ESPN is my home page, and lately, I’ve been refreshing the NFL Rumor Central page every hour in hopes of catching a tidbit about what my Saints are doing. But like I did with the Super Bowl, I’m tuning it out this week, because there’s something bigger afoot. We’re nearing the culmination of my all-time favorite sporting event — the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
I love Final Four weekend. Maybe it’s innate; I was born the day before Duke and Michigan’s Fab Five earned the right to play each other for the 1992 national championship and six days after the Duke-Kentucky East Regional final — considered by many to be the greatest game of all time.
Maybe it’s that without fail, I go into the tournament’s final weekend so far behind in every pool I entered that I have long since burned my bracket — a blessing in disguise that allows me to focus on great basketball rather than my own picks. But whatever the reason, I love the Final Four more than the Super Bowl, World Series, Stanley Cup and NBA Finals put together.
And this year is no different. My picks were once again terrible — it’s tough losing a Georgetown squad I predicted to make the Final Four in the round of 64 – but after making lots of safe picks, I’d like to think we’re better off with some unexpected teams. This Final Four has it all.
Love defense? Look no further than Syracuse, whose 2-3 zone has flummoxed Montana, California, No. 1 seed Indiana and Big East foe Marquette into averaging fewer than 46 points per game in the tournament. Top overall seed Louisville’s aggressive pressure has yielded just 59 points per game. And in their eight combined games, Michigan and Wichita State have given up 70 or more points just twice — against No. 1 seeds Kansas and Gonzaga, respectively.
Is inside play your thing? Louisville, Wichita State and Syracuse all rank in the top 50 in the nation in rebounding. The Shockers are averaging a whopping 13 offensive boards per game. The Orange have the highest rebounding numbers of the bunch despite not having a true center. Louisville junior center Gorgui Dieng is a fearsome post presence. Perhaps the best inside weapon of all, though, is Michigan forward Mitch McGary. The freshman has burst onto the scene with 17.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in the Big Dance.
And all of that is before we even discuss the guards that these teams are trotting out. Syracuse sophomore Michael Carter-Williams, an athletic 6-6 point, and Michigan sophomore Trey Burke, the favorite to win national player of the year, are likely to be two of the first lead guards off the board come NBA Draft time. Michigan also boasts swingmen in freshman Glenn Robinson III and junior Tim Hardaway Jr., both talented sons of talented former NBA stars. Louisville senior Peyton Siva and junior Russ Smith, while not garnering the same NBA attention, are a potent one-two punch nonetheless. The sleeper is Wichita State’s Malcolm Armstead, a senior who is averaging 15.5 points per contest in the tournament. Whether he can get it done against Siva and Smith Saturday will likely determine the Shockers’ Final Four fate.
Not too concerned with on-court happenings? Don’t worry; this Final Four has storylines too. Michigan is playing in its first Final Four since the Fab Five had consecutive title-game losses in 1992 and 1993. Wichita State, a No. 9 seed, is vying to become the lowest-seeded team to ever cut down the nets as champion. And Louisville is playing for injured teammate Kevin Ware, the victim of a gruesome leg injury against Duke in the Elite Eight. Anyone who saw Ware’s teammates weeping on the court as he was stretchered off knows that the Cardinals are playing for something bigger than just themselves.
Have you heard enough? Hopefully you don’t need more convincing to tune in for the best three-day weekend — yes, I say “Monday Night” should be counted as a holiday — American sports has to offer. I know the Charlottesville weather is finally starting to blossom into the beautiful spring we’ve all been hoping for, but this weekend, I’ll be on the couch with snacks, friends and a cold beer — now that I’m 21 — my eyes glued to the Final Four. Spring lasts for months; enjoy it when there isn’t basketball on.
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