When that final desperate heave from Davidson clanked left of the basket, our resident expert stared at his obliterated bracket, looked at all the No. 1 seeds that had advanced to the Final Four, and sighed.
“Chalk,” Bracket Boy said. “I hate chalk!”
Yes, for the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams, the all the top seeds have advanced to the national semifinals. If you like the spunky underdog, you’re not going to like this:
Memphis. UCLA. North Carolina. Kansas.
Rock Chalk, San Antonio.
“You didn’t have to know a thing about college basketball to pick THAT,” our staff bracketologist said. “You just had to be duller than a butter knife. You know, like Digger Phelps”
But a few minutes after lamenting all this chalk, BB started to really think about this Final Four. He thought about UCLA, with the record 11 national titles. He thought about North Carolina, the premier program in the country. He thought about Kansas, the team that ranks third all-time in victories. He thought about Memphis, with that stable of NBA talent.
Frankly, he started to drool.
“This could very well be the greatest Final Four in history!” Bracket Boy declared. “You know what? Bring on the chalk!”
Davidson was the best storyline in the tournament, but a Wildcats victory yesterday over Kansas would have set up a glaring mismatch with North Carolina. Anybody remember how Florida pulverized George Mason in an ugly game two years ago?
Instead, Kansas advances to play North Carolina and Roy Williams, the head coach who is still a persona non grata in Lawrence for leaving the program behind to take over the reigns at his alma mater. As storyline go, this is as juicy as they get, and Williams’ worst nightmare.
UCLA has reached three straight Final Fours, so head coach Ben Howland knows he has to win one to validate his program. His counterpart at Memphis, John Calipari, knows he has to win one now, too, because his top players like point guard Derrick Rose likely won’t stick around to give him a second shot.
The four heavyweights have a combined 139-9 record so far this season – repeat, 139-9! Each won its conference tournament. Each has a distinctive style, an experienced head coach and a loaded roster.
Imagine a national championship matchup between Tyler Hansbrough, the consensus player of the year, and Kevin Love, the rookie sensation at UCLA. Or with that talented Kansas backcourt trying to matchup against Rose and the Memphis guards.
“Just about anyway you mix these ingredients,” BB said, “the finished product is going to be delicious.”
So yes, Bracket Boy was reluctant at first, but last night he went into the storage closet at the secret laboratory and dug out his favorite foam fingers. Four of them, to be exact.
“Who’s No. 1?” he yelped. “Everyone’s No. 1 in San Antonio – including this loaded Final Four.”
E-mail of the Day
As expected, readers were less than enthused that Louisville, the team that you-know-who had defeating North Carolina in the Elite Eight, did not, you know, defeat North Carolina in the Elite Eight.
“Hey Bubble Face,” writes John McIntyre. “I took your advice on Louisville and now I’m out of the pool. North Carolina is completely unstoppable. How could you give such (cruddy) advice?”
BB responds: “Well, John, sometimes you have to take a chance to win your office pool. And, then there’s this year, where you just have to be more boring than a Jay Bilas biography.”
0 Comments
On Facebook? Add the app.