They’re the biggest names in college basketballand the biggest frames. Two towers of success looking out over hardwood across the country.
And they’re about to walk away.
North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough and Oklahoma’s Courtney Paris have their teams in the men’s and women’s NCAA Final Four. Each a senior, they have two more games to play. They hope.
Hansbrough enters his final weekend of a college career in which he has gone from always-heralded to oftcriticized, and maybe a little unappreciated.
No matter how many times he says it, Hansbrough knows all anybody wants to talk about before the Tar Heels’ national semifinal against Villanova on Saturday is the missing line on his resume. A championship.
Coming out of Detroit with a title trophy could be the difference between being viewed as an individual player who set numerous records yet fell short of the ultimate goal and one of the college game’s all-time greats.
“I feel like there’s a lot of pressure just because a lot of people would say it would be a failure to come back if you didn’t win a national championship,” Hansbrough said this week.
Paris, too, is without an NCAA title. And with the Sooners facing Louisville on Sunday, her expectations are even higher than Hansbrough’s.
“It’s been a long four years, but this just makes it all worth it,” Paris said after OU topped Purdue in the Elite Eight. “I’m not surprised.”
Like her men’s counterpart, Paris could leave the tournament as one of the greatest to ever play the college game. But, as if the pressure weren’t enough, she added another measure.
Paris, the first player ever to be selected as an AP All-American all four years of college, raised the stakes for the Sooners on her senior night in early March, when she promised she’d bring home a national title or else pay back her scholarship.
“Someone does things at a certain level; unless we’re reminded, we kind of take (them) for granted,” Connecticut men’s coach Jim Calhoun said.
“And that happens at almost every level of performance. You go and hear Pavarotti sing, and he’s wonderful. You go and hear Pavarotti a couple more times, he’s good, he’s good. Pretty soon, Pavarotti’s great, but you don’t talk about him like the first time anymore. And I think that happens to players, too.”
Hansbrough and Paris will be remembered, sure. But will they be remembered as champions?
Denver Post staff and wire services
Final Fours
Men
Saturday at Ford Field, Detroit
Michigan State (30-6) vs. Connecticut (31-4), 4:07 p.m.
Villanova (30-7) vs. North Carolina (32-4), 6:47 p.m.
National championship
Monday, 7:21 p.m.
Women
Sunday at Scottrade Center, St. Louis
Louisville (33-4) vs. Oklahoma (32-4), 5 p.m.
Connecticut (37-0) vs. Stanford (33-4), 7:30 p.m.
National championship
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
AROUND TOWN
Sims back to help Mammoth.
A familiar face — or, considering the masks and mouthguards, a familiar jersey — will be on the Pepsi Center floor tonight when the Colorado Mammoth hosts the Rochester Knighthawks in a National Lacrosse League game at 7 p.m.
Josh Sims, a former all-star lured out of retirement by the Mammoth this week, will be in uniform for what’s turned into a crucial game for Colorado.
The Mammoth (6-6) are in the middle of the pack in the West Division, three games behind Calgary (9-3). Rochester (5-6) is in a similar position in the East. The game airs on ALT.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Rockies face Mariners in Vegas.
The Rockies, facing the start of the 2009 regular season Monday, will first travel to that major-league baseball hotbed known as Las Vegas.
The Rox take on the Seattle Mariners on Saturday in their spring finale at Cashman Field, normally the home of the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s of the Pacific Coast League.
For baseball fans too eager for the start of the season, Saturday’s broadcast on FSN should give a glimpse of who the Rockies will pin their hopes on. Who will bat cleanup? Can the Nos. 6-8 hitters get on base? Is there any speed in the lineup? Will the double-play tag-teams bolster the defense?
See for yourself, with first pitch at 1:10 p.m. on FSN.
GET OFF THE COUCH
Make tracks.
Two metro-area running events should take some bite out of the cold and snow this weekend.
The City Park 4-Mile race in Denver, part of the Rocky Mountain Road Runners trophy series, starts at 9 a.m. Sunday. It will be a pleasant change from the overabundance of races at crosstown Washington Park. Check for information.
Also on Sunday, the Platte River Half Marathon and Buckhorn Exchange Relay will take runners from downtown Littleton to the restaurant in Denver. The 9 a.m. race goes to help the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Sportswomen of Colorado. Check for info.
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
DU gymnasts head to regional.
Under coach Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart, the University of Denver gymnastics team has been a mainstay on the national scene, qualifying for the regional round in 11 consecutive seasons.
The No. 20-ranked Pioneers will be at it again today when they travel to the NCAA North Central Regional meet in Iowa City, Iowa, to face No. 6 Florida, No. 7 UCLA, No. 18 Minnesota, No. 23 Iowa State and No. 28 Iowa.
The top two teams advance to the national championships in Lincoln, Neb., starting April 16. They’ll be joined by the winners of each event and the top two all-around gymnasts. Look for DU’s Jessica Lopez to be among the top scores. She ranks No. 8 in the all-around nationally.
