Something to Prove
by Brian Diaz
Two teams who felt jaded by the NCAA selection committee; Villanova and Michigan St. Both programs thought they deserved a #1 seed; both were given a #2 seed. Both programs had a legitimate case for being a top seed.
However, how each program responded is the focus of this article. Villanova responded by dismantling their first two opponents. Michigan State responded by becoming to the highest seed to lose in the first round in this year’s tournament.
Now it is impossible for me to know exactly what each program was thinking, but I am going to take a stab.
Did Michigan State dwell on the fact they did not get a #1 seed? Did the Spartans prepare properly for Middle Tennessee State or did they look past? Did they go through the motions in practice or did they prepare as hard as possible? Were they excited for their first round match up or disappointed to be in the game? Did the players and team take responsibility for moving forward?
Conversely, Villanova looked like a team on a mission. They looked as if they used their ‘snubbing’ to fuel their motivational fire. They played with a chip on their shoulder. They were focused on preparing for the first round match up and then again for the second match up. They came out with an OPTIMAL energy level! They played at a high level throughout both games.
When you face adversity, you have two choices, dwell on it or move forward. When you dwell on it, you are choosing to focus on things not in your ME Circle. You become problem-focus instead of solution-focus.
When you decide to move forward, you make the decision to overcome the adversity. You become process-focused. You attention moves away from the adversity and moves toward taking the next step you need to take. You grow from the adversity instead of letting the adversity defeat you.
Again, it is difficult to know what either team’s mental approach was to the opening weekend, but it certainly seems as if Villanova’s strategy was stronger.
Choose not to dwell on adversity, choose to overcome adversity!