NCAA finals final

What a great NCCA tournament this year. It may be the best one I can remember. Close games. Upsets early. And I am really glad I didn’t play a pool this year. I would have sucked (more so than usual). Anyway. Thoughts as we head toward the finals.

Not the 4 best teams. So what.

There is no way anyone can tell me the best teams are in the final four. Even though Duke was a 1 seed I am still not sure they were one of the top 4 teams. Although after West Virginia won the Big Least conference they could have argued for being in top 4. But you know what? Who cares. The final four has a little of everything. The true best teams just had bad days against the wrong teams. It happens. But all four of these teams were in the preseason top 10 so they are good teams. And this is what the March Madness is all about. This is why people watch. People get excited. People throw things at TVs and yell and swear and drink oodles of beer. I wouldn’t change a thing.

(with that)

Expanding the field. (someone shoot me now)

Money. This is all about money. And it drives me nuts. The NCAA owns both March Madness and the NIT. Why can’t they just leave it all alone? I watched the NIT finals. Both teams were okay. Just okay. Was it cool they were in the finals of the NIT? Absolutely. The NIT is a great consolation tournament. And frankly it gives some not-so-great teams an opportunity to extend a good season and play for something worthwhile. I sure didn’t see a shitload of empty seats when I turned on one of the NIT games (oh, they do know how to schedule the tournament for success … smart planning). So. If they expand the tournament and UNC and Dayton (the NIT finalists) get in the NCAA tournament …  then what? Maybe they win their first game against another mediocre team. And then they play a good team and get the shit kicked out of them. All the time they could have been hacking their way to an NIT final. I don’t get it. I don’t like it. They are screwing up two good things and creating one bad thing.

Injuries.

Ok. Remember when Ty Lawson of UNC got hurt last year? UNC sucked. When they got him back? They kicked everyone’s ass. Won the NCAA.

So. Two of the final four teams lost their point guards (and one is an all American) and they still found a way to win. Awesome. I honestly cannot remember an NCAA tournament more strewn with injuries than this one. And with the way I love college basketball I hate when it happens. Even late in a season (like Purdue’s Hummel). It hurt me and I don’t even like Purdue. Or Michigan State. Or West Virginia. But I still hate it. They work so hard and college is fleeting at best (ok. at best 4 years). But. I think it is an incredible testament to West Virginia and Michigan State that they lose an integral player to their team and still has found a way to win. And while I do believe Izzo and Huggins are two of the best coaches in the game it is the other kids on the team who figure out how to get it done without that teammate. Awesome. Once again. That is what college basketball is all about.

My Picks.

Well. I am a wimp. I don’t want to pick anyone. Mainly because I believe any one of the four remaining could win it. I do tend to believe West Virginia is the toughest and roughest of the four remaining. And if they got Michigan State in the finals it would be better than an Ultimate Fight match (I think they may actually bring in an extra ref if that game occurs). But Puke. They have won the ugliest games of the tournament of any team. But a win is a win. They may just figure out a way to get the ugliest title in their history.