John Wooden couldn’t have diagramed a play this perfect. Somehow 10 members of the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee, none of whom can coach a lick, pulled it off.
By now, they’ve all received more congratulations than Stephen Curry at the Davidson deli for an unprecedented four top seeds making the Final Four.
However, the perfection doesn’t stop there. Think back to October, when Kevin Love was merely a relative to The Beach Boys and Kansas fans were still wondering if coach Bill Self could ever replace Roy Williams.
In The Associated Press preseason poll, the top four teams were: one, North Carolina; two, UCLA; three, Memphis; four, Kansas.
Guess what? That’s how Saturday’s Final Four matchups play out in San Antonio’s Alamodome with UCLA (35-3) meeting Memphis (37-1) at 6:07 p.m. MDT and North Carolina (36-2) versus Kansas (35-3) to follow.
“You’ve got four teams that had done it basically since the beginning of November all the way through and have maintained a pretty high level of play,” Self said. “I can’t imagine there being a more exciting scenario going in.”
The oddsmakers certainly can’t. They’ve made Memphis a 2-point favorite and North Carolina a 3. In other words, they believe the betting public believes both games will go down to one shot.
It’s that close. That’s why this, at least going in, is the best Final Four in history.
“This is going to be a crazy Final Four,” Memphis coach John Calipari said. “I’ve been in the tournament a few different times, and I don’t remember where it played out like this.”
And look at the subplots. UCLA meets Memphis two years after knocking it out of the regional final and after Memphis throttled Michigan State and Texas in the South Regional in Houston. Memphis is still screaming for respect. UCLA, making its third consecutive Final Four appearance, is seeking its first national title since 1995.
Mention free-throw shooting to Calipari, and center Joey Dorsey may slam-dunk your skull. Sure, the Tigers are shooting only .607, but they hit 30-of-36 against Texas in the regional final. Isn’t that enough?
Well, no. Not in games this tight. Then again, considering the Tigers’ speed, defense, tenaciousness and freshman point guard Derrick Rose — not to mention a newly inspired Dorsey — they may not need to make many free throws.
“All the pundits were picking us to lose and focusing on one area (foul shooting) of our basketball team — and I mean focusing to the point of ridiculous,” Calipari said. “It just got to them a little bit. What I’m talking about is it’s our time. They gave us a tough road. We had to play Texas in Houston. But it’s still our time.”
Really? Is it any more their time than UCLA’s? Knocked out by Florida in the last two Final Fours, the Bruins come armed with a freshman sensation at center and with the Gators already home hiding their NIT rings. While Rose got Memphis over the hump, so maybe will Love.
“The thing they’ve been missing is the Bill Walton, the center, Kareem, and they’ve got one now: Kevin Love,” Calipari said.
Once everyone’s nerves calm after watching Memphis fly against UCLA’s tough defense, we can settle into one of the most delicious coincidences in Final Four history. Five years after Williams infuriated Kansas fans by bolting to his alma mater, his Tar Heels play the Jayhawks.
Don’t think Williams doesn’t still love Kansas. At his summer basketball camp, his campers can wear workout threads from two schools: North Carolina or Kansas. No others. Is the feeling mutual from Kansas fans?
“Fans will make a big deal out of it,” Self said. “When people are upset that you leave — and I’ve gone through this myself — it’s a back-handed compliment because they didn’t want you to.
“But I think five years is enough time for people to let a few things go.”
They’ll let it go more if Kansas’ speedy offense, which averages 80.6 points per game, 12th nationally, can outscore North Carolina’s second-ranked offense, which pours in 89.2 ppg. And can the Tar Heels’ player of the year, Tyler Hansbrough, really play harder than anyone else this weekend?
This is the Final Four, after all. And a very special one at that.
“It could end up being ugly games,” Williams said, “but they’re awfully talented teams out there.”
