With it, though, comes a lot of hype and hoopla that might distract teams trying to maintain a focus and keep their eyes on the prize, which is the NCAA championship plaque.
Academic responsibilities come first.
The classroom, grades and the schoolbooks are most important, and that's something of which no one can afford to lose sight amid all of the excitement that emanates from the tournament. This time of the season brings out additional responsibilities in regards to dealing with the media, travel, tickets and fans. Everything seems to be magnified, especially if you are a program that doesn't hail from a so-called major conference. When I was a Division I head coach, I was fortunate enough to lead three different schools to the NCAA Tournament, and I tried to learn something from each trip. In dealing with the media, which was something I really enjoyed doing, I tried to get all of my players' responsibilities with the print and electronic media done in the first half of the week.