Despite the fact that my two favorite teams, Duke and Michigan State, were knocked out earlier than expected, this has been an incredible NCAA tournament so far. How many classic games and amazing finishes could you possibly ask for? UCLA's comeback over Gonzaga was stunning. Texas' buzzer beater win over West Virginia had you on the edge of your seat. UConn's victory over Washington was almost heartbreaking because the Washington kids played so hard and came so close. But George Mason in the Final Four? Astonishing. Amazing. Unprecedented. And a hell of a lot of fun to watch. I'm rooting for these guys now, and so is everyone who isn't a huge fan of the other three teams still alive in the tournament.
And don't believe for a second that they can't win this whole thing. They've got two good big men inside in Jai Lewis and Will Thomas and tough minded guards in Campbell, Butler and Skinn. They match up well with the other teams in the final four. This team believes it can win the whole thing, and after knocking off MSU, North Carolina and UConn, are you gonna tell them they can't?
Their opponent in the final four is Florida. I've never been a Billy Donovan fan. He's had huge talent over the years and always underachieved. But after losing Anthony Roberson and Matt Walsh from last year's team, it was addition by subtraction. Roberson was a great talent, but had no understanding of the game, and Walsh was a shoot first, shoot second and shoot third player. Substitute in Taurean Green, a steady point guard who sets up his teammates and plays good defense, and you've got a real team leader. He may not be as athletic or as flashy as Roberson, but he improved the chemistry of that team by about 1000%. And it kills me to watch Al Horford play so well for them. He's from Grand Ledge, Michigan, about 20 minutes from the MSU campus, and they let him slip away. Put him on MSU's team this year next to Paul Davis and that team might well be in the final four right now instead of George Mason.
LSU is another easy team to root for. You gotta love the enthusiasm of Big Baby, and you just don't see 310 pounds guys who can move like that. Tyrus Thomas has been an absolute beast for them, and as a guy who really watches the basketball recruiting, one has to wonder how on earth that guy slipped past everyone coming out of high school. The fact that this team is in the final four after losing their all-conference point guard, Tack Minor, is astounding. John Brady has been a good coach for years at LSU, bringing that program back from Dale Brown's disasterous NCAA violations and probation. Now he'll finally get some recognition for that.
The last team is UCLA. Ben Howland is the Pat Riley of the NCAA, playing that slow, plodding, physical game that produces 50-48 scores. But he's got a terrific backcourt in Farmar and Afflalo. Afflalo may be the most underrated player in the country. He's not only their top scorer, he's also their defensive stopper, and that's a rare combination. He even managed to shut down Rodney Carney while giving up several inches in height. The guy can play on both ends of the floor.
So having said all of that, Go Patriots! And while we're on that subject, someday I'd love to see a final four that consists of George Mason University, George Washington University, James Madison University and the University of Virginia. An entire final four either named after or started by founding fathers from Virginia. I suppose you could try and put Patrick Henry College in there as well, but they're far too busy turning out tomorrow's wingnuts to put together a good basketball team.
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I live in the D.C. area, and I can tell you that everyone is going completely nuts today. It's really the only thing anybody was talking about on morning radio, and with good reason. Here's a team that's never even been in the tournement, yet they're now in the Final Four. And what a game. Anyone who claims they were still breathing when uconn took that final three-shot at the buzzer is a liar.
It also did my heart good to see Florida take out Villanova, seeing as how the later took my team out on Friday night. And THAT was a close game too.
Definitely a tournament for the ages. It's interesting how young all four teams are this year, too. I think this time around "Age and experience" has been trumped by "youth and ignorance." These teams are playing like they're unaware they're not supposed to win and so they're playing loose, confident, and with emotion.
Now that UT is out I'll be rooting for LSU. They're a great group of guys, almost all from the Baton Rouge area (which is pretty amazing in college sports these days), and one of them even went to my BR high school.
I love George Mason (and I wish my Longhorns had a few of their guards), but I just can't see them getting past Florida. I see LSU vs. Florida in the final with LSU pulling it out. Of course, I want LSU to win since they beat my Longhorns.
Regardless of who wins the next three games it was the most exciting tournament I have ever watched. The selection commitee should be getting bonuses. :-)