Chris Burton Davidson College student

"So, tell me, what is Davidson really like?"

What do they want to see?

Who is America's latest and greatest darling?

Can we do it? Shall we?

Do we dare to punch our ticket to an even greater state of legend?

This weekend continued to bring me to higher heights of anticipation. After the Wisconsin win, I stayed up until 6 that morning to put the finishing touches on a paper. Saturday served as one of the most exciting days of my life. I was invited to be one of the guests on "Good Morning America." I spoke with a representative of the program who was really excited to talk with me about everything going on with us. From the buses, the hotel, and our friendships with the players. You get a feeling, after talking with people outside of the community about these things, that all your information serves to create people's mental snapshots.

The depth, context, and process of each of these players' lives, our lives as members of the Davidson community, is manufactured, packaged, and (tragically) oversimplified through sound bytes, captions, headlines, and the like.

Hearing questions like "So how wild is it over there?" "So, do you know Steph?" and a variety of comments about our presupposed, albeit--in some circumstances, quite true--wealth and adorable nerdiness brought me to the conclusion that the media--save any villainous, premeditative, or malicious stereotypes (conspiracies)--is utterly incapable of revealing the humanity of these situations. On Sunday, all I could think of was mass media's disregard for depth.

All we want to see is that cutesy snapshot of textbook holding, "Sweet Caroline" singing students, who are more silver spoon than underdog. And while those who don't know--or for those who would rather reside in the realm of perception--will argue for the validity of this presentation. What they will fail to comprehend is that this team is a manifestation of our community's ethos. That what those men have done on the basketball court represents our values, successes, and dreams.

I am proud of this team and amongst my favorite teams over the past 15 years as a basketball fan (nearly two-thirds of my life), I count them as my absolute favorite. Having had the pleasure to call many of these gentlemen friends, I've never been more personally invested in a ball team. I grew up a Knicks fan but these Wildcats' successes mean so much more. I will never study with Patrick Ewing for a Political Science exam. Allan Houston never traded jokes with me in the student union. This has meant so much because I was able to watch good people become legends and maintain an incredible sense of humility.

So I encourage you to look at these men as more than a snapshot, let the memories of this run outlast the "15 Minutes" syndrome that is oft attributed to "feel good" stories. This was more than a Cinderella story; it was the manifestation of hard work, discipline, and an unapologetic confidence that leaves Davidson beaten, but unbowed.

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Bus ride to Detroit

4:40 AM: On the bus, fired up and ready to make history. Barely a minute into our journey and I can tell it's going to be epic, one of those experiences you'll tell to your future grandchildren or something. Sometimes people say they can "feel it in the air" but right now I definitely feel it in my knees! At six foot three, there's no question that this trip will let me know what Ric Flair's figure four leg lock feels like. I have both legs in the aisle and am typing away as people file onto the bus trying to negotiate space. Surprisingly, chatter is buzzing still and I find out that I am not the only one who hasn't slept yet.

4:46:First directive of the day, "MAKE SOME NOISE FOR CHANNEL 14!" Cameraman runs onto the bus for the obligatory "insanely excited college student" shot. It's amazing how cameras can get everyone excited on command.

Bus erupts into cheers and it is without a doubt everyone is wide awake.

Well not wide-awake. Caffeine and adrenaline can only do so much.

5:17:Still in the parking lot waiting for the Davidson fleet to advance towards glory. Starting to get a little sleepy...couple folks get on and legroom becomes even tighter.

5:24:Getting ready to finally leave. List passed around to collect cell phone numbers and our bus driver gives his speech. Main points: welcome, and restroom is for emergency use only because "what you deposit here stays with us." Applause erupts as we finally are on our way to our destiny in Detroit.

5:29:One of the students announces a freestyle rap competition at 2pm on the bus. We'll see who has a sweet sixteen for the sweet 16.

5:31:A group of students are trading stories about their time on the bus Davidson took to the protests in Jena last fall. Everyone sounds like veterans of the cross country tour; trading anecdotes about seats reclined on knees, talkative neighbors, and how animated our driver was. We're on Bus number 2 out of the 6 buses leaving from Davidson and our driver seems much more reserved. Cries of "LIGHTS!" from various students state the obvious fatigue that is setting in.

The lights dim but I think I've got a bit of a second wind. This whole situation makes me feel like it's Christmas Eve. I haven't been this excited about basketball since the 90s, when I pulled for the Knicks year after year.

Our bus is a pretty good example of the diverse group headed to this momentous event. I go to the games religiously and see students here who are regulars and newcomers swept up in the inescapable phenomenon that our team has become.

5:54:The bus is quiet except for a few quiet conversations. I'd say 95 percent of the bus is asleep now. I'll get a little sleep myself, as I've been awake for 23 hours now.

7:32:Awakened by group leader's enthusiasm. You know that feeling when sleep is just setting in and you're really getting rest? Completely interrupted. Most people remain awake for a bit and we're talking about how we are going straight to the game and not stopping at the hotel first. We look okay right now but my money's on us looking like extras from I Am Legend by the time we reach Detroit.

11:35:In Ohio now. At least three busloads got a chance for a brief reunion in the Ohio welcome center. You can see friends realizing other friends just made it onto the buses. One of my fraternity brothers told me that he just showed up at 5 and there were vacancies so he got a lucky break.

In the welcome center, people looked like they were struggling. One girl locked her coat on the bottom of the bus. People were trying to organize the buses so we could stop for food together.

Overall consensus is that we will be pretty intense at the game. Nevertheless, the bus is awake again. It's cloudy in Ohio but there is enough light for people to do what Davidsonians do most: their homework.

1:09pm:We're just getting out of McDonalds after being there for close to an hour. I thought those ladies were going to run away with fright when they saw 200+ students looking ravenous. I saw an Ohio State sticker on the wall but the Ohioans didn't seem eager to remind us of our meeting with the Buckeyes two years ago.

I wonder if Wisconsin has huge rivalries with the schools in Michigan? It'd be cool to have thousands cheering our school to glory.

3:36:About an hour/hour and a half outside Detroit. Got a message a few minutes ago that there are Nike "Witness" shirts that say Wildcats on the back. Incredible!

My roommate Will Bryan (a fantastic blogger and good friend) sent me a Lebron James quote where he praised Steph as the best player in the tourney. You can't help but feel this is going to be one of those bookmark moments in your life. What a great graduation present.

5:13: Awakened by our group leader...again. Now we're thirty miles outside of Detroit. At Michigan welcome station, people were throwing snowballs and changing into Davidson gear or clothes more fitting for spring in Michigan. I think a sophomore girl summed it up best, "Who wears shorts to Detroit?"

5:42:Stuck in a bit of traffic now, folks are getting pretty antsy. One patron can't contain her anxiety and is pacing up and down the aisle. She's incredibly animated and has taken over the loudspeaker and radio.

5:49: Cheers erupt for the billboard declaring Detroit as the NCAA's host of the Midwest regional showdown.

6:25: Still crawling through the traffic but our group leader says we're almost there. Cheers ensue. Overhear folks converse about Detroit's aesthetic value.

I wonder if Detroit even has a board of Tourism. It looks like somebody pressed pause and trapped Motown in '68.

Click here for game recap
11:05: Back on the bus and the energy is incredible! No doubt abounds about the historic impact this night will have on our lives. Everyone on all six buses is staying in the same hotel, so who knows? We might be celebrating all the way until our game on Sunday. I love hearing everybody calling their friends and loved ones and sharing the joy or bragging rights. It reminds me of my conversation with my roommates last night. These games are much bigger than a sporting event. It is an opportunity to promote what Davidson is about. This little school that major programs didn't consider a rival, led by a player who the bigger schools didn't embrace, is taking its seat at the Elite 8.

We are the stone that the builders refused.

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