It is an annual rite of passage that fans of the University of Nebraska Men’s Basketball team know well: the selection of the college teams that will not be advancing to any sort of post-season play.

Colloquially known as March Sadness, it is something that Nebrasketball fans have come to love and cherish. A time when thoughts turn to happier things; none of which involve yet another missed postseason, mediocre recruiting, or an entirely dry arena.

“It’s just so good not to have to think about poor three-point shooting, you know?” said senior broadcasting major Jake Sorensen. “I can watch the real tournament in peace without having the nagging thoughts about how, just maybe, Tim Miles is really just a massive overachiever.

“Also,” added Sorensen, “I don’t need to pretend to get excited for another 3 star center who’ll never really grow into his frame, or gain the proper weight to be a true force in the paint.”

During March Sadness, not a single thought will be spared to just how hard it is to sell this program to alumni and current students, especially as the TV viewing experience gets better and cheaper.

“It’s honestly the best time of the year,” said Sorensen. “After, of course, the first heartbreaking conference football loss of the season.”

Instead, March Sadness participants can focus on midterm exams, general housekeeping, and NASCAR races, which supporters claim are significantly less emotionally mind-numbing than watching tiny private schools from the West Coast get 16 seeds that a Big Ten team cannot currently hope to achieve.

Some may say it is cynical, but the great supporters of March Sadness simply say it is cyclical.

“The rest of life is unpredictable, so it’s good to have something every year I can count on,” said Sorensen. “Every time I see a smug Creighton supporter going on about the MVC or ‘new Big East,’ I can say to myself, they’d kill to have what I have. Consistency. Stability.

“Also, crushingly overwhelming sadness and denial.”