. Like the ladies, the men knew that a number ten seed was probably the best they could hope for.
Langston: "Finally in the Eastern Bracket. At number sixteen, Eastern Kentucky. At number fifteen, Oral Roberts. At number fourteen, Winthrop. At number thirteen, UNLV. At number twelve, Angel Grove University. Again congrats to the school as this is the men's first ever bid into the tournament."
The boys then launched into the air and screamed as loud as they could. They knew that their bracket was tough and that they would have to be at their best every game, but they were happy that they made it into the tournament. They then quitted down as the number five seed was about to be announced.
Langston: "At number five is Virginia Tech … At number one is the powerhouse of the tournament the Duke Blue Devils."
The boys were a bit nervous when they heard Virginia Tech's name and it wasn't any better for them when they heard that Duke was in their bracket. Virginia Tech creamed them eighty-six to sixty three when Angel Grove University was at home. The loss to Duke was even more embarrassing. Though the men knew that their goal was to take down Virginia Tech in the first round.
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The team members were finishing up their meals when Jack Landers, the starting Point Guard for the Men's team, stood up.
Jack: "Guys, in two days the first round begins. I am proud of both of our teams. Now lets make a pact. We are going to go past the first round. You ladies are going to take down Illinois and we are going to beat Virginia Tech. We practiced so hard and I know that we can do this. As long as we stick together and play hard, I know that this is possible."
The rest of the teammates stood up and nodded their heads, giving each other words of encouragement and high fives before they went to their rooms. They knew that after tonight ended, one game would remain before they would leave their college home to go play in the tournament. They were all praying for the best.