March Madness has come and gone. We have moved on from college basketball and the thrills of March Madness to Major League Baseball. But in a recent conversation with my brother, we came to one conclusion, the game as we once knew it, is gone. March Madness will rarely have the same impact as it once did. The game of college basketball has changed and not in a good way.

The players today are being recruited with the intention of only stays 1, maybe 2 years, whereas players would stay all 4 years. UNC lost 3 of their starters to the NBA this year: Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall and John Henson. All deserve to go and make the money. All deserve to fulfill their dreams and taking their careers to the next level. But as a college basketball fan, I hate it. College coaches are rebuilding each year, not to get better, but to replace the starters that are leaving as sophomores.

Gone are the rivalries. Gone are the players that play because they love the game, not because of their career changes in the NBA. Gone is the game.

So, as I reflect on March Madness, the best team won this year. Kentucky. Granted I would have loved to have seen a rematch between Kentucky and UNC but it was not meant to be. But this offseason, UNC will replace 3 players and Kentucky, well Kentucky will have to replace their entire starting 5 players.

The game has changed and March Madness will never be the same again.  But for those of us that have loved the game and followed the game of college basketball for years, I will get to share stories with my sons about the game use to be.