One’s relationship with the NCAA Tournament is comparable to a high school relationship. You guys had some great times together, sometimes they would surprise you, completely catching you off guard, like making a surprisingly deep run in the tournament. But in the end, there were too many times where you just ended up upset. (See what I did there?). After all the pain and heartbreak, you finally decide you never want to hurt like that again, and you both go your separate ways. You say to yourself, “I won’t get my hopes up again, they’re never going to change. This is who they are.”

But then every year, maybe when you are both home for the summer, maybe they just won the conference tournament (I don’t know, pretty broad examples), you fall into the same trap as years prior. “Maybe this time will be different.” You put your guard down, the thoughts of your happier times begin to creep in, the seed has been planted. (a 2 in the Midwest region) You begin to convince yourself that things are different now.  They show you the five-star recruits restaurants that are the best in town. They do everything they can to prove to you that they aren’t the same team person that broke your heart last year.

Ultimately, you decide to give things one more go around. “One more run,” you say to yourself. “I won’t let them hurt me again, this time WILL be different.” The ball is in their court now. Can they uphold their end of the bargain, and you the championship happiness that you deserve? The first week, the bar is set low, nothing mid-major, just a couple of tests to see if they are serious about making this thing work. They pass with flying colors. “Sweet, it feels like we are 16 again.” You start to smile, both remembering the old times and thinking about the new memories you plan on making together. Maybe you’ll put a title on your renewed fling. The expectations of them get higher, you begin planning a trip to Minneapolis together. It is getting serious.

Then, a week before your trip that they promised you would be going on, the rug is pulled from underneath you. They revert to their old self. The exact same things that hurt you in the past begin to resurface. They blew an 11 point lead and had shot 4-13 from the free throw line in the second half it. You aren’t going to Minneapolis together. You are heartbroken. “SHOOT How did this happen again? This is Madness. I bet everything on this working, it’s like he stole from me. “I thought it could work, I thought it would work. As morbid and sad as it sounds, you’ve been through this before. You have to pick up the pieces and have to March forward. There is a reason they are called April showers. You’ll find a way to move on from this recent betrayal. After all the pain and heartbreak, you finally decide you never want to hurt like that again. You say to yourself, “I won’t get my hopes up again, they’re never going to change. This is who they are.”