37 Days to Go

As a lifelong football fan, it is strange that in the middle of a football season that's better than in recent memories, I find myself more excited that Nevada Basketball is just around the corner. This very weekend, I don't know what to be more excited over: the beginning of practice for basketball, or the football game with first place in the conference on the line.

Perhaps it is because the nature of the NCAA Tournament in basketball makes it possible for a good season to mean a trip to the national playoffs, with a chance to win gmaes, whereas even a remarkable football season means a mid-level and forgetable bowl game.

Perhaps it's because I like seeing my school's name spoken with respect by people who couldn't pronounce it correctly when Nevada beat Michigan State and upset Gonzaga two years ago. Perhaps it's because ESPN.com led it's college basketball section with a story about my team over the weekend. Perhaps it's because CBS Sports listed not one but two Nevada players in its analysis of the top 20 players at each position. Perhaps it's because the WAC media and coaches unanimously voted for Nevada to take first place in the conference, with Nevada's own coah being the only one to vote for another team (because I believe one isn't allowed to vote for his own team). Perhaps it's because these same media and coaches picked Nick Fazekas to be the player of the year in the WAC - the same Nick Fazekas picked by CBS as the third-best power forward in the country. And perhaps it's because Nevada, gaining a top-25 ranking last year and retaining most starters, bench players, and the head coach, is under consideration as a preseason top-25 this year.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I guess this is what it means to me.