Perhaps no NCAA Tournament in which there were not any upsets of
note has ever produced more theater than the current one.
Perhaps no NCAA Tournament in which there were not any upsets of note has ever produced more theater than the current one.
Argue if you will that Georgetown beating North Carolina or UCLA defeating Kansas was an upset. Neither was an upset of note since both Georgetown and UCLA were No. 2 seeds.
And yet the drama in this tournament has been incredible when you think about it. After all, in 10 games, teams have overcome double-digit deficits (Ohio State twice). Let’s take note of some of the more interesting sub-plots:
n The Tar Heels not only losing a 10-point lead in regulation in the last six minutes but absolutely shutting down in overtime against the Hoyas. What’s really amazing is that Georgetown beat North Carolina at the Tar Heels’ game. And this was one game after UNC had erased a 16-point second-half deficit against Southern Cal.
n Ohio State winning games against Xavier and Tennessee the Buckeyes had no business winning. OSU trailed Tennessee by 20 points to stage the tourney’s best comeback. Obviously, there isn’t a more resilient team than Ohio State in college basketball.
n The early exits of Duke and Notre Dame. I wouldn’t consider Virginia Commonwealth’s win over the Blue Devils or Winthrop’s triumph over the Fightin’ Irish as upsets. And yet they were the mid-majors strutting their stuff against more storied programs. And VCU erased a 13-point deficit.
n Defense, Southern Illinois style. The Salukis ran through Holy Cross and Virginia Tech, and then made Kansas sweat through 40 minutes of defensive intensity. Their No. 5 seeding was no fluke. Southern Illinois showed that a team can be competitive against anyone by clamping down on defense.
n Vanderbilt’s run. I went on record as saying the Commodores didn’t deserve to be at the Big Dance at the expense of a Syracuse or Drexel. And yet Vandy hardly played like a team that didn’t belong, a la Stanford. After punishing George Washington in the opening round and coming back to take a two-overtime thriller against Washington State in the second round, Vandy gave Georgetown all it could handle before losing by a point.
So how much drama will we get out of the Final Four? There’s not a Cinderella left like last year when George Mason was making its magical run.
Based on its balance and experience, one would think Florida would have to be the favorite to win it all. And yet, how surprising would it be for UCLA to make amends from last year’s final defeat? If Arron Afflalo plays like he did against Kansas and Darren Collison forgets that he is a freshman, the Bruins will be a load.
As far as the other game, I am a Hoya believer. Ohio State’s Greg Oden will be the first or second player drafted in the NBA in June, and Mike Conley Jr. runs the point as well as anyone. But let’s remember these are freshmen and that they have already stolen two victories.
If it comes down to Florida and Georgetown, I see it ending for the Hoyas and John Thompson III the same way it did 25 years ago for his dad and Patrick Ewing Jr.’s father against North Carolina.
In other words, I see the Gators cutting down the net next Monday in Atlanta.
