The phenomenon that is college basketball is nearly over.

But for some reason, there is an emptiness about the conclusion of this season. The emptiness comes from the fact that neither the MAC nor NIU figured into this season’s NCAA tournament.

Everyone, including the analysts on ESPN, liked Western Michigan over Vanderbilt in the first round. Some even liked it to upset North Carolina State in the second round.

Unfortunately, the academic-minded school from Nashville with unreadable jerseys and no athletics department had something to say about that.

With the recent success of the MAC in the NCAA tournament, you almost expect a MAC team to make a run.

Everyone was delighted when Kent State made its run in 2002 all the way to the Elite Eight. What made it even more exciting was the fact that after Kent State beat NIU on Feb, 13, 2002, Kent State coach Stan Heath said the Huskies played them as tough as anyone had all year.

At NIU it has been a long time since there has been a season with as much preseason hype as the one that just finished.

With NIU returning arguably the most talent in the conference, many people, including myself, thought the Huskies might be a player in the tournament this season.

After seeing the Huskies pull within three points of Notre Dame in the last two minutes earlier this season – before eventually losing 74-65 – things were looking up.

Then NIU blew a double-digit second-half lead to an average Iowa team.

Then the team flew out to Hawaii over Winter Break for a sight-seeing trip and forgot to play basketball, dropping three straight to San Jose State, BYU-Hawaii and Baylor.

None of the games were closer than seven points.

It got worse.

The Huskies dropped 10 straight in January and February. Over almost an identical stretch of time last season, the team won 10 of 11 games.

Then preseason All-Conference pick Marcus Smallwood got suspended.

No one knows why.

No one would say anything.

Everyone still was “taking it day by day” and “moving forward” despite the fact that the team was near the bottom of the conference.

The team gave us a little hope when it won three of four to finish the season – but to no avail. Buffalo made short work of the Huskies in the first round of the conference tournament, avenging a season-ending loss for the Bulls last year.

But there is no point in beating a dead horse, right?

Now that I’ve released my frustrations on this hell of a basketball season, I think I finally can enjoy the season I’ve been hating for months.

Enjoy the games.