As Good as it Gets
First time all four #1 seeds have made the Final Four. But you knew that. As it turns out, this is also the first time that the top four teams in the final AP poll have made the Final Four as well. So, yeah, this appears to be without precedent.
The round-up from the chattering class this morning:
Luke Winn at si.com on Memphis' Derrick Rose:
"Rose was back on the floor one minute later, going from 0-to-130 miles per hour in milliseconds, getting on his way to scoring 21 points and dishing out nine assists against just two turnovers. Said Robert Dozier, "Once Derrick gets it going, there's not many players that can stop him." None of those players were in Texas' backcourt: Rose was the star of an 85-67 victory that saw the second-seeded 'Horns get overwhelmed by Memphis' athleticism, and he was also the Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional, from which the Tigers booked their first trip to the Final Four since 1985. In what was supposed to be a duel of the nation's best college point guard, D.J. Augustin, and the college game's best pro prospect at point guard, Rose actually looked as if he might own both titles."
Ah yes, that would be correct. Rose is the best point guard in the country. With apologies to North Carolina's Lawson and UCLA's Collison. Actually, the Final Four is filled up with great point guard play, another reason to look forward to the games this weekend. Three months back, after extolling Rose's unquestionable athleticism in these spaces, I mentioned that it didn't look like he was ready for the NBA. Um, wrong, on my part. I am not sure at this point that he isn't the #1 overall pick ahead of Michael Beasley.
While we're here, Winn also has a very good rundown of the Final Four teams in terms of strengths and weaknesses. Well worth a read.
Jeff Goodman at foxsports.com works the Bill Self is relieved angle after Self finally makes a Final Four:
"Self said he's not immune to all the criticism he's received. He has a 140-32 record in five years since arriving in Lawrence, the highest winning percentage of seven previous KU coaches. However, after an Elite Eight appearance in his first season, the Jayhawks lost in the first round two straight years -- to Bucknell and Bradley -- before coming up one step short of the Final Four a year ago in a loss to UCLA. "I think about it every day," Self admitted prior to Sunday's game against Davidson. Throw in two more Elite Eights -- one with Tulsa in 2000 and with Illinois the following season -- and his wife couldn't go to the grocery store without hearing about it. "I'm happier for her than anyone else," Self said. "It's been tough because she lives with every possession and we've been so close so many times."
Ouch. Not to self (if not Self): don't disappoint Kansas residents.
Andy Katz at espn.com congratulates the selection committee:
"And, for the first time, you can say without reservation that the NCAA tournament selection committee had it all right at the top. The bracket is built to protect the four best teams in the country, as deemed by the committee. The committee members can't predict. They can only project. When asked late Saturday night in Charlotte what it would mean if Kansas and Memphis followed Saturday's top-seed winners UCLA and North Carolina by winning Sunday's Elite Eight games, Tar Heels coach Roy Williams said: "It would definitely substantiate that those four teams are the best four teams in the country," Williams said. "It's validation for the committee, and I do believe that each one of those teams would have a great deal of pride that they did that. But at the end, the cruel thing about this tournament is that only one team will be standing at the end."
Meh. One team wins, that's the way it works, Roy. And as for Katz's thesis that this is the first time the committee has gotten the four #1 seeds right, meh as well. Just because George Mason made the Final Four a few years back, doesn't mean they should have been a #1 seed when the tournament started.
Actually, these four #1 seeds this year were pretty easily identifiable come Selection Sunday, and if one of them had been tripped up, it would not call into question the decision to make them a #1 seed.
At any rate, we're here. Plenty of time for predictions/analysis, whatever, as the week wears on. But it is also clear that a good argument can be mounted for each of these finalists in terms of winning it all. What will be most fun? In my view, it will be watching four teams chock full of future NBA players work for the title. The talent level at this paticular Final Four is absolutely ridiculous.