I'm going to be attending my first Final Four this weekend in Indianapolis....very exciting, I know. The problem is that each and every team that I was rooting for has lost. First, my alma mater, Miami University, got bounced early from the MAC tournament, and did not have a solid enough record to merit an at large bid. (They lost first round of the NIT.)
Since I grew up in the Boston area, I have always been a huge Boston College fan: Rich Shrigley, anyone? How about Stu Primus? Anyway, this was, without doubt, the very best BC basketball team of my lifetime, and I felt that this might (M-I-G-H-T) be the year they made it to their first FF. They had experience in seniors Craig Smith (likely First or Second Team All American, First Team All-ACC), and point guard Louis Hinnant (who must have taken some Micheal Adams pills in the last month or so, because I have never seen him play so confidently and effectively as in the ACC Tournament), a solid junior class in stud forward Jared Dudley and inconsistent but helpful wing Sean Marshall, a three headed center led by the shot blocking monster (also, pot smoking monster) Sean Williams, John Oates, and Akita McClain, and electrifying as well as often maddening freshman guard Tyrese Rice. Responsible for putting all these parts tonight was the winningest coach (as of the end of the 05-06 season) in BC history, Al Skinner, a man known for finding diamonds in the rough during the recruiting season and then getting the utmost out of them. Although he is also known in Boston for frequent and maddening NCAA flameouts during his time at Chestnut Hill, as well as at his prior head coaching gig down in Rhode Island, I felt that all the pieces were in place for a deep run in 06. First round, they drew Pacific, a noted opening weekend giant killer the last two NCAA tourneys but a team that had graduated four of last seasons starters. No way they could hang with the second best team in the powerful ACC...right? Wrong. Of course the game lasted two overtimes, with a controversial foul call on Pacific with 4.3 seconds left in the first OT allowing Smith to hit two freebies that drew BC even and forced the second OT. The Eagles finally opened it up in the end, and won by 12. Second round, they got mini-cinderella Montana, and simply toyed with the overmatched Grizzlies, getting out of the first weekend for the first time in recent memory.
Following the opening two rounds, BC suddenly became the trendy pick to do serious damage: The New York Times went so far as to pick them to win it all (though to be fair they had Jayson Blair making the picks, so I didn't believe a word of it), and a bunch of the so-called experts on ESPN.com and SI.com had them getting to Indy. This is where I should have become a bit wary, but simply said silently to myself "Why Not Us?" (hopefully this phrase is not copyrighted by anyone affiliated with the Red Sox and the act of simply thinking the phrase will not cause me to be sued). If the Sox can win a World Series, then anything is possible.
Friday night, 7:10 tip, against Villanova, a #1 seed but a team the Eagles were familiar with from their Big East days and one that inspired more surprise than fear in their opponents (as in "How the heck did we lose by 20 to THEM?). In the first half, BC came out strong and led by as many as 16, ultimately finishing the first 20 minutes up 13. Things looked good.... But then the ghosts of Eagle Disappointments Past made their appearance. 'Nova made a great run, led by their Dwyane Wade playalike Randy Foye, and....well.....I won't go into the gory details, but the Eagles lost a heartbreaker. Again.
Disappointment, shock, anger, betrayal, angst...these words would all have applied to my mood following the final buzzer, had I not been crying my eyes out and oblivious to anything but the taste of my own vomit seeping into my throat.
Okay, so this wouldn't be the year for either Miami U. or Boston College (Who, respectively, have the most NCAA appearances and NCAA wins without reaching the FF. Yeah, I sure can pick 'em). But I still had UConn and Villanova of the old guard Big East, along with West Virginia and even (..shudder..) Georgetown to root for. Surely ONE of these fine teams would break through and win the four games required to get through to the final weekend. Nope. In the Sweet 16 round, the likeable Mountaineers lost on a buzzer beater to Texas and Georgetown was edged by Billy the Kid and his Florida Gators, whom have some sort of Famous Dad pipeline going on: tennis great and current Euro pop star Yannick Noah, ex-NBA big men Tito Horford and Sidney Green all have sons who start and star for the Gators. Guess Rick Barry ran out of sperm, or I'm sure he'd have a kid in Gainesville. That left only 'Nova and UConn to root for over the weekend. Saturday's games featured no team I cared about, so I had no feelings either way when UCLA and LSU won their games. Nice teams deserving of playing in Indy, but really, what did I care when I had the 2 Big East beasts going Sunday?
Sunday: UConn v. George Mason. If this game was played back in December, the Huskies would have eaten the Patriots for lunch, but come March strange things can happen. Predictably, Mason played as though their lives depended on the outcome while the Huskies, the greatest collection of college talent since Kentucky in 96, played as though they would rather have been somewhere else...anywhere else. And in the biggest upset in the tourney in years, GMU won, making them the biggest cinderella in modern NCAA history (Penn in 79 with Tony Price actually was pretty good.. Indiana State '79 was the number one team in the country.. Navy with David Robinson, Kent State 02 and Gonzaga '99 ..that's premedia infatuation Gonzaga.. made it to the Elite Eight before losing, and all three were clearly better than this Mason team). Congrats to GMU Patriots everywhere (and they are everywhere: I hear there are students from 135 countries on campus), but, darn, that really hurt!
Final chance for a team I root for normally to get to Indy: Villanova v. Florida. A #1 versus a #3 seed, so no way I was overconfident. But 'Nova had made a habit all year of overcoming their lack of size to actually have a positive rebound margin, along with taking advantage of mismatches with their four guard attack. Not this time: Florida was extremely athletic and the long and lean Yoakim Noah was by far the best player on the floor (despite the awful euro ponytail..) and the Gators won easy, the outcome never in doubt in the last 25 minutes of game.
Ugh...
The whole idea behind going to the 06 Final Four in Indy came about last year when I spoke to my aunt, a huge UConn fan, after their second round defeat to North Carolina State. I remember telling her that despite the loss, Connecticut would at least be a top five team in 05-06, maybe even number one. She remembered that Indianapolis was hosting, and since 1) my mother's family is from the city and some still live there, 2) UConn had a great chance at playing their way there, and 3) we all had always wanted to go to a Final Four, we put in our ticket lottery bids. And wound up winning seats.
But we certainly did not expect this: an unexpected heartbreaking loss by the UConn Huskies, the expected heartbreaking loss by the Boston College Eagles, and a Final Four consisting of George Mason, LSU, Florida, and UCLA. Who do we root for? Well, I put on my thinking cap....and came up with the Bruins, for the following reasons:
1) UCLA has the hottest cheerleaders....
No surprise there, though Florida is very competitive. Not sure that my relatives care a whole hell of a lot about
this, but I do.
2) Bill Walton, UCLA alum and former Boston Celtic...
Since he is part of the extended Celtic family, a UCLA championship would be just like another C's world
championship....wouldn't it?
3) UCLA head coach Ben Howland rebuilt the Pitt program before returning home to California and the job in Westwood...
So if UCLA wins it all, it would be like the Big East winning another title, I think. Maybe Pitt could even claim something
like a 1/16th share, since UCLA plays exactly like the Pitt teams of recent years, except they don't choke in the NCAA's.
4) Martinsville, Indiana's own John Wooden, the only person I am aware of inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a
player (Purdue) and coach (Ten titles at UCLA)...
No matter how much influence booster Sam Gilbert had in providing extra benefits to players, the fact remains that
Wooden and his players were a dynasty. And he remains a beloved figure in American sports, deserving of at least one
more moment in the national spotlight. And I bet he gets a wave started on Saturday, too!
5) LSU and Florida could care less about basketball, except when their teams are winning...
In the SEC, at every school save Kentucky, there's football season, spring football, and a whole lot of downtime to talk
about the upcoming football season (Also, they talk a lot about what a great guy the Bear was, despite his passing over
20 years ago). No way either of these schools deserves a National Championship.
6) George Mason is some really old guy who did something nice for the country a long, long time ago...
What that has to do with basketball and why they should win it all, I have no idea. Next thing you know schools named
after real people will all want to get to the Final Four: George Washington (well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad), Oral
Roberts ("May the almighty take me home if our hoops team fails to cover against whatever nonbelieving heathen are
next on our nonconference schedule! Can I get an amen?) or even (..shiver...) Bob Roberts University.
7) Jordan Farmar has the coolest 'do and facial hair now that The Stash/Adam Morrison has left the building....
I believe Farmar is Jewish: in that case....awesome Jewfro!!!!
8) I'm not sure I want to be in the vicinity should Glen Davis aka Big Baby win the National Championship....
He may very well go King Kong on the city of Indianapolis and level the place with his bare hands in his euphoria. Just
sayin' it's a possibility.
9) UCLA has the coolest, most retro uniforms of the four teams...
Very similar to the Boston Celtics in that they haven't changed their base uni's in forever (though both UCLA and Boston
run out ugly newfangled ones every once in a while for merchandising reasons).
10) Did I mention the cheerleaders for UCLA???
Let's go Bruins!!!!
