Quite the season

So we are down to the Final Four in both women’s and men’s basketball.

The last elite men’s game played was a good one that went into overtime between No. 1 seeded Kansas and No. 2 seeded Duke. Kansas outlasted the Blue Devils and will play Villanova the only other one seed to survive.

When it comes to the other two No. 1 seeds, Virginia didn’t make it out of the gate and Xavier didn’t make it past the first weekend.

What about last year’s final four teams?

Oregon and South Carolina who lost out in the semifinal didn’t make the tournament this year and defending National Champion North Carolina lost out in the round of 32. Gonzaga made it to the Sweet 16 but had few answers for Florida State’s big guys especially with Killian Tillie unable to play.

There are no guarantees in this tournament that’s for sure. You can get the best talent like Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky and Arizona and you still might be going home early. I’m fine with that. It really shouldn’t be about the best talent but the best team.

You need talent but I’m glad to see some of the Final Four teams playing on with upperclassmen making the difference.

There’s a lot of one and done guys that are like hired guns. Come in and get us a championship and then go pro and we’ll do this again next year with a whole new crop of McDonald’s All-Americans that will play for one year and the cycle continues.

Some of these programs are under investigation for how they recruit and if agents are involved with the players and coaches. Money speaks very loudly to a youngster with a bunch of talent and the million dollar paydays can’t come soon enough.

I think it was quite interesting last year when a player or two that had been looking at Gonzaga as one of their final two places to play decided to go to Arizona instead. I’m not saying anything is fishy but I do think it was interesting.

Do you know what I mean?

The Pac 12 really didn’t do very well in the tournament but I think two teams were put in very difficult positions when they had to win a play in game. When only three teams from a Power Five conference are in the tournament something is a little off.

Remember the SEC was supposed to dominate with nine teams in the mix yet none are in the Final Four. The ACC had eight and none survived past the elite eight. The Big 12 had seven and Kansas moved on to the Final Four.

The key to any success in these tournaments is to stay healthy. After playing 35 games of so that is not that easy.

Purdue had to play without there 7’3” center when he fell to the floor in a first game matchup with Cal State Fullerton. The Boilermakers really could have used him when they played Texas Tech. He would have made a big difference if nothing more than with defense and rebounding.

Several teams like Michigan and Loyola of Chicago are peaking at the right time and are playing great basketball.

They are matched up in the early game on Saturday. That game and the following one with Villanova and Kansas should be worth watching.

If I was a betting man and I’m not I would pick Villanova to win it all. They have several quality players left over from the National Championship team from two years ago. They are a very good team and it will be hard to beat them in San Antonio.

I have no favorite this year since Gonzaga was knocked out. I’m just hoping like always to see a great game in the final three that are left. It has been quite a season as they all should be.

We will wish the seniors and those that want to leave early for the NBA draft good luck in their future and be positive about our team’s chances next year. Prepare yourself it will be here before you know it.

In the women’s tournament I’m going to hazard a guess and say the University of Connecticut. I’m sure that someone out there believes there will be an upset in Columbus, Ohio.

I say that the only way that could happen is if the UConn bus is rerouted. Happy Easter and Final Four weekend!