Allow me to set the scene.

Saturday, March 30, 1991.  Nine-year-old me hops in the brown Astro minivan with 40- year-old dad and twelve-year-old brother.  We have 100 miles to cover to start what is something I knew would be the thrill of my short life to that point and something that, simultaneously, I would have no clue how to put into proper perspective for many years.  The destination was Indianapolis, the Hoosier Dome (not yet the RCA Dome), for the 1991 Final Four.

Here’s what I knew: I was going to two games that the whole nation was watching that day and I had never been to a Final Four.  I was probably versed on some of the storylines by my dad and his friend, Stan, before and during the day.  I also knew that I got to sit with my brother, by ourselves, but we would just be a few rows behind dad and Stan and they could keep their eyes on us.  Yes, I said a few rows “behind.”  I know there is a ridiculously long list of things that my dad sacrificed for or catered to me over the years at his own expense, but on this day, dad and Stan got the better seats.  I didn’t question that decision.  We all were Indiana and Butler fans at the time, but dad and Stan told my brother and I to cheer for the teams in dark blue (Duke and Kansas).  I think there’s a chance they had been at a NCAA auction a couple weeks earlier and weren’t interested in spending the money that the obvious favorite, UNLV, would bring.  It appears that dad and Stan made a couple good investments that spring, because they didn’t care who won the Monday night game between Duke and Kansas.  They got what they needed in both games on Saturday night.

Even with all that, how can a nine-year-old grasp the magnitude of what was about to unfold in downtown Indianapolis on that beautiful late March day?  Game one featured the ultimate teacher vs. pupil matchup with Roy Williams taking his Kansas team to their first final four under his watch to face his alma mater and his former mentor, the late, great Dean Smith and the North Carolina Tar Heels.  If that matchup wasn’t appealing enough, in game two we got to watch a young coach named Mike Krzyzewski bring this budding dynasty, the Duke Blue Devils, to their fifth final four in the past six years, but they had been unable to breakthrough and cut down the nets.  All that stood in their way was the defending national champions, who had steamrolled them less than a calendar year ago in the title game in Denver.  They would meet in the semi-finals this year.  If I didn’t have all that in perspective, I know I was excited about getting to see the coach of UNLV bite on a towel during the game.  If that wasn’t enough, that same UNLV Runnin’ Rebel team was chasing history, trying to become the first team to go undefeated and win it all since the 1976 Indiana Hoosiers.  In case you needed one more subplot, don’t forget where the Astro van was headed.  UNLV was going to have to win those last two games right in the middle of the Hoosier State.

Not a March Madness goes by where I don’t think back fondly on that day, and not a Final Four Saturday passes where I don’t ask myself, “Was I at the best Final Four ever?”  I can honestly say I remember my exact location for every Final Four since then and haven’t missed a second of a Final Four game since then.  If I couldn’t watch it live, I recorded it on a VHS (1996 and 1998 Final Four’s when I was playing AAU basketball) or DVRed it as I got older and technology advanced.  The DVR was set in 2012 in the event that we had to head to the hospital and welcome Lucas into the world.  He held off that night so we could watch the games on our couch and ultimately for a tad bit longer than Nicole might have liked.

So this past week, I set out to answer my own question with certainty.  Was I at the best Final Four Saturday ever?  I didn’t go the distance with ever, but I’ve analyzed every Final Four Saturday since 1991 on three criteria:  the hype and historical significance entering the Final Four, the star power (players and coaches) of the four teams, and the quality of the two games.  Remember, I am only analyzing the Final Four Saturday action, and not Monday night action.  I have assigned each category a score of 1-10, so a perfect score would be 30, reflecting off-the charts high hype, star power, and game quality. 

Spoiler alert, there has never been a better Final Four Saturday since we loaded up the Astro that morning in 1991, all things considered.  Despite the spoiler, I hope you enjoy reflecting on the past 28 Final Four Saturday’s as you prepare for this year’s Final Four Saturday, as I rank them from 28 to 1.

#28) 2016 – Reliant Stadium/Houston, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 8

#2 Villanova 95, #2 Oklahoma 51              

#1 North Carolina 83, #10 Syracuse 66

Naismith Award – Buddy Hield, Oklahoma

Final Four MOP – Ryan Arcidiacono, Villanova

Storylines = 4, Star Power = 3, Quality of Games = 1

The 2016 Final Four was short on dramatic storylines, low on star power and delivered two snoozers of games.  North Carolina entered as the overwhelming favorite.  Villanova, under Jay Wright, had established themselves as a top-tier program over the past decade but had not busted through to a Monday night game or victory.  Oklahoma was an under the radar 29 win team, having finished third in the Big 12.  Similar to Michigan State the year before, Syracuse, a powerhouse program, carried the Cinderella slipper in as the ten seed.  This was far and away Jim Boeheim’s most unheralded Final Four team and the North Carolina team that had scored 83 or more in all four tourney games so far just had too much with the likes of Brice Johnson, Joel Berry, Justin Jackson, Marcus Paige, Kennedy Meeks and Isiah Hicks.  As they always do, Roy Williams and his staff had put together a great roster, but this team did not have the dynamite can’t miss All-Americans of previous North Carolina teams.  That said, they were good enough to handle Syracuse, 83-66.  Oklahoma’s prolific scorer Buddy Hield was the darling of college basketball all year averaging 25 points per game and had played his way into lottery pick status.  His lack of a supporting cast really caught up to him on this night as a talented, athletic and balanced Villanova team full of NBA level players, but not stars (Josh Hart, Kris Jenkins, Jalen Brunson, Ryan Arcidiacono, Daniel Ochefu) dismantled the Sooners in the largest margin of victory ever in a Final Four game, 95-51.  This Final Four Saturday was very short on excitement.  North Carolina and Villanova turned around and played one of the best championship games ever two nights later, when Kris Jenkins three pointer gave Villanova their first title under Jay Wright.

#27) 2000 – RCA Dome/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 11

#1 Michigan State 53, #8 Wisconsin 41   

#5 Florida 71, #8 North Carolina 59

Naismith Award – Kenyon Martin, Cincinnati

Final Four MOP – Mateen Cleaves, Michigan State

Storylines = 5, Star Power = 4, Quality of Games = 2

The Circle City had seen two of the better Final Fours in the 1990s and when they hosted again in 2000, that wasn’t meant to be.  The 2000 Final Four, despite four high-major programs, featured only one #1 seed with a #5 seed and an unprecedented (at the time), two #8 seeds.  Michigan State seemed destined to win this title after keeping their core intact from their Final Four run from the year before and watching other heavyweights take surprising falls in the first two weekends of the tournament.  Sparty was led by Mateen Cleaves and this weekend proved the crowning moment of his illustrious career.  Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson and a freshman Jason Richardson provided Sparty with enough to outclass #8 seed and conference rival Wisconsin on this Saturday night.  Nobody on the Badgers was destined to carve out any significant NBA career.  Their tenacious defense and team basketball was to be commended for getting them this far, but they were unable to put up much of a fight at this stage.  Rarely does North Carolina enter a game on this level as an underdog, but that was the case when the Bill Guthridge coached (his last year) Tar Heels took on the upstart Florida Gators, coached by Billy Donovan and featuring Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem.   Joseph Forte, Brendan Haywood, Ed Cota and Jason Capel all had great careers for the Tar Heels, but lacked the talent and wow factor of Tar Heels past and future.  Michigan State and Florida rolled on Saturday night, and Michigan State claimed the title two nights later in a Final Four that was short on great storylines and firepower and great games.  It was Michigan State’s to lose, and they didn’t.  That’s not always easy.

#26) 2006 – RCA Dome/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 12

#3 Florida 73, #11 George Mason 58                       

#2 UCLA 59, #4 LSU 45

Naismith Award – JJ Reddick, Duke

Final Four MOP – Joakim Noah, Florida

Storylines = 5, Star Power = 4, Quality of Games = 3

The first Final Four without a number one seed since 1980, these four teams lacked high level star power and fan support.  I have been fortunate to attend six different Final Fours Indianapolis and this was far and away the most lackluster environment.  To say there weren’t any good storylines is simply wrong; you had the lowest seed ever to reach a Final Four in the eleventh seeded George Mason Patriots.  They were a great story, yet nobody seemed to view them as a real threat to beat the Florida Gators, let alone win two that week in Indianapolis.  Florida was led by their front court duo of Joakim Noah and Al Horford, and the dynamic Corey Brewer.  Billy Donovan was a rising star in the profession.  George Mason, coached by Jim Larranaga and led by Jai Lewis, was finally outclassed by a more talented team in their national semi-final vs. Florida.  Ben Howland had UCLA back in the Final Four for what would be the first of three straight trips, none of which produced a title.  While the Bruins didn’t lack in talent, they were far from loaded with lottery picks (Jordan Farmar, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Arron Afflalo, Cedric Bozeman and a young Darrin Collison among others).  That Bruin outfit was too much for a surprise Final Four participant in LSU.  Coach John Brady had ridden a formidable college frontcourt of Glen Big Baby Davis and Tyrus Thomas as far as he could.  I guess the biggest storyline here was there was going to be a new king of college basketball.  It felt as if Florida and UCLA were slowly becoming elite and annual threats, while LSU and obviously George Mason had a chance to be a great Cinderella.  Neither Saturday game featured much drama, as Florida and UCLA easily advanced to Monday night, where the Gators won their first of back-to-back titles.

#25) 2013 – Georgia Dome/Atlanta, GA – TOTAL SCORE = 14

#1 Louisville 72, #9 Wichita State 68        

#4 Michigan 61, #4 Syracuse 56

Naismith Award – Trey Burke, Michigan

Final Four MOP – Luke Hancock, Louisville

Storylines = 4, Star Power = 3, Quality of Games = 7

The storylines weren’t too dramatic.  The biggest was Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals entered as a heavy favorite as Pitino tried to hang a banner in Louisville, right up the road from where he hung on for Big Blue Nation.  Wichita State was one of the elite mid-major programs and it was their chance to make history.  Michigan had become a steady contender under John Beilein and was trying to break through with a title and Jim Boeheim was still doing his thing with his 2-3 zone at Syracuse and chasing his second title.  There was really no history or rivalries of significance and the star power of this Final Four was not deep.  Louisville was led all year and in this Final Four by Peyton Siva and Russ Smith.  Wichita had a likable, but not star-studded group, led by Cleanthony Early.  Syracuse had multiple players find NBA rosters (Michael Carter Williams, James Southerland) but did not have household names nationally.  The best player in the Final Four was Michigan’s Trey Burke, and he had an exciting running mate in Tim Hardaway Jr.  This Final Four lacked juice but gave us two competitive games.  Wichita State and Louisville went back and forth and were tied with six minutes to go before Louisville made more plays late.  Michigan did enough against Syracuse’s zone and played most of the night with a lead before Syracuse was unable to score while trailing by three with less than ten seconds to go. Louisville went on to beat Michigan for the title, only to have that title vacated five years later.

#24) 2003 – Super Dome/New Orleans, LA – TOTAL SCORE = 15

#3 Syracuse 95, #1 Texas 84                        

#2 Kansas 94, #3 Marquette 61

Naismith Award – TJ Ford, Texas

Final Four MOP – Carmelo Anthony, Syracuse

Storylines = 5, Star Power = 7, Quality of Games = 3

A nice mix of new blood (Marquette, Texas) and familiar faces (Kansas, Syracuse) came together in New Orleans in 2003.  One of the four coaches (Boeheim, Williams, Crean, Barnes) was set to claim their first title.  The pressure was clearly on Roy Williams as he entered the tourney as best coach without a title and rumors swirling about him heading to North Carolina at the conclusion of the tournament.  Jim Boeheim had been close before and Tom Crean and Rick Barnes were new to the Final Four scene.  Carmel Anthony entered with a chance to have the best tournament ever by a freshman could he throw two more great games and victories together with his Syracuse teammates.  All four coaches had plenty of talent to believe they could win two games, even if the depth of star power didn’t exist in this Final Four like some others.  Syracuse was led by the aforementioned Carmelo Anthony and had nice pieces around him in Gerry McNamara and Hakim Warrick.  Texas had TJ Ford to run their show.  Marquette had the fabulous Dwayne Wade and Kansas was deep and talented again, as many of the players from the 2002 Final Four team laced them up again (Kurt Hinrich, Nick Collison, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles).  Neither game provided a high level of drama, though the Texas and Syracuse game was not a bad game.  It was back and forth for much of the night before the Orange took the lead and control around the nine minute mark en route to their 11 point win.  Carmelo Anthony went for 33 in the biggest game of his career to that point.  Kansas totally outclassed Marquette.  As is often the case when neither Final Four game excites, the Monday night game was a classic, as Syracuse took down Kansas 81-78 to claim their first ever title.

#23) 2018 – Alamo Dome/San Antonio, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 15.5

#1 Villanova 95, #1 Kansas 79                     

#3 Michigan 69, #11 Loyola (IL) 57

Naismith Award – Jalen Brunson, Villanova

Final Four MOP – Donte DiVincenzo, Villanova

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 5, Quality of Games = 3.5

There wasn’t one dominant story line leading up to the 2018 Final Four.  You had Villanova chasing their second title in three years and they would have to go through a powerful Kansas team.  John Beilien and Michigan were knocking on the door again and you had a true Cinderella in 11^th seeded Loyola.  Villanova was deep and balanced again, with a good mix of returnees from their 2016 title team (Naismith Award winner Jalen Brunson, Mikail Bridges) and some new faces (Dontae Divencenzio, Omari Spellman). Nobody on these Villanova teams were candidates to go #1 in the draft, but they played well together.   Kansas was built in a similar fashion with no first-team all americans, but length and athleticism and depth in the form of Deveonte Graham and Malik Newman.  Villanova handled the Jayhawks, 95-79.  Coach Porter Moser’s Loyola Ramblers, like most 11 seeds from mid-major conference, lacked household names and despite a good start, were no challenge for Michigan.  John Beilein’s team wasn’t built around the nation’s best talent either, but played great together like all John Beilein teams.  This won’t go down as the most memorable Final Four, but don’t tell that to Villanova fans.  They got to watch their team beat Michigan and claim their second national title in three years, and third overall.

#22) 1995 – King Dome/Seattle, WA – TOTAL SCORE = 16  

#1 UCLA 74, #4 Oklahoma State 61          

#2 Arkansas 75, #2 North Carolina 68

Naismith Award – Joe Smith, Maryland

Final Four MOP – Ed O’Bannon, Duke

Storylines = 5, Star Power = 6, Quality of Games = 5

The two big questions heading into this Final Four centered around Arkansas’ ability to repeat as champs and UCLA’s quest to bring the trophy back to Westwood for the first time since John Wooden retired.  In the way stood a semi-Cinderella in fourth-seeded Oklahoma State led by “Big Country” Reeves and a more than capable #2 seed in North Carolina, coached by the great Dean Smith and led by the star duo of Jerry Stackhouse and Rasheed Wallace.  UCLA was stacked with Ed O’Bannon, Tyus Edney (who had just salvaged their season two weeks earlier with the coast-to-coast layup in the round of 32), Toby Bailey, Charles O’Bannon and George Zidek.  Arkansas had the same core coming back from the 1994 championship team with Corliss Williamson, Scotty Thurman, Clint McDaniel and Corey Beck.  The anticipated Saturday match-up was Arkansas vs. North Carolina.  Oklahoma State did not exceed expectations as UCLA had little to no trouble advancing.  North Carolina led Arkansas by four at halftime before they went over 12 minutes without a field goal and Arkansas seized control in the second half.  You did have the defending national champs trailing at halftime, but there was no final minute drama in this one either.  UCLA would go on and unseat the champion Razorbacks 48 hours later.

#21) 2009 – Ford Field/Detroit, MI – TOTAL SCORE = 16.5

#1 North Carolina 83, #3 Villanova 69      

#2 Michigan State 82, #1 UConn 73

Naismith Award – Blake Griffin, Oklahoma

Final Four MOP – Wayne Ellington, North Carolina

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 5, Quality of Games = 4.5

North Carolina was the favorite as they returned to the Final Four after being dismantled by Kansas in the previous year’s Final Four.  Roy Williams had the title monkey off his back and was chasing #2.  Tom Izzo was also chasing #2 and Jim Calhoun was chasing #3.  The new program and new coach on the stage was Jay Wright, seeking his first title as a coach and Villanova’s first since 1985.  Michigan State got to play in their own backyard in Detroit, in front of 72,000 plus, the largest Final Four crowd evern.  North Carolina had the most talented team, top to bottom, starting with National Player of the Year, Tyler Hansbrough, and a familiar supporting cast that included Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson.  That Tar Heel crew was too much for the overachieving Villanova that featured Dante Cunningham and Scottie Reynolds, nowhere near the star power of the other teams in the field.  North Carolina played at their pace and Villanova started the game cold.  This one was never really in doubt despite an early second half run by Villanova.  This was far from Tom Izzo’s most talented team (he did have a seldom used freshman named Draymond Green) as this team’s go-to-guy was Kalin Lucas.  The UConn team led by AJ Price and Hasheem Thabeet were supported by a freshman named Kemba Walker.  UConn led for most of the first 25 minutes, but after Sparty took the lead, they never looked back en route to a highly anticipated championship game vs. North Carolina.  That game would go to the Tar Heels.

#20) 2017 – Univ. of Phoenix Stadium/Glendale, AZ – TOTAL SCORE = 17

#1 North Carolina 77, #3 Oregon 76         

#1 Gonzaga 77, #7 South Carolina 73

Naismith Award – Frank Mason III, Kansas

Final Four MOP – Joel Berry, North Carolina

Storylines = 5.5, Star Power = 4.5, Quality of Games = 7

There should have been more buzz than there was around this Final Four.  You had the North Carolina Tar Heels on a mission to avenge last season’s heart-breaking title game loss to Villanova.  Gonzaga, who had won at high levels for over twenty years, had finally broken through under Mark Few to reach their first Final Four.  Dana Altman and Frank Martin, two likable coaches, had knocked the door down for themselves and their schools too with Oregon and South Carolina, respectively.  As exciting as Elite Eight weekend was, the week leading up to this Final Four felt like we were just killing time before the inevitable North Carolina vs. Gonzaga title game.  While that ultimately proved right, it wasn’t without drama.  North Carolina had a similar core as the year before’s runner up team (Justin Jackson, Joel Berry, Kennedy Meeks, Isiah Hicks).  Oregon lacked household names, but featured great guard play in Tyler Dorsey and Dillon Brooks.  The Tar Heels seemingly seized control in the second half, but the Ducks would not go away.  Oregon, down six, chipped the lead all the way to one and in the final seconds the Tar Heels couldn’t make a free throw but the Ducks couldn’t rebound those misses to give themselves a potential game-winning possession.  The Gonzaga-South Carolina game lacked star power.  South Carolina was led by a stud senior in Sindarius Thornwell, and Gonzaga leaned on veterans Nigel Williams-Gloss, Jordan Matthews and Johnathon Williams.  Gonzaga built a twelve point lead and South Carolina cut it to three on multiple occasions but never got over the hump.  These two games felt a lot like each other; decent games that were maybe as never close as the final scores indicate.  North Carolina claimed their sixth national title against Gonzaga two nights later.
#19) 2002 – Georgia Dome/Atlanta, GA – TOTAL SCORE = 17.5

#5 Indiana 73, #2 Oklahoma 64                  

#1 Maryland 97, #1 Kansas 88

Naismith Award – Jason Williams, Duke

Final Four MOP – Juan Dixon, Maryland

Storylines = 6, Star Power = 6.5, Quality of Games = 5

When the 2002 NCAA tournament began, many thought that Final Four weekend in Atlanta would be the coronation of Duke’s second repeat championship.  The Indiana Hoosiers, who had a lottery pick in Jared Jeffries, but lacked upper level star power after that, upset Duke in the Sweet 16 and found themselves in this Final Four less than two calendar years after the firing of Bob Knight.  Coach Mike Davis was in his first non-interim year on the job.  They faced a 30 win Oklahoma team, coached by future Indiana coach Kelvin Sampson, that wasn’t loaded with All-American’s either (leading scorer was Hollis Price).  The Indiana and Oklahoma matchup felt like a JV game compared to the two #1 seeds who had both been in the top 5 all year with Kansas and Maryland.  While Indiana’s run was a nice story, the talent and story lines lied in game #2.  Both Gary Williams and Roy Williams were searching for that elusive first title and whoever won the Saturday night tilt would be a heavy favorite over the Indiana-Oklahoma winner.  Maryland might have had a tad bit more pressure to win given that they had given up a 22 point lead in the Final Four to Duke a year earlier, and Duke was not standing in their way.  That said, Roy Williams and Kansas had knocked on the door many times and not been able to break through and win the big one.  Maryland had been on the wrong end of Final Four heart break the year before and returned most of that team (Juan Dixon, Steve Blake, Bryan Mouton, Lonny Baxter) and had added the impactful Chris Wilcox.  Kansas had a terrific starting five and a roster that would include six NBA players in Drew Gooden, Nick Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Keith Langford, Aaron Miles and Wayne Simeon.  Juan Dixon was the best player on the floor this Saturday night, leading Maryland to an entertaining, but not dramatic, 97-88 win over the Jayhawks.  Maryland led most of the way and by as many as 17 in the second half.  Indiana had a workman like victory over Oklahoma, overcoming a four point halftime deficit to win by nine despite Jared Jeffries being held to eight points.  The 30 win terps proved to much for an Indiana team that had lost 11 times that season, and Maryland gave their school and coach their first ever national title.

#18) 1994 – Charlotte Coliseum/Charlotte, NC – TOTAL SCORE = 18

#1 Arkansas 91, #2 Arizona 82                                    

#2 Duke 70, #3 Florida 65

Naismith Award – Glenn Robinson, Purdue

Final Four MOP – Corliss Williamson, Arkansas

Storylines = 6, Star Power = 6, Quality of Games = 6

This Final Four didn’t have a lot of major hype or historical significance (Duke was chasing their third title in four years) and that was largely due to the fact that there were some new faces joining the Blue Devils on this stage in Lute Olsen’s Arizona Wildcats, Lon Kruger’s Florida Gators and Nolan Richardson’s Arkansas Razorbacks.  There was no true Cinderella, with all teams carrying 1, 2, or 3 seeds.  You did have the POTUS, Bill Clinton, actively supporting Arkansas.  The heavy star power lied in Grant Hill (finally a senior) and Corliss Williamson.  Arizona brought a pair of flashy guards in Khalid Reeves and Damon Stoudamire, Florida had guys who were excellent college players but not considered elite talent (Andrew DeClerq, Demetri Hill for example) and Duke had a new batch of Blue Devils like Chris Collins, Jeff Capel, Cherokee Parks and Antonio Lang trying to get their names in Duke lore forever with Grant Hill’s.  While the hype and star power were not as high as previous years, the games were quality.  Arkansas and Arizona played a high-scoring Razorback win and Duke needed and got an excellent game from Grant Hill to overcome a seven point halftime deficit and hold off a game and lesser-talented, Florida team 70-65.  The best game of this weekend came on Monday night when Duke and Arkansas went back and forth all night before Scotty Thurman hit the big go ahead three to give Arkansas their first title.

#17) 2011 – Reliant Stadium/Houston, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 18.5

#8 Butler 70, #11 VCU 62                              

#3 UConn 56, #4 Kentucky 55

Naismith Award – Jimmer Fredette, BYU

Final Four MOP – Kemba Walker, Uconn

Storylines = 6.5, Star Power = 4, Quality of Games = 8

A surprising field (no one seeds for the second time since 1980) came to Houston that consisted of two upstarts facing off and two blue-bloods facing off in the second game.  Kentucky was here in John Calipari’s second year and Jim Calhoun was seeking his third title for the UConn Huskies.  It was the Butler Bulldogs, despite their #8 seed and nearly getting eliminated in round one by Old Dominion, were the repeat guests.  They face a bigger Cinderella than themselves in Virginia Commonwealth, the first team to ever advance from the “First Four” to the Final Four.  It was contrasting styles as VCU coach Shaka Smart played a fast paced and aggressive style against Coach Brad Stevens and the half-court playing, disciplined Bulldogs.  This was a four-point game with four minutes to go, before Butler outplayed the Rams on both ends in the last four minutes.  At this point in his career, Butler’s Gordon Hayward was a high level star and a projected lottery pick.  Over-achieving big man Matt Howard and sharp shooting Shelvin Mack served as high level complimentary pieces for a mid-major team.  VCU played a great brand of fast-paced basketball forcing turnovers and scoring off of them to make up for their lack of individual star power.  The Kentucky vs. Connecticut game was close the whole way through.  John Calipari’s team was stocked with young talent as he was in the beginning stages of implementing his business model at Kentucky.  Brandon Knight and Terrence Jones were the alphas of that Kentucky team.  Calipari has definitely had higher star power.  UConn was led by the fabulous Kemba Walker and two excellent freshmen themselves in Shabaaz Napier and Jeremy Lamb.  After a back and forth 25 minutes, UConn held a small lead the majority of the second half, holding off every major Kentucky threat.  There were no buzzer beaters, but these were two good games on Saturday night in Houston.  UConn would win the title vs. an ice cold Butler team two nights later.

#16) 2014 – AT&T Center/Arlington, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 19

#7 UConn 63, #1 Florida 53                          

#8 Kentucky 74, #2 Wisconsin 73

Naismith Award – Doug McDermott, Creighton

Final Four MOP – Shabazz Napier, UConn

Storylines = 5, Star Power = 6.5, Quality of Games = 7.5

It certainly not strange to see UConn and Kentucky’s name on the Final Four ticket, but it was different to see the numbers 7 and 8 next to them on the seed line.  John Calipari was looking for his second title in three years and Kevin Ollie was looking for his first ring as he was now the torch bearer for his alma mater.  Both of these teams entered the tourney unranked, and pulled upsets on Final Four Saturday to set up a championship tilt between the two of them in Jerry’s World in Texas.  Florida entered the Final Four as the favorite to win it as the only one seed, but this Gator team was not as rich with talent as their championship teams in 2006 and 2007.  Casey Prather led the Gators in scoring.  Bo Ryan was in his first Final Four and led by the likable personality and outstanding talent of Frank Kamisky as well as Sam Decker.  The 8^th seeded Cats were young and talented and peaking at the right time with Andrew and Aaron Harrison, Julius Randle, Willie Cauley-Stein and James Young.  UConn was another Final Four team without the star punch, but Shabaaz Napier, now a senior, was doing his best to carry the Huskies to a title like Kemba Walker did just three years earlier.  Led by Nappier, UConn outplayed Florida most of the night en route to a ten point win.  The young Wildcats were able to knock off the experienced Badgers, 74-73.  This one was a back and forth classic that saw Kentucky commit one of the ultimate sins in basketball with less than 30 seconds to go, fouling the Badgers on a three point attempt with the game tied.  After two for three from the line, the Cats Aaron Harrison hit the go-ahead three with five seconds left in what was a great game.  Connecticut would deny the Cats of their second title in three years two nights later.

#15) 2005 – Edward Jones Dome/St. Louis, MO – TOTAL SCORE = 19.5

#1 North Carolina 75, #5 Michigan State 57          

#1 Illinois 72, #4 Louisville 57

Naismith Award – Andrew Bogut, Utah

Final Four MOP – Sean May, North Carolina

Storylines = 8, Star Power = 7.5, Quality of Games = 4

This Final Four Saturday ranks high in storylines and star power, but came in extremely low with two subpar Saturday games in St. Louis.  The geography of this one was a nice element too, as Michigan State, Illinois and Louisville were all very reasonable drives away from St. Louis.  Throw perennial power North Carolina and their loyal following in the mix and you had a great environment in St. Louis.  I was there to experience it.  The on-floor drama would come in the title game, and not on this particular Final Four Saturday.  Roy Williams was now a Tar Heel and still chasing that elusive first title that he could not deliver to Kansas.  The Tar Heels were loaded with NBA prospects like Sean May, Marvin Williams, Rashad McCants, Jawad Williams, and Raymond Felton.  Illinois entered the Final Four with the nation’s best backcourt in Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head.  The Illini were in the middle of a historical campaign under Coach Bruce Weber, entering the Final Four at 36-1 and off a dramatic come from behind Elite 8 victory over Arizona.  It felt as if Illinois and North Carolina were on a collision course to play for the title, and it turned out that they were.  Their two opponents did not show up in St. Louis without stars or stories either.  Tom Izzo had Michigan State back in the Final Four, uncharacteristically as a five seed, as he started to earn the reputation as Mr. March.  This Michigan State team didn’t have the star power of the teams from the first part of the decade.  Maurice Ager led a balanced attack.  The fourth team in the field was the Louisville Cardinals and their new coach, Rick Pitino.  Rick Pitino has had and would have far more talented teams; Francisco Garcia was the only player that would make a NBA roster from this Cardinal squad.  Louisville’s arrival in 2005 was more of a statement of the Rick Pitino era in Louisville having arrived.  Anytime you have a Final Four with Tom Izzo and Rick Pitino as the underdog coaches, you have star power on the sidelines for sure.  Chalk prevailed on this Saturday night as North Carolina sent Michigan State back home and Illinois sent Louisville on their short tip southeast with little to no drama.  North Carolina beat Illinois in a great title game two nights later, giving Roy Williams his first title and North Carolina their fifth in school history.

#14) 2007 – Georgia Dome/Atlanta, GA – TOTAL SCORE = 20

#1 Florida 76, #2 UCLA 66                             

#1 Ohio State 67, #2 Georgetown 60

Naismith Award – Kevin Durant, Texas

Final Four MOP – Corey Brewer, Florida

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 7, Quality of Games = 6

The 2007 Final Four in Atlanta scored sneaky high in my mind as it ended up scoring well in storyline and star power, and was a couple better games away from really being near the top of the list.  Anytime you have a team trying to repeat (Florida) and they are paired up with a team they had just beaten the year before in the title game (UCLA), that’s a storyline.  Throw in two other high level teams that are capable of dethroning the champs with plenty of star power (Georgetown and Ohio State), including the anticipated #1 pick in the upcoming draft (Greg Oden) and you have good storylines.  Billy Donovan was trying to join elite company as back-to-back championship coaches, Ben Howland was trying to join Jim Harrick as coaches not named Wooden to win a title for UCLA.  John Thompson III was trying to become the first head coach to win a title at the same place his father did.  Thad Matta had found success at every stop and was considered one of the game’s best young coaches.  Florida’s balanced and athletic attack featured the same core from the previous year’s net cutters in Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer and Taurean Green.  UCLA was better and more experienced that their runner-up team from 2006 with Darren Collison running the show, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute patrolling the paint, Aaron Afflalo leading them in scoring and a freshman named Russell Westbrook contributing off the bench.  Ohio State had the dynamic freshman trio of Mike Conley, Greg Oden, and Dequan Cook.  Georgetown was led by Jeff Green and their own 7-footer, Roy Hibbert.  This Final Four really had it all, but the games just didn’t deliver as much drama as many thought they would.  Florida dismantled UCLA, leading by as many as 17 in the second half.  The Ohio State Georgetown game was closer, but didn’t have any late game drama as the Buckeyes maintained a lead the entire second half.  The experienced Gators would knock off the young Buckeyes in the title game, making themselves the last team to win back-to-back titles.

#13) 2008 – Alamo Dome/San Antonio, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 20.5

#1 Kansas 84, #1 North Carolina 66                          

#1 Memphis 78, #1 UCLA 63

Naismith Award – Tyler Hansbrough, North Carolina

Final Four MOP – Mario Chalmers, Kansas

Storylines = 8.5, Star Power = 9, Quality of Games = 3

The first Final Four with all four one seeds had plenty of well-deserved hype and star-power, but surprisingly, did not deliver quality games. The Kansas-North Carolina matchup had great juice with Roy Williams coaching the Tar Heels vs. the program that he carried at such a high level for so long (without winning a title).  It may have been only fitting for Kansas fans that they had to get through Roy Williams to claim their most recent title, which they would this year under Coach Bill Self.  John Calipari was back in the Final Four for the first time in twelve years with the consensus player of the year in Derrick Rose.  This was UCLA’s third straight Final Four and their best team and the pressure was on Ben Howland to deliver a title.  Kansas was led by the dynamic duo of Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers, along with Darrell Arthur, all solid college players who would not be NBA stars.  Tyler Hansbrough was the obvious alpha dog on North Carolina, which also featured Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson.  Derrick Rose was the best player in this Final Four, and Chris Douglas-Roberts had played a pretty good Batman to Rose all year.  Freshman Kevin Love, Sophomore Russell Westbrook and junior Darren Collison played the role of big three for the Bruins. Surprisingly, neither semi-final game was close.  Kansas dismantled North Carolina and Memphis ran away from UCLA in the other semifinal.  The on-floor drama was saved for Monday night as Mario Chalmers played hero in Kansas’ overtime victory vs. Memphis in San Antonio.  Personally, despite the lackluster games, this was a great Final Four for me.  I spent Final Four Saturday with Nicole and great friends in San Antonio and flew to Las Vegas on Sunday morning to spend a couple days with just Nicole and took in the national title game at the sportsbook in the Wynn.

#12) 1998 – Alamo Dome/San Antonio, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 21

#3 Utah 65, #1 North Carolina 59              

#2 Kentucky 86, #3 Stanford 85 OT

Naismith Award – Antawn Jamison, North Carolina

Final Four MOP – Jeff Sheppherd, Kentucky

Storylines = 6, Star Power = 7, Quality of Games =8

Two blue-bloods and two not-so blue-bloods came together in San Antonio.  All four coaches were making their first final four appearance (Mike Montgomery for Stanford, the late Rick Majerus for Utah, first year UNC head coach Bill Guthridge and new Kentucky coach Tubby Smith).  The storyline might have been a bit better had Arizona not derailed Kentucky’s repeat bid the year before, but as is, the Cats were going for their second title in three years.  North Carolina was the lone number one seed and they were riding the shoulders of Naismith Award winner Antawn Jamison, who had a magnificent junior year, which would be his last for the Tar Heels.  The coveted UK-UNC game from the year before wasn’t meant to be this year either, as Utah (who many forget had just lost Keith Van Horn the year before – Ewing theory candidate) had an excellent game plan and limited the Tar Heels to 59 points.  Andre Miller carried the most name recognition for that Utah team and Michael Doleac had an excellent senior season as well.  Utah used smothering defense in the first half to lead 35-22 at halftime and kept the Tar Heels at bay in the second half.  The game rates high not because of the drama or final score, but because of the upset factor as not many were giving the Utes a chance.  Similarly, not many were giving the Stanford Cardinal a chance either as they certainly lacked the star power (but don’t forget about the Mad Dog Mark Madsen) of their opponents from the Bluegrass.  Kentucky was in their third straight Final Four and had reloaded and not rebuilt, because most of the dominant 96 team was gone.  It was a huge night from Jeff Shepherd with help from Scott Padgett, Nazr Mohammed, and Allen Edwards that allowed the Cats to hold off Stanford 86-85 in OT in one of the best semi-final games ever.  Some sneaky good, if not super-flashy, storylines (four first year Final Four coaches, the last run for Jamison and Carter, two unexpected attendees in Utah and Stanford) combined with two great games help this Final Four overcome a lack of depth in the star power category to rank high.  Tubby Smith led the Cats to their seventh title two nights later against Utah.

#10 TIE) 2001 – Metro Dome/Minneapolis, MN – TOTAL SCORE = 21.5

#1 Duke 95, #3 Maryland 84       

#2 Arizona 80, #1 Michigan State 61

Naismith Award – Shane Battier, Duke

Final Four MOP – Shane Battier, Duke

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 8.5, Quality of Games             6

There were plenty of storylines and talent converging on the Twin Cities in early April of 2001.  Michigan State was trying to repeat and this Final Four was going to be much tougher to navigate than what they had to a year before.  Two one seeds, a super-talented two seed in Arizona and a very capable three seed in Maryland brought a powerful field to Minneapolis.  Duke squared off with Maryland in an ACC matchup and Michigan State was set to face a stiff test in Arizona.  Three of the four coaches already had a title and the fourth, Gary Williams, was carrying the label of one of America’s best coaches without one (he would get his one year later).  Not many were surprised that Arizona beat Michigan State, but the way they did it was shocking in an 80-61 dismantling of the defending national champions.  Michigan State no longer had Mateen Cleaves, but still had Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson and Jason Richardson, as well as a freshman version of Zach Randolph.  The depth and talent of Arizona, featuring Jason Gardner, Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Michael Wright among others (and a sub named Luke Walton) was just too much for Sparty on this night.  In the second game, the 11 point Duke victory in the final margin does not tell the whole story.  Duke trailed the Terrapins, led by Juan Dixon, Steve Blake and Lonny Baxter (all of who were key cogs on the Maryland title team a year later) 39-17 with just over seven minutes to go in the first half.  Duke’s 8 man rotation was as talented as any team in this decade with Jay Williams, Chris Duhon and Mike Dunleavy in the backcourt, with Casey Sanders and Shane Battier in the frontcourt, and Carlos Boozer coming off the bench.  Duke came all the way back and took their first lead with just under five minutes to go, and the Terrapins were done, as Duke advanced with a 95-84 win over Maryland.  Duke and Arizona would play a good championship game two nights later, with the Blue Devils winning their third title in school history.

#10 TIE) 1999 – Tropicana Field/St. Petersburg, FL – TOTAL SCORE = 21.5

#1 UConn 64, #4 Ohio St. 58                       

#1 Duke 68, #1 Michigan State 62

Naismith Award – Elton Brand, Duke

Final Four MOP – Richard Hamilton, UConn

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 8.5, Quality of Games = 6

The 1999 Final Four brought a freshness of sorts with some new blood as Kentucky did not enter the Final Four as the perceived favorite for the first time in four years.  Duke returned to the Final Four for the first time in five years as they were in the middle of building our generation’s strongest dynasty.   Not many would know at the time but their semi-final opponents, Connecticut, would ultimately offer them the biggest challenge for that title.  They were joined by three teams making their first Final Four in a long time (Michigan State ’79, Ohio State ’68) or ever (Uconn).  Other than three strong one seeds and a strong four seed and the anticipation of really good basketball, this Final Four didn’t have any overly juicy subplots.  Coach K was trying to get Duke back on top while two great coaches in Jim Calhoun and Tom Izzo searched for their first title (it felt inevitable that they would both get one), while journey man coach Jim O’Brien tried to lead the proud Ohio State program back to the top for the first time in over three decades.  Duke vs. UConn was the matchup people hoped for on Monday night and ultimately got.  Both advanced with six point victories, but UConn’s win was much closer than Duke’s, as UConn and Ohio State entered the under-four media timeout in a three point game.  Ohio State would get no closer.  Duke was too much for Ohio State, building a 12 point halftime lead that never got much closer until the last few minutes.  This final four featured a lot of really solid college players, including a few who carved out long and successful NBA careers.  Duke was headlined by the sharpshooter from Alaska, Trajan Langdon and joined by a young core that would ultimately cut down the nets in 2001, including Elton Brand, Corey Magette, William Avery and Shane Battier.  The team they beat would keep their core of Mateen Cleaves, Charlie Bell, Morris Peterson and AJ Granger in tact to win next year’s title.  The champs from UConn were led by Khalid El-Amin, Richard Hamilton, Ricky Moore and Jake Voskuhl, while the Buckeyes were led by their backcourt of Scoonie Penn and Michael Redd.  The Saturday night games featured a moderate level of drama in the UConn-Ohio State game, but the best game of this Final Four was championship Monday when UConn, who finished 34-2, knocked off Duke, who finished 37-2.

#9) 2010 – Lucas Oil Stadium/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 22

#5 Butler 52, #5 Michigan State 50           

#1 Duke 78, #2 West Virginia 57

Naismith Award – Evan Turner, Ohio State

Final Four MOP – Kyle Singler, Duke

Storylines = 10, Star Power = 5.5, Quality of Games = 6.5

Total Ranking:    22

It was a real-life version of “Hoosiers” right in downtown Indianapolis.  The Butler Bulldogs and their hometown coach, Brad Stevens, a definite Cinderella but also a high level program for upwards of a decade, had broken through in dramatic fashion with wins over top seeds Syracuse and Kansas State in the regional round, were in the Final Four just six miles from their own campus.  This made Michigan State’s drive from East Lansing to Detroit the previous year look like quite the trip.  Butler would hook up with Michigan State, led by Tom Izzo, returning to the Final four for the fifth time in the past eleven seasons.  Duke was the #1 team in the nation and seeking their fourth title, and first in nine seasons.  West Virginia was here under Coach Bob Huggins for the first time since 1959.  Like always, Duke brought star power but not near to the level that they carried in the early part of the decade.  Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith led a balanced Duke attack.  Butler had the emerging star of Gordon Hayward and a more than capable guard in Shelvin Mack.  West Virginia, in classic Bob Huggins fashion, had over-achieved during a 31 win season that featured very little NBA talent.  Leading scorer Da’Sean Butler had his night cut short on this evening with a leg injury.  Duke had no problem taking care of West Virginia.  Butler and Michigan State played a great, low-scoring, defensive struggle in which Butler maintained a small second half lead and held off Michigan State in the closing seconds by hitting free throws and employing the “foul when up three late strategy” and executing it to perfection to hold on and advance.  As most know, the highest of drama occurred two nights later when Gordon Hayward was inches away from connecting on a half-courter that would have given Butler the title against Duke, who claimed their fourth title in twenty years.

#8) 1996 –Meadowlands/East Rutherford, NJ – TOTAL SCORE = 22.5         

#1 Kentucky 81, #1 UMass 74                    

#4 Syracuse 77, #5 Mississippi State 69

Naismith Award – Marcus Camby, UMass

Final Four MOP – Tony Delk, Kentucky

Storylines = 7.5, Star Power = 8.5, Quality of Games = 6.5

This Final Four had it all heading into the Meadowlands, which had to have added to the environment as no venue smaller than the Meadowlands has hosted since and most likely never will.  There was a definite favorite in the uber-talented and blue-blood Kentucky Wildcats (Tony Delk, Antoine Walker, Ron Mercer, Derek Anderson, Walter McCarty, a young frontcourt sub named Nazr Mohammed among others).  There was no debating Kentucky’s blue-blood category, but they had not won a title since 1978 and were still on the upward climb out of a less than memorable 80’s for Big Blue Nation.  There was a newcomer to the national scene who had torn through the regular season with only one loss in the Massachusetts Minutemen, led by an up and coming coach in John Calipari.  Despite the depth of talent that Kentucky possessed, UMass had the national player of the year in Marcus Camby, and while joined by what I remember as a great college team, nobody else would crack the NBA from that team.  Many people viewed this semi-final as the national title game for obvious reasons.  These two one seeds entered the game with a combined record of 66-3.  You had the best player and the two best teams in the tourney going head-to-head on Saturday night, with the Calipari-Pitino coaching matchup.  There was a ton of hype around this one and it was well-deserved.  While the other contest did not have near the hype, who doesn’t love a Cinderella?  You had #4 Syracuse and #5 Mississippi State.  Both teams were led by a dominant frontcourt player in John Wallace and Erick Dampier respectively.  You had Jim Boeheim chasing his first title in his first return trip to the Final Four since the heart-breaking loss to Indiana in 1987 (the game that is probably most responsible for having the clock stopped after made baskets in the final minute now).  Mississippi State was a true and darling Cinderella for sure.  While neither game went down to the final possession, both were very competitive.  Kentucky led Umass most of the night but the Minutemen would never go away, en-route to a 81-74 Kentucky victory.  Ten Wildcats scored and Tony Delk were and Antoine Walker were the only ones to hit double-figures.  The depth and talent of UK proved too much.  Marcus Camby didn’t disappoint, going for 25 with 8 rebounds.  Syracuse advanced past Mississippi State 77-69 in a game that was tied at halftime. Rick Pitino and the Wildcats would cut the nets down 48 hours later.

#7) 2012 – Super Dome/New Orleans, LA – TOTAL SCORE = 23

#1 Kentucky 69, #4 Louisville 61                

#2 Kansas 64, #2 Ohio State 62

Naismith Award – Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Final Four MOP – Anthony Davis, Kentucky

Storylines = 9.5, Star Power = 6, Quality of Games

The hype machine was high on this one as two true rivals hadn’t met on the Final Four stage in modern college basketball history.  If Kentucky vs. Louisville in the Final Four wasn’t enough, you had the John Calipari-Rick Pitino subplot, two rivals and you now had Calipari in the seat that Pitino once held (and won a title) with Pitino at the in-state rival.  Kentucky, as is always the case under John Calipari, was led by a wealth of young talent, the most talented being freshmen Anthony Davis and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.  Louisville didn’t have quite the star power as they were led in scoring that year by Kyle Kuric and Russ Smith.  The second game featured two worthy #2 seeds with Kansas and Ohio State.  Bill Self was seeking title #2 for himself at Kansas and was relying on Thomas Robinson and Tayshawn Taylor to carry a heavy load.  Thad Matta had turned in another great season as coach of the Buckeyes and would need Jared Sullinger and DeShawn Thomas to produce at a high level to have a chance at his first national title. Anthony Davis had 18 points and 14 rebounds for Kentucky in the national semi-finals and Kentucky would never trail in the second half, despite Louisville trimming the lead to one possession on more than one occasion.   Ohio State and Kansas played a good game that saw Ohio State lead most of the night before a late Kansas surge.  Kansas took a one point lead with 1:37 to go and then went coast-to-coast after a Jeff Whittey block to make their lead three with just over a minute to go.  Ohio State would cut the lead to 1 with 9 seconds to go before Kansas extended the lead to three with nine seconds.  Like Butler two years before in a nation semi-final game, Kansas fouled while up three and was able to rebound Ohio State’s missed free throw with two seconds left to secure the win.  High hype with great storylines, average star power after Anthony Davis and two above average games put the 2012 Final Four Saturday in a respectable position.

#6) 2015 – Lucas Oil Stadium/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 23.5

#1 Duke 81, #7 Michigan State 61             

#1 Wisconsin 71, #1 Kentucky 64

Naismith Award – Frank Kamisky, Wisconsin

Final Four MOP – Tyus Jones, Duke

Storylines = 9, Star Power = 7.5, Quality of Games = 7

The 2015 Final Four had it all; great coaches, experienced teams, a rematch from the year before and a team, Kentucky, chasing history with a chance to be the first undefeated team since 1976 and finish with the best record in college basketball history.  Three one seeds made it through and this year’s “Cinderella” (only because they were a seven seed), was in their sixth Final Four in sixteen years.  In Kentucky’s path to history on this Saturday night was the team they had just beaten one year ago in a classic, the Wisconsin Badgers.  The first game featured Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils and Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans.  It’s hard to ever consider Tom Izzo’s Spartans an underdog, especially in March, but this was a Michigan State team with twelve losses and lacked star power (Travis Trice and Denzel Valentine were their leading scoreres).  A Duke team that was super-talented and had played second fiddle to undefeated Kentucky in the national spotlight all year was just way too much for this version of Sparty.  Led by national player of the year Jahlil Okafor, along with Justice Winslow, Tyus Jones and Quinn Cook, the Blue Devils handed Michigan State a twenty point loss on this Saturday night.   History was made in the second game as Wisconsin, led by most of the same characters from the previous year’s heart-breaking Final Four loss to Kentucky (Frank Kamisky, Sam Decker and Nigel Hayes) defeated unbeaten Kentucky who was returning the Harrison twins and Willie-Cauley Stein and had added Karl-Anthony Towns, Devin Booker, and Trey Lyles, came up short against the experienced and defensive-minded Badgers.  Duke went on to claim the title two nights later.  This Kentucky team will be remembered as one of the best to not win the title, and the 2015 Badgers can make a case for that list as well.  That’s how loaded this Final Four was.

#5) 1997 – RCA Dome/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 24.5

#4 Arizona 66, #1 North Carolina 58         

#1 Kentucky 78, #1 Minnesota 69

Naismith Award – Tim Duncan, Wake Forest

Final Four MOP – Miles Simon, Arizona

Storylines = 9, Star Power = 8, Quality of Games = 7.5

Three one seeds and a four seed converged on Indianapolis and the four seed would ultimately come out on top, becoming the first team in tourney history to beat three one seeds in the same tourney.  That four seed, of course, was the Miles Simon led and Lute Olsen coached Arizona Wildcats.  Despite being the lowest seeded team in the Final Four, they were not short on talent or star power as they had Simon along-side a freshman point guard named Mike Bibby with Michael Dickerson on a wing and a pretty solid guard coming off the bench in Jason Terry.  Minnesota had overachieved under Clem Haskins all year, led by national player of the year candidate Bobby Jackson and a host of other classic 1990’s Big Ten players.  Kentucky may not have been as talented as the year before but they weren’t operating at a shortage with Ron Mercer back and Nazr Mohammed emerging and Scott Padgett and Jamal Magloire finding their way.  Derek Anderson had been lost to injury earlier in the year.  The Wildcats would get by Minnesota in the first semi-final before Arizona would end the season of North Carolina and the career of Dean Smith (thought it wasn’t public at the time of the game).  North Carolina had the dynamic duo of Antawn Jamison and Vince Carter, who are two of the all-time greats at UNC to not have a championship ring.  Kentucky was trying to repeat and North Carolina was viewed as their biggest threat.  Thanks to Arizona limiting the potent UNC attack in the semi-finals, that UK-UNC matchup would never happen.  Arizona would complete their Cinderella run on Monday night, taking down Kentucky in what was the best game of the three.  I was there in person for this one and neither of the Saturday games were great, neither were snoozers.

#4) 2004 – Alamo Dome/San Antonio, TX – TOTAL SCORE = 25

#2 UConn 79, #1 Duke 78             

#3 Georgia Tech 67, #2 Oklahoma State 65

Naismith Award – Jameer Nelson, St. Joseph’s

Final Four MOP – Emeka Okafor, Connecticut

Storylines = 7, Star Power = 8, Quality of Games = 10

This was another Final Four where the general consensus was the championship would be decided on Saturday night in San Antonio, when #1 Duke and second-seeded UConn hooked up.  Coach K and Jim Calhoun were still patrolling the sidelines.  It was a rematch of a great title game from five years ago, with obviously all new faces on both sides.  That game did not disappoint and neither did the Georgia Tech vs. Oklahoma State game, even if neither team was viewed as a major threat to win the Monday night game and it certainly was not a Final Four matchup that many saw coming.  These two Saturday night games were decided by a combined three points, arguably the best double-header in Final Four history.  Georgia Tech stretched a seven point halftime lead over the Eddie Sutton coached Cowboys, before Oklahoma State came storming back and ultimately tied the game on a three-pointer by John Lucas with less than 30 seconds to go.  Georgia Tech held for the last shot and got a drive and finish by Will Bynum to advance in dramatic fashion.  The Cowboys were led by their guards, Tony Allen and John Lucas, who had great careers but were not first-line stars.  Georgia Tech’s go to guy was Jarrett Jack.  More star power took the floor in the second game as Duke had six players who were destined for NBA careers (JJ Reddick, Shelden Williams, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon, Daniel Ewing and Shavlik Randolph) and UConn had six of their own including the dynamite Ben Gordon, the dominant Emeka Okafor and young stars in Daniel Boone and Charlie Villaneuva.  UConn got the best of Duke, again, in a 79-78 classic.  No player exceeded 20 points in a game where lots of players performed at a high level.  Connecticut trailed 73-64 with just under five minutes to go and still trailed by three with 90 seconds to go.  An Okafor baby hook cut it to one, then Luol Deng missed a three for Duke.  Okafor rebounded and scored his own miss to give UConn the lead with 21 seconds to go.  Reddick was stripped on a drive with 11 seconds to go.  UConn put Duke away at the free throw line and a three at the buzzer by Duke could only cut it to one.  This Final Four had good storylines, above average star power and two great games that went down to the final seconds.  Georgia Tech, under Paul Hewitt, was far from an easy out two nights later, but UConn went on to cut down the nets.

#3) 1993 – Super Dome/New Orleans, LA – TOTAL SCORE = 26

#1 North Carolina 78, #2 Kansas 68          

#1 Michigan 81, #1 Kentucky 78 (OT)

Naismith Award – Calbert Cheaney, Indiana

Final Four MOP – Donald Williams, North Carolina

Storylines = 8, Star Power = 9, Quality of Games = 9

There was a lot to be excited about leading to this Saturday on the Bayou as you had blue-bloods and high seeds converging on New Orleans in what was expected to be a very competitive Final Four.  It was a teacher vs. pupil rematch from 1991 and this one went to the teacher, as Dean Smith led his Tar Heels past Roy Williams’ Jayhawks.  Kentucky was searching for their first title in 15 years and to completely put the tumultuous 1980’s behind them.  They were coached by a young coach named Rick Pitino who was still trying to change his own narrative from failed NBA coach to great college coach.  Michigan entered with the Fab 5 of Webber, Rose, Howard, King and Jackson still intact.  They weren’t sneaking up on anyone this year as they were national runner-ups the year before and entered this year’s big dance as a #1 seed.  Kentucky had an obvious alpha dog in Jamal Mashburn, with a nice supporting cast.  North Carolina was deep and balanced (George Lynch, Donald Williams, Brian Reece, Derek Phelps, Eric Montross), and had gotten by in a lot of games all year without having the best player on the floor.  Kansas had an excellent backcourt of Rex Walters and Adonis Jordan, with Greg Ostertag up front, and had just eliminated the nation’s number one team, an Alan Henderson-less Indiana squad, in the Elite 8.  The Tar Heels led most of the night against Kansas thanks to big nights by eventual Final Four MOP Donald Williams and Eric Montross.  It was the Kentucky-Michigan game that will be remembered as one of the best semi-final games ever.  Michigan overcame a three point deficit in the final 1:12 to knock out the Wildcats.  Webber and Mashburn didn’t disappoint on the biggest stage, going for 27 and 26 respectively.  The Tar Heels outlasted Michigan to win the title two nights later, in the infamous Chris Webber time-out game.

#2) 1992 – Metro Dome/Minneapolis, MN – TOTAL SCORE = 28

#6 Michigan 76, #4 Cincinnati 72               

#1 Duke 81, #2 Indiana 78

Naismith Award – Christian Laettner, Duke

Final Four MOP – Bobby Hurley, Duke

Storylines = 10, Star Power = 8, Quality of Games = 10

You know that this ranking system ends with 1991 on top, but what happened one year later was quite the encore.  It was the second straight year for a high-profile teacher vs. pupil matchup as Bob Knight and the Hoosiers squared off with the new kings of college basketball and his former player and assistant coach, Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils.  Duke was trying to repeat and Bob Knight was trying to become just the third coach ever with four national titles.  The star power was there as Duke had a veteran and accomplished team with Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner alongside the up-and-coming Grant Hill.  Indiana was a classic Bob Knight outfit full of over-achieving individuals coming together to make their whole greater than the sum of their parts.  That said, they weren’t short on talent as they had one of the smoothest small forwards in NCAA history in Calbert Cheaney (who would go on to win he Naismith award the next year).  Throw in Hoosier icon Damon Bailey and one of my favorite college players ever, Alan Henderson, and this one was big.  The other game on this night was full of intrigue as well.  Has anyone heard of the Fab 5?  Five freshmen starters on this stage was once unheard of and was now real.  Webber, Rose, Howard, King and Jackson taking on a Nick Van Exel, Damon Buford and Corie Blount led Cincinnati team coached by Bob Huggins.  There were storylines and talent abound in this one and the two games were decided by a combined seven points!  Both Michigan and Duke had to overcome halftime deficits to get past the Bearcats and Hoosiers, respectively.  Calbert was limited to 11 for Indiana and Bobby Hurley was incredible.  The Fab 5 used a balanced attack to hold off Cincinnati.  There was no drama left for Monday night, as Duke would prove too much in the championship game in a twenty point route of the Wolverines.

#1) 1991 – Hoosier Dome/Indianapolis, IN – TOTAL SCORE = 29

#3 Kansas 79, #1 North Carolina 73                          

#2 Duke 79, #1 UNLV 77

Naismith Award – Larry Johnson, UNLV

Final Four MOP – Christian Laettner, Duke

Storylines = 10, Star Power = 9, Quality of Games = 10

The storylines were laid out at the beginning of this article and the games did not disappoint.  Kansas played with a lead most of the night in their upset win over North Carolina.  Adonis Jordan and Mark Randall scored 15 each and the Jayhawks were able to hold off a great game by Hubert Davis for the Tar Heels.  Kansas had the least star power of the field.  This was a North Carolina team with Hubert Davis, Rick Fox, King Rice, George Lynch, Eric Montross and Pete Chilcutt, all future NBA players.  Duke took down the undefeated and powerful Rebels from UNLV in game two.  UNLV featured All-Americans Larry Johnson and Stacey Augmon, along with the powerful backcourt of Anderson Hunt and Greg Anthony.  Duke’s obvious 1-2 punch was Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner and they had a freshman named Grant Hill as well.  This one was close throughout and Christian Laettner was fouled on a rebound of a Thomas Hill miss with the score tied at 77 with 12 seconds to go.  Laettner calmly made both free throws and Duke got a great defensive stop to seal the victory, forcing UNLV into a contested three that they probably didn’t’ want to take, keeping the ball out of Larry Johnson’s hands.  Duke guarded against the let down two nights later as they now wore the hat of favorite, and dismantled Kansas en route the their first of five titles over the next twenty-five years.

The Elite 8 Tips off at 6:09 pm today with the first of two matchups that feature 1 seeds vs. 3 seeds, when Gonzaga and Texas Tech hook up for the right to play in next week’s final four. At 8:49 pm, Virginia and Purdue will battle in Louisville with the same stakes.

If you are reading this in a spot where sports wagering is legal and looking for last minute tips to possibly make your wallet heavier, I would stop now! These are both toss-up games to me and while I will probably make a prediction at the end of this post, I might as well flip a coin. In the first matchup, you might have the nation’s best offense in Gonzaga vs. the nation’s best defense in Texas Tech. What a chess match it will be. If that Red Raider defense has any vulnerabilities, it might be against what Gonzaga has, in the big front-line duo of Rui Hachimura and Brandon Clarke. Gonzaga can go even bigger if they want to with 6-10 frontcourt sub Tillian Killie on the floor, and Hachimura and Clarke provide enough versatility for them to play together. The Gonzaga guards must play clean and give their team a chance to get great shots and offensive rebounds every time down the floor. If that happens, Gonzaga has the type of team that can score 70+ vs. the Texas Tech defense, something only three teams have done all year, which is remarkable. While it is strength vs. strength when Gonzaga has the ball, the game might be decided on the other end of the floor, as Texas Tech is certainly a quality offensive team as well. I fully expect Jarrett Culver to shine as he is one of the nation’s best talent, and his running mates in the backcourt, sharp-shooter David Maretti and the steady Matt Mooney are solid and dependable. The factor that tilts this Gonzaga’s way for me is Texas Tech’s inability to score enough or get enough offensive rebounds inside against the formidable Gonzaga front line. That combined with Gonzaga’s offensive efficiency and versatility, has me leaning toward Gonzaga by a couple of possessions in this one.

The prime-time Saturday game features Purdue and Virginia, two programs looking for their first Final Four since the 1980’s. Either Matt Painter or Tony Bennett will shake the label of “One of America’s best coaches to never reach the Final Four,” as both are tremendous coaches year in and year out. There is a neat Indiana subplot to this one for those that don’t know, as Indiana-raised Ryan Cline (Carmel) and Kyle Guy (Lawrence Central) will be squaring off for their respective teams. Cline might have turned in the best shooting performance in NCAA tournament history. If that seems a little extreme, consider that he ended 10-13 from the floor (7-10 from 3) and he was 3-6 at one point, which means he made his last seven straight field goals, six of those from behind the arc. Consider the stakes and the game pressure, and it is hard to find a better shooting performance in tournament history than the Carmel native turned in on Thursday night. Side note, Cline averaged 6.3 points per game this season. Purdue’s alpha-dog is obviously Carsen Edwards and he had another tremendous game despite being limited in the second half. Arguably, no team has improved more than the Boilers from November until March and each player on their team is really maxing out their contributions. While they still have a formidable force inside in 7-3 Matt Haarms (9.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg), this Boilermaker team has proven an ability to win in a wider variety of ways than some of Matt Painter’s best teams. Their last obstacle toward their first Final Four since 1980 is the Virginia Cavaliers, a team that did not fly under the radar at all this year, carrying the number one ranking for most of the year on top of the pressure of not replicating last year’s NCAA tournament’s historical defeat. Virginia has as quality of a backcourt as anyone in the country with Ty Jerome, Kyle Guy and De’Andre Hunter. Rarely, if ever, will you shut down or limit all three of them. Big Mamadai Diakite gives them such a presence on the inside, and tonight in particular might be enough to negate Haarms. While Texas Tech is getting the attention of this year’s best defensive team, Virginia, per normal, isn’t far behind. I think the Boilers torrid shooting cools a bit, some just natural and some due to Virginia’s lock down defense. I’m leaning Virginia in this one, but I think the game is in the balance at the under four time-out.

Enjoy what should be four excellent matchups, and I’m looking forward to breaking them down and previewing the Final Four Monday night on the Sports and Stuff that Matters podcast, with guest co-host Jimmy Meyer.

Four great matchups await college hoops fans as four worthy teams will punch their ticket to Minneapolis for next weekend’s final four. How did we get here and what will happen this weekend?

Duke survived, Sparty impressed, Auburn rolled, Kentucky was tough, Gonzaga was efficient, Texas Tech was dominant, Virginia was Virginia and Purdue outlasted Tennessee in the best game of this tourney and one of the best in recent memory.

I am the one that used the word “survived” when describing Duke, but that’s different than lucky. They have shown their vulnerabilities for sure, but Virginia Tech was a very complete team that can perform well on both ends. Duke played the game without a starter (Cam Reddish). Also, remember had VT converted the layup on a wonderfully executed and called OB, this one would have been overtime (as opposed to last week, UCF would have been marching on). The ironic part of the victory is without the three point shooting of Tre Jones (5-7), Duke may not be marching on, and had UCF gotten their last shot to fall last week, Jones’ three point shooting in that game (1-8) that would have been pointed to as one of the primary reasons that Duke fell. That’s just another illustration of how hard it is to predict this stuff, but we try anyway. Zion Williamson was tremendous, again, 11-14 from the floor. It was RJ Barrett who struggled mightily from 3 this time around, 0-7. It is well documented that Duke struggles from the three point line (their team % of 30.8% would be the lowest for a national champion in well over 20 years should they cut down the nets in Minneapolis), but these guy have to find a way to avoid the 0-7 and 1-8 clips. That said, it’s the defensive end I would be concerned with if I were Duke. Their true first-shot defense was pretty good last night, as VT only shot 25-62 and 9-26 from 3 (they did get more FTA, 18, than Coach K and his staff might like), but they really hurt Duke on the offensive glass with 17 offensive rebounds, 11 by Kenny Blackshear alone. Michigan State really played a complete game vs. LSU and they’ve shown the ability to shoot it efficiently and every Tom Izzo team is capable of corralling a high number of offensive rebounds, and this version of Sparty is no different. Aaron Henry got Michigan State going, Cassius Winston ended up being his normal self with 17 and Gabe Brown gave them a good boost off the bench in a very impressive and complete performance. Tom Izzo’s group has somehow flown under the radar in a lot of people’s eyes, despite regular season and big ten titles and a #2 seed. There is no more flying under the radar anymore, an elite 8, 1 vs. 2 seed matchup with Duke. Despite the uncertainty of Cam Reddish’s status, give me the Blue Devils by 9 after some late free throws.

The midwest regional will pit (3) Kentucky vs. (5) Auburn in an all SEC regional final. Auburn got there by outgunning North Carolina. North Carolina thrives on creating more opportunities than their opponent and they were unable to do that last night. North Carolina does that by playing at a faster pace and dominating the offensive glass. Well, Auburn was willing and able to play at UNC’s pace, and more efficient, especially in the second half when their offense was unbelievably efficient en route to a 36-66 night and 17-37 from three. North Carolina did get 14 offensive rebounds, but Auburn’s interior defense toughened up when they got them as UNC was only able to get 14 points off those 14 offensive rebounds. Auburn had 10 second chance points of their own, all but negating one of UNC’s biggest strengths. This Auburn team is hot and rolling at the right time. A solid, but not overwhelming, 11-7 in SEC play this year, the Tigers won the SEC tourney in convincing fashion and have now beaten two of college basketball’s blue bloods (Kansas in the round of 32 before UNC last night) by an average of over 20 in the big dance. They will have another blue blood waiting on them in the Kentucky Wildcats. Before talking UK, let’s send our best to Auburn’s Chuma Okeke, the versatile 6-8 sophomore who left the game with around eight minutes to go last night after having a wonderful game on both ends of the floor. He had 20 points and 11 rebounds when he left the game and had two huge block’s on UNC’s Nassir Little to whether mini-runs by UNC and regain momentum for Auburn. It didn’t look or sound good for him to play the remainder of the tourney, a big blow to Auburn and my heart breaks for him. Amazingly, this Auburn team puts up 97 points while only getting a combined 21 points from their star backcourt duo of Jarred Harper and Bryce Brown. This was a team win and impressive performance by Auburn. One last note on the Tar Heels. I, admittedly, follow them a bit closer than most teams because of my wife’s long-time allegiance to them and it has certainly been an honor to follow the careers of Luke Maye, Kenny Williams and Cam Johnson. In the era where the young guns run college basketball, Maye and Williams were four year guys who got better and took on an increased role every year and had great careers. Johnson was only a Tar Heel for two years after a transfer from Pitt, but his career had the same path of contributions every year. These guys maxed out their college experiences and won a ton of games and championships and I tip my hat to them. A familiar foe awaits Auburn in Kentucky, who gave up a ten point lead and then overcame a three point deficit in a physical, competitive sweet 16 tilt with previously 33-3 Houston. The Cats certainly benefited from the return of PJ Washington who got them an efficient 16 points. On a night when Reid Travis only found two field goal attempts and Kelden Johnson struggled mightily, it was Tyler Hero who got loose for 19 points on only one three pointer made for him (and it was clutch and timely). Kentucky’s first half defense was tremendous against a strong and physical Houston team (and their second half defense wasn’t bad either), en route to holding Houston to under 40% from the floor and owning a commanding 36-23 margin on the boards. It almost wasn’t enough, and 14 turnovers was a reason why, but it ultimately was. This Kentucky team is winning tough, slow-paced, physical games and that’s a good formula in March. Auburn hasn’t won that way in the dance yet, so we will see if the Cats can make them. The numbers are eye-popping going into this one. In their three tourney games so far, the Cats have given up 52.7 games and Auburn has scored 88 points per game in their three wins. I think the game ends up in the high 60’s and Kentucky finds a way to win at the end.

I’ll offer some thoughts on today’s games, Gonzaga vs. Texas Tech from Anaheim and Virginia vs. Purdue from Louisville, later today.

We are hours away from tipping off the round of 32. I certainly do understand the business side of things, but it is frustrating to only have one game on at a time between noon and 5:15 before the evening hours are loaded up with up to four games at a time. That said, it is a net positive tradeoff as that was part of the contract when CBS decided to share the tourney and have all the games on in their entirety (one of CBS’ conditions was that they have the early afternoon slots on Saturday and Sunday to themselves). That said, they chose the right two games to start the day with as LSU-Maryland and Kentucky-Wofford are both very intriguing matchups.

There was no way that a one seed was going to lose to a sixteen again this year, but three of the four made it a lot more interesting than most people would have guessed. Only Gonzaga was dominant start to finish. Many casual fans can say that Duke, North Carolina and Virginia were sleep-walking (hard to believe in the case of Virginia), and maybe there is a component of that out there, but I also contend that the talent/athleticism gap between a 1 and a 16 is much smaller than it was 10-20 years ago. I don’t expect 16 seeds over 1 seeds to be a regular occurence, but I also don’t expect it to be a once in a lifetime thing either. That said, Friday gave us our share of upsets but chalk did advance at the top of the bracket, as all 12 teams seeded 1-3 advanced, with only a couple of them having any real game pressure on them in the last ten minutes. Despite the quality of teams on the 1-3 lines, the odds of all 12 of them dancing into the sweet 16 is slim. That said, I do see ten of the twelve advancing, which could make for a very “chalky” but outstanding sweet 16. That said, despite me pushing a lot of top seeds through, I don’t think this weekend is going to be a snoozefest by any means. Which ones are the most vulnerable, in my opinion? I will rate the “upset alert” status of the top 12 seeds from 1-10 (1 being no upset alert, 10 being the highest alert).

Let’s start in the east.

Duke – Not vulnerable at all. Central Florida can defend, but I don’t think UCF can score it efficiently enough to give Duke any real threat. Duke’s upset alert status for round 2 = 1.

Michigan State – Minnesota certainly played a complete game against Louisville, getting five guys in double-figures and scoring it efficiently on the inside and the outside. Sparty, on the other hand, struggled with Bradley. Side note, I know Bradley finished middle of the pack in the Missouri Valley, but the Missouri Valley champ getting a 15 seed seemed really low. That is still a quality league even with Creighton and Wichita State going elsewhere. Cassius Winston was brilliant, but will be need some help if Sparty goes deep (hopefully for Sparty fans Kenny Goins got his dud of a game out of the way). There are concerns for Michigan State, but I think they get by their in-conference rival in the round of 32. Upset Alert Status = 2

LSU – Major upset alert status for LSU as they seem to be trending downward and are obviously strapped with some turmoil and they face a very capable Maryland team. Belmont was a popular upset pick to take down the Terps and Maryland was able to hold off a quality Belmont team despite a 3-18 performance from their leading scorer, Anthony Cowan. Maryland’s front court carried a huge load in the victory and it is a front court that is capable of doing a lot of damage on the offensive glass. LSU limiting Maryland’s second chance points will be a huge key if the Tigers want to advance. Upset Alert Status = 8

South

Virginia – Despite a sluggish performance by Virginia and an outstanding one by Oklahoma, I don’t see UVA slipping up this weekend. I don’t want to take away from Oklahoma’s performance (I can’t remember a more lopsided 8-9 game in recent memory), but Ole Miss had slid to the finish line. Oklahoma will not find things so easy going (61 percent on two point shots vs. Ole Miss) against Virginia’s pack line defense and I could see Virginia, first game jitters and last year’s nightmare behind them, taking off on offense in a convincing victory. Upset alert status = 2.

Tennessee – Perhaps I haven’t given Iowa enough credit all year, but I think there is too much talent and athleticism on this Tennessee team to bow out to Iowa. Getting matched up in transition and defending the three point line will be key for Tennessee, but I think they are built to do just that and make Iowa find ways to beat them other than their strengths. Upset alert status = 3

Purdue – I will put Purdue on high upset alert status, but I think it would be hard to call it much of an upset if you fall to the defending national champs. This should be one of the best games of the second round. Villanova was very efficient on offense vs. St. Mary’s despite their low point total (it was a low possession game) and nobody in the dance has scored more points in their career than Phil Booth. Don’t be surprised to see Villanova’s 6-8 Eric Pascall guard Purdue’s number one weapon, the 6-1 Carson Edwards, to use his length to make things tough on Edwards. Purdue is very good on the offensive glass and if Villanova does use Pascall to guard Edwards, that could hurt Villanova on the boards. It’s an interesting subplot to watch. I like Purdue to win a really competitive game, but will have them on high upset alert status (8), even though not many would consider it a huge upset.

Midwest

North Carolina – I’m going to put North Carolina on the highest upset alert status of all the one seeds, but have them advancing. I don’t know how much zone North Carolina has seen this year, start to finish, like they will get against Washington. They will have to knock down some shots, and we all know they have guys that can shoot them and a coach that wants them to shoot them, but the Washington zone could slow down the UNC attack in a lot of ways, but ultimately I think UNC will create enough possessions and get enough offensive boards to get away from a Washington team that shot and played real well vs. Utah State. Give me Tar Heels, with an upset alert status at 4.

Kentucky – I will put the upset alert status high (6) out of respect for Wofford, but I have Kentucky in this one. I think Kentucky’s strength and athleticism will be too much. I see Kentucky challenging Wofford to make tough two point shots and not over help off shooters. PJ Washington’s status is uncertain, but Kelden Johnson was phenomenal in round one and can be again vs. Wofford. Wofford’s late game outburst was fun to watch and Fletcher Magee certainly showed the nation that he is worthy to be remembered as one of the best three point shooters ever, but I think those clean looks will be harder to come by and I think UK exerts their strength on the offensive end and wins this game by 10 points when it is all said and done.

Houston – Houston was dominant against Georgia State, shooting 25-35 from 2 point range and nearly doubling up the Panthers on the boards, 51-27, and holding them to 18-60 from the floor and 6-23 from the line. I think Ohio State has a hard time scoring vs. Houston and don’t see Houston having any problems with a surprise member of the round of 32 in Ohio State. Upset Alert Status = 2

West

Gonzaga – Gonzaga looks for their fifth consecutive sweet 16 and will have to get through Baylor to do it. Baylor plays a matchup zone that is unique and may take Gonzaga some time to get used to, but ultimately this Gonzaga offense is too deep and talented to not score points regardless of which defense they are playing. Gonzaga is also underrated defensively so Baylor will have to score to have a chance. Baylor has battled injuries all year and are without Tristan Clark and a little too reliant on the three point shot (which there efficiency from out there is a reason why they advanced past Syracuse) for me to pick vs. Gonzaga. Upset alert status = 2

Michigan – Michigan will need to get through Florida and this will be a tough task. Florida has been excellent on defense all year, so it is strength vs. strength as we know Michigan has skilled guys and run as good of half court offense as anyone in the country. What happens on the other end of the floor might be the difference in the game. Florida has struggled to shoot from the perimeter and has suffered some major scoring droughts this year. Keyontae Johnson’s double-double was huge for Florida getting by Nevada. He will have his hands full with the Brazdeikis/Teske duo inside and the Michigan backcourt is back to full strength with the return of Charles Matthews. Expect this one to go to the wire. Upset Alert Status = 7.

Texas Tech – Texas Tech is for real, and so is their opponent, Buffalo. This is one of the best matchups of round 2, in my opinion. When I saw the bracket, I wanted NKU to advance past Texas Tech for local cheering reasons, but I also wanted to see Texas Tech’s Jarrett Culver and Buffalo’s CJ Massinburg on the same court. Texas Tech’s defense ranks best in the country by lots of metrics and Buffalo is experienced and physical. It would surprise me if this wasn’t one of the weekend’s best games. Texas Tech upset alert status = 8.

As for the four games not involving a top 3 seed, give me Virginia Tech over Liberty. I love Virginia Tech on both sides of the ball and think they will be able to lock down a talented and fun Liberty offense. I’ll take Florida State over Murray State. Murray State and obviously Ja Morant were super-impressive (and despite Morant’s triple-double they were not a one man show vs. Marquette), but I picked FSU to go to the final four out of the west and I’m not wavering. Too much length, depth and athleticism for Murray State. I’ve shot down two cinderellas in Liberty and Murray State, but I will take UC-Irvine to knock off the red-hot Oregon Ducks and dance into the sweet 16. Irvine leads the nation in two point percentage defense and while the Ducks are capable of lighting them up from three, I don’t think they will. Irvine has the ability to score inside as well and Max Hazzard is a very underrated guard. I’ll take Kansas over Auburn in the only true 4-5 matchup that we have. I think too many people are writing off Kansas. I also think they will have the best player on the floor and be able to capitalize off of an Auburn team, that while talented, can make their share of mistakes too (that almost cost them against New Mexico State).

Final Round Two Predictions –

East -Duke, Michigan State, Maryland, Virginia Tech

South – Virginia, Tennessee, Purdue, UC-Irvine

Midwest – North Carolina, Kentucky, Houston, Kansas

West – Gonzaga, Florida, Texas Tech, Florida State

The field of 68 is set as most know by now. Here are some observations and questions about the committee’s work. Be sure to check my March 18 podcast where myself and Brent Bascom look ahead to the madness, but for now I want to look back at the final selections.

For starters, I have no problem with the four number one seeds, nor do I have any issues with the order that they are placed. I would be willing to bet that there hasn’t been an overall #1 seed finish in third place in their own league by two full games, but that was what the unique case of this Duke team and Zion Williamson’s injury presented. It was going to be hard to rank Duke below Virginia (thanks to Duke’s two wins vs. them) and hard to rank Virginia below UNC (thanks to UVA winning their only head-to-head matchup, so 1-2-3 kind of took care of themselves despite the ACC standings. All three teams can call themselves ACC champs this year in their own way, after Duke won the tourney. Gonzaga as the fourth #1 seed was fine with me all along, especially after Kentucky and Tennessee lost. Conveniently, UNC has a head-to-head win over Gonzaga so the rankings of the four one seeds kind of took care of itself. Where my shock factor, like many, comes is with Sparty. Michigan State wins the regular season and conference tourneys and ends up in the same bracket as full strength Duke? It does not add up to me, especially considering they have beaten Michigan twice in the past eight days and Michigan is (deservingly) a two seed as well. Why these two aren’t swapped is beyond me. I can’t even speculate as to why other than geography in the regional rounds. The UVA/Vols 1-2 makes sense to me, but I am shocked that the other two seeds fell where they did.

From the top of the bracket to the bottom, you have to feel bad for UNC-Greensboro. It appears they were the first team to be left out, and there were some bid-stealers this weekend (St. Louis, Oregon). It appears the committee was able to avoid being overly accused of power conference bias as Temple and Belmont slide in and Clemson, NC State, Indiana, Alabama, Texas and TCU are all left out. They seemed to split the difference with the last few spots as it pertains to big conferences and mid and low conferences. If that was intentional, we will never know and rightfully so. St. John’s sticks out to me as the questionable power conference team to get in. 21-12 is not terrible, but to finish with a losing record in the Big East with a relatively weak non-conference slate (best win – VCU) appears to be a questionable selection to me. I think there are a handful of teams that could make a case to have been in over the Johnnies, even a couple in their own league. Committee chair Bernard Muir did say himself on CBS that despite all the fancy buzzwords like NET and Quads, teams like Indiana and Texas and TCU and Clemson just didn’t rack up enough W’s. It will be frustrating for fans of those teams to watch some teams that they could undoubtedly beat, but there were just too many missed opportunities for all of them.

Some other random thoughts/observations.

Oklahoma was safe all along – I didn’t expect them to have a single digit seed.

Seton Hall was safe all along as well, but I expected to see them higher than a 10, and could make a case for them over almost every 8 or 9 seed. That said, if they couldn’t go any higher than 8, they, like many teams, will probably take the 10 and avoid the 1 seed as long as possible.

I remember the days there was a rule that said conference teams could not play until the elite 8. I missed the year when that rule was explicitly changed, as I look at the bracket and see the possibility of Duke-VA Tech in the sweet 16, Syracuse-Florida State in the sweet 16 and Michigan State-Minnesota in the round of 32.

Bobby Hurley has a chance to meet his old team in the round of 64. He left Buffalo in great hands but I don’t think anyone would have predicted his new team being the 11 seed and his old team being the 6. If that frustrates him, he can just compare his current paycheck to his old one.

I think the top 12 teams were the top 12 teams and the 1’s, 2’s, 3’s kind of took care of themselves. Below that, I am surprised Villanova and Cincinnati didn’t end up a line or two higher than they did.

Speaking of Cincinnati, Tennessee has a right to be frustrated with the pod system favoring higher seeded teams. They could potentially play the Bearcats in Columbus, OH.

Jay Bilas just said it best. The entire nation will analyze the seeds and the picks like I just did for a day or two, then the games will start and that will rightfully be the focus. I will shift my attention to what’s ahead tomorrow night on episode 2 of Sports and Stuff That Matters. Be sure and tune in and enjoy the madness.

Some thoughts and predictions as the clock approaches 9 pm on Championship Week Friday.

Today’s loss by LSU combined with Gonzaga’s loss to St. Mary’s earlier in the week may have paved the way for the ACC to have three number one seeds. If Duke beats UNC and wins the ACC tourney title tomorrow, I believe that the Blue Devils, Cavaliers and Tar Heels will be three of the four one seeds come Sunday. Virginia currently trails Florida State by eight, but I do think their one seed is safe. The debate under that scenario would become Duke getting a one seed over Gonzaga, who beat the Duke head-to-head. I think the committee would go with a full-strength Duke fresh off the ACC title, while keeping UNC on the one line as well. The path has been cleared for Kentucky to claim the fourth one seed, in my eyes, with LSU and Gonzaga losses. Should Kentucky or Duke not claim tourney titles, I think Gonzaga still ends up on the one line.

Indiana fans are not having a great day, whether they realize it or not. Florida posted a huge win for their resume and most likely punched their ticket and Minnesota sjust closed out Purdue. VCU was eliminated from the A-10 tourney and they are viewed as having a stronger profile than the Hoosiers so that league most likely just became a big-stealing league. Ohio State did bow out, competitively, to Michigan State. It would be difficult to see the Hoosiers get in over either Minnesota or Ohio State, considering head-to-head meetings and conference standings. I just can’t count the Hoosiers out, though. They have six quad one wins, and got healthy and surged late despite a disappointing performance in the B1G Tourney. I’m not specifically saying money talks, but they are a prime candidate for a first four game in Dayton, Archie Miller’s old stomping grounds and a short drive from the entire state of Indiana.

There is talk of Alabama on the bubble, and I understand why, but also think their bubble is bursting for good as I type right now as Kentucky seems to be putting them away. Has their ever been a scenario where a 10 seed in a power conference (Alabama) is receiving consideration and the four seed (South Carolina) is not. South Carolina had an atrocious non-conference (and are tied for fourth at that) and I don’t think Alabama ultimately gets in, but it just seemed odd to see a 10 seed on the bubble with a four seed out of the mix. Speaking of power conferences, it is also odd to see the Pac 12 be a possible bid-stealer. Bubble teams are cheering hard for Washington and Arizona State tonight, but the Colorado Buffaloes have had the look of a suring bid-stealer type team and I wouldn’t be shocked if they upset Washington tonight.

Speaking of bid stealers, bubble teams let out a collective sigh of relief as Buffalo narrowly escaped Central Michigan earlier this evening. Bubble teams certainly are cheering for Nevada, Utah State and Kansas tonight. Bob Huggins made it clear with a tweet this morning that his team is not dead yet, and what a chapter to Coach Huggins coaching career this would be if the Mountaineers can throw together two more wins.

Another bubble that probably just burst was Xavier’s and they were oh so close to playing for the Big East Tournament tomorrow night. Villanova came up big in the final minute to force overtime where they secured a 71-67 win. When it comes down to it, Xavier probably just doesn’t have enough wins and it will be an illustration of how fine the line is. Xavier had several competitive non-conference losses to quality teams (combined with one ugly looking loss to Missouri) and had a tough stretch in Big East play. When it was all said and done though, they ended up posting a win against every team in the Big East except Marquette, but it might not be enough. That said, what a sight Indiana vs. Xavier in Dayton, Ohio would be to tip off the tourney!?!?!