The Final Four was a great finish to the college basketball season. Since the final game turned out to be Texas Tech v Virginia there just wasn’t much hype about the game. Seemed like nobody cared. Two teams that have never been to the Championship. Also two of the best defensive teams in the country. Low scoring, grind-it-out defensive W’s from both teams all tourney. At times the offenses of both these teams looked horrendous. It felt like nobody scored for the first 10 minutes of the game. But then the ending was great. Havn’t had a Championship game go to OT since Chalmers.
Hunter hit the 2 biggest shots of the game. To tie in regulation. And to go from 1 down to 2 ahead late in OT. Both corner 3s. Both, water.
We all know that UVA had that embarrassing first-time-ever loss last year as a #1 seed in the first round. But look at their tournament road this year, because it was insane. Virginia had 2 wild close finishes just before this game! They closed 3 wild finishes in a row to win the title. The Purdue comeback, missing a last second foul shot and getting the rebound, making a one handed pass to a final second jumper to push into OT? That finish was followed by Guy hitting all 3 FT’s to win the game against Auburn with .6 left. Then this. In a tournament that saw Duke also squeezing out crazy/lucky finishes as well, but in the end their luck ran out. Virginia’s did not. They closed every game so well. They deserved to win their first ever National Championship.
Recently is has seemed that everyone is down on college basketball. Kids want to go overseas, sit out a year, think they should get paid, sign illegal shoe deals, get agents, sit out games after your shoe blows out etc. I agree the NCAA is a mess. Ton of issues they need to sort out and they’re not easy fixes. But watching this championship game, that I was down on going into, just reminded me that college hoops still matters. And that game was great. For about a 2 week period we were allowed to forget about all the scandals and nonsense surrounding college sports and just enjoy the product. And the product delivered. From the Sweet Sixteen on, the games were great. Ton of last second wins and tight games. Every game down the stretch, outcomes seemed to hang in the balance of a handful of late possessions. I can’t remember a year with this many close games in the final few rounds.
Every year when I look to fill out a nonsense bracket that I never win in, I mainly look for pros. If you find the pros on good teams they typically show in the Final Four. Not small school pros as much (Steph, Hayward) but major conference pros (Zion, Hunter, Jerome, Culver, Edwards). After Hunter’s performance I think he’s a lottery pick in this years draft. Ty Jerome reminds me of Greivis Vazquez and he can get some NBA minutes too once he decides to leave UVA. Diakite could improve, bulk up, and also make the league with his athleticism and length. His jumper isn’t bad either.
Also just a quick point on video replays. We have officially gone down the rabbit hole just as we have in the other sports with replays. The overturned call with the ball going off Moretti is rough. Hunter slaps the ball away out of his hand. In with a frame by frame super zoom slow-mo, it appeared to hit Moretti’s finger last. On any court in the country thats just out on the defense. Under the millisecond scrutiny that replay provides, its off Moretti. We have entered a whole new way of looking at every play in every sport, through the dissection of milliseconds, by machines.
Last thing. I swear Guy turned his career and life around after he chopped off that dumbass man-bun he had. Solid career choice Kyle. Congrats.
Tournament was great, as you said. Non stop action, tightness, and inspired play!
VA’s run was damn good and they played on a mission the entire tournament.
Agree on man-bun too…haha.