And Then There Were Four....

The 2008 NCAA Men's Basketball tourney has now been cut from 65 to 4, and if you are like me, you couldn't be more disappointed with the way it turned out. This is the first year in the history of the tournament that all 4 of the No. 1 seeds have advanced to the Final Four. It means that all those people who filled out a bracket and played it conservatively ended up making out like a lotto winner. It also means that those people who actually watched the regular season games, put some thought into their bracket, and did a little reading up on the mid-major teams had already set fire to their precious picks at the end of Round Two. You might say I'm a little bitter... but wouldn't you be bitter if you were losing in a family pool to people twice your age who didn't see a single game all season? (No offense, Grandma!)

However, as the tourney always does, it gave us some great moments. Stephen Curry went from relative unknown to household name overnight, Tyler Hansborough proved why he is one of college basketball's all-time greats against Louisville, and Xavier showed that there is no substitute for senior leadership. And it also gave us a Final Four that we might one day look back on as the greatest of All-Time. It's like getting to see the Rookie/Sophmore challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend 2010 before it happens. Now, I know that is putting a lot of pressure and hype on this group of four. But when you put these rosters together on the same table it is a scout's dream. Two top 5 picks (Rose and Love) headline the bunch, while at least 5 other players (Rush, Collison, Lawson , Douglas-Roberts, Mbah-a-Moute) look to be first round picks.

Note on Lawson: If not this year, he is a definite first rounder in 2009

Starting with the Kansas/UNC match-up: As I said earlier this month, this match-up defines the phrase "heavyweight bout." Both teams are so deep, with NBA type talent at all positions. UNC has Hansborough, but KU can counter with Jackson, Arthur, and Kaun in the front court. UNC can throw Ty Lawson (arguably the quickest end-to-end guard in the country) at KU, but they counter with Mario Chalmers. These teams do a fantastic job of mirroring each other till about the 8th roster spot, which is absurd. I like the depth of KU, but they were almost beat by a much undersized and outmatched Davidson team. Davidson played on the same level with KU for 39 minutes in the Elite 8. UNC's pace will present more problems for KU than did Davidson's, so I like UNC in this game to beat KU.

Now with UCLA and Memphis: Earlier this year I didn't think anyone on Memphis could hit a free throw to save their lives. Turns out Coach Calipari was just to hustling Conference USA and all the other teams in the field, as if to say "Free Throws? Yeah, I was just saving that skill for a good time." And now is as a good a time as any. The Tigers shot over 70% against MSU and Texas and cruised to a Final Four appearance on back to back MOP type performances by Derrick Rose. UCLA, on the other hand, struggled in the early rounds but really turned it on against Xavier and Western Kentucky. Kevin Love is the real deal, averaging over 20 pts and 10 boards for the Tourney. Both Love and Rose are as good as gone at the end of the season, headed to glory as NBA Lotto Picks (helloooo, Miami!). But I believe it is Rose and the free-wheeling style of Memphis Coach John Calipari that gets the job done against an experienced UCLA team. Three straight Final Four appearances are all well and good, but I got a feeling Love and Co. are going to be sucking wind, playing defense against Calipari's Shuttle Run Offense.

In any event, these teams (statistically speaking, with the exception of maybe Tennessee) have been the four best teams all year. I doubt I could've asked for better match-ups than the ones coming up this weekend.

... Even if that means Grandma takes down the pot in my pool.

Ford Field and the Frozen Four

First off, let me start by saying that I have seen the future... and his name is Stephen Curry. Curry did not disappoint to the tune of 33 points, pushing his tournament total to 103. To put that into perspective, the career mark for points in the Tourney is 427, set by Christian Laetnner... and Curry has managed to get a fourth of the way there in 3 games. Bottom line: The kid is nasty with the jump shot, was able to create his own shot more often than I've seen previously against Michael Flowers (who held Manny Harris to single digits this year), and received a well deserved standing ovation from the 60,000 on hand at Ford Field. When you've got LeBron James at your game, swaying in his chair with amazement, you know you have arrived.

Speaking of Ford Field, I felt this was a terrific venue to watch a tournament game and a great atmosphere for basketball. While the court was raised up and at midfield, somewhat far away from the action, I enjoyed the fact that the distance from the court gave people a chance to see plays develop. While most people might think the court is too far away from the stands, I really enjoyed it and think it will be an excellent site for the Final Four next year.

However, I DO NOT think this will be a good site for the Frozen Four in 2010. While the NCAA did a great job of promoting it at the game, there is no way they will come close to filling that stadium. I think the awesome sight lines Ford Field has to offer will be good for viewing the game, but c'mon: This arena was nowhere near capacity for a Sweet Sixteen/Elite 8 game. How does the NCAA expect to fill it for college hockey?! There are 6,000 fans at an average college hockey game. That's a little less than one-tenth the capacity of Ford Field. This might not sit well with some of the college hockey fans, but a niche sport like college hockey will not even come close to filling that arena and empty seats take away from a solid atmosphere. I predict that the event will be somewhat of a disappointment, and would've been better off at a smaller arena like Joe Louis, or even the Palace.

NCAA Midwest Regional: Stephen Curry's Coming Out Party

Despite our best efforts to get media credentials for the NCAA Midwest Regional, a couple of us from the station will be headed down to Ford Field (an arena normally known as the "Epicenter of Misery" during football season) to get a first hand look at March Madness. Up to this point, the Madness has not disappointed fans, with the tourney producing two 12 v. 13 match-ups and showcasing some hidden talent among the lower seeds (Brazelton of WKU and Joe Alexander WVU to name a few). However, their has been no bigger storyline than Stephen Curry, who will bring his smooth jump-shot to the Motor City tonight. If you haven't heard of him, watch the game tonight. He'll be wearing No.30 in Red and carrying Davidson's entire roster on his back.

Curry has been the most intriguing player of the tourney for a lot of reasons, starting with the sweet jump-shot that obviously runs in the family. His father, Dell Curry, played 12 seasons in the NBA as a 3-point specialist, most of the time for the Charlotte Hornets. Stephen's game has been comparable to that of his dad's (he has Dell's quick release off the feed), but has also shown the Iverson-esque ability to get his shot off in traffic.

This brings me to his prospects as a pro: Curry is listed as 6'3, but that's being generous. He's also listed at 185 lbs. Now, I know media guides have a tendency to stretch the truth, but this kid would be lucky tip the scales at 165 in sopping wet clothes. He looks like he's 12 yrs old, and that puberty is still two years away. Let me put it to you this way: If he turned sideways, you'd have a hard time seeing him. Many analysts see this as the biggest knock on Curry, and one thing that might prevent him from making it in the pros.

I disagree. And the evidence to this lies across the Huron River at Eastern Michigan, where Earl Boykins' name is plastered all over the EMU record books. Boykins, a 5'5 guard out of Cleveland, has played nine seasons in the NBA. While Boykins isn't running people over, his best attributes are his quickness, and ability to get his shot off with a hand in his face (much like Curry). While I think Curry (who is still only a Sophomore) has the opportunity to be much better than Boykins, this shows that Curry doesn't need an intimidating physique to go high in the draft.

(I personally see Curry as a Rip Hamilton type guard when all is said and done: A guy who really can't create his own shot, but is lights-out coming off a solid screen).

As for this weekend, look for Curry to drop 27 on Wisconsin in a loss. Bo Ryan's teams always play tough D, they rebound extremely well, and tomorrow night will be no different. Holding Curry under 30 should be Ryan's goal, and I think if this happens, Wisconsin has a very good shot at meeting the winner of Nova/Kansas in the Elite 8.