p>The hopes of hater nation rested on the Belmont Bruins today.  But unlike the Virginia Commonwealth Rams one year ago, the Bruins could not satisfy the insatiable lust of the Duke Haters.  Hater nation, don’t misconstrue my words, I wanted the Blue Devils to go down in flames just like all of you.  They are simply a hateable team, not because their brash play, trash talk, or off the court shenanigans.  They don’t do much of any of that, but they do win, and they do get 3000 times more press than your favorite team, and that makes them as hateable as teenage pregnancy to the vast majority of the populous. 

As sports fan, it is almost as fun to dislike your rival team as it to like your favorite team.   By no means are Krzyzewski and company the only hateable characters in the tournament.  I found a bunch of squads that make my cringe when I think about them.  So, with Duke as the most hated by far, let’s run down the next five most hateable schools still alive in the tournament.

5. Tennessee – It’s not that I don’t like the team, because I do, especially Ramar Smith and Chris Lofton.  However, I can’t get over how much I dislike Bruce Pearl.  Whether he is sweating, painting himself, or grabbing sideline reporters, the guy just flat rubs me the way.  (Erin feels the same way)

4. Pittsburgh – I love the Pittsburgh basketball team, but I hate the way the media portrays them. 

“Well Jay, Pittsburgh is just one of those hard-working, blue-collar teams.”

Blue-Collar? Does Sam Young clock in at the steel mill after games?  I must have missed when Levance Fields and DeJuan Blair put up drywall at halftime.  What the hell does blue collar even mean in the context of basketball? Does it simply mean that they play hard, and playing hard is a characteristic of blue collar workers?  Are there white collar teams? 

“Well Jay, Arizona is one of those soft, white collar teams.  They refuse to go to the floor for a loose ball and they often delegate shooting or passing responsibilities to less experienced players because they feel those activities are beneath them.”

3. Gonzaga – They helped me answer the age old question: How many times can a team be a Cinderellla before I start hating them? The answer turned out to be right around five.  That “We are just happy to be here,” look doesn’t fool me Mark Few.  You aren’t happy to be here, you want to win, but you know that you can’t, and that kills you, no matter how much your get stroked by the ESPN and the like. (I do love Gus Johnson though)

2. UConn – Too much television coverage could make Mother Teresa hateble and UConn is a victim of this phenomenon.  No one needed to see as much Josh Boone as we were privy to in his time in Stoors.   They also have that intangible hateable quality, where you aren’t sure why you dislike them, but you are very sure you do. (Plus, I hate Calhoun’s recruiting tactics. Pre-school is a little to young to start sending letter. See Below)

1. North Carolina – The Tar Heels follow closely behind Duke in national level of hatred.  They combine too much coverage, with always being good, with a heaping helping of Dickie V love.  Those three things are the holy trinity in terms of what you need to be hated in college basketball.  It also helps to have Tyler Hansborough.  “Oh, he tries so hard. What a motor.” Why is he working so hard? What is he trying to prove? Slow down bro, you are making the rest of us look bad.

The Angry T

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