By DAN GARTLAND
EXECUTIVE SPORTS EDITOR
First of all, let me apologize to anyone who followed the advice of Matt, Max and I when filling out his or her NCAA Tournament brackets. I’m especially sorry if you placed a bet with a mob-affiliated bookie down on Arthur Avenue and had your knuckles busted with a hammer. But, isn’t that what March Madness is all about? Your bracket always ends up getting busted by some school like Florida Gulf Coast.
I went 0-4 on my Final Four picks (Saint Louis, VCU, Indiana and Gonzaga). In fact, I was 0-8 in the Elite Eight. Matt and Max each got one Final Four team right (Michigan for Matt and Louisville for Max), but we all picked Indiana to win it all. The Hoosiers lost to Syracuse in the Sweet Sixteen.
Who cares? This tournament has been great. At times I found myself rooting against my bracket, like when La Salle played Ole Miss in the round of 32. I had picked Ole Miss to advance to the Sweet 16, but that was before La Salle was even really in the tournament (the Explorers had to play Boise State in the “First Four” for the right to face Kansas State in the round of 64). I enjoyed watching La Salle’s fast-paced, aggressive style of play in its games against Boise State and Kansas State, so I wanted to see the Explorers’ run continue.
When Tyrone Garland’s layup put La Salle ahead with two seconds left on the clock, I threw my hands in the air and yelled “Oh wow!” Only later did I realize there was a practical reason to root for La Salle: The more games the Explorers won, the more money they would share with the rest of the Atlantic 10, including Fordham.
No one could have predicted this year’s Final Four (Louisville, Wichita State, Syracuse and Michigan). The only people whose brackets still matter are either incredibly boring (having picked top-overall seed Louisville) or fans of one of the teams. I, on the other hand, don’t have a horse left in the race. In fact, I can find reasons to root for every team. I would love to see ninth-seeded Wichita State win the championship, if only to see the chaos it would cause. I can already hear stupid columnists at newspapers across the country drafting their “the NCAA tournament needs fixing” columns.
Syracuse or Michigan winning the title would be perfectly acceptable, too. Both teams are fun to watch, but for completely different reasons. The Wolverines have ridden their offense all the way to Atlanta, behind their dynamic point guard Trey Burke. The Orange have smothered their opponents with a suffocating 2-3 zone defense, forcing 67 turnovers while allowing only 61 made baskets.
I don’t see how anyone can root against Louisville right now. When the Cardinals’ sophomore guard Kevin Ware suffered a horrifying leg injury against Duke on Sunday, I wasn’t sure if his team would be able to regain the focus necessary to beat a team as talented the Blue Devils. In the middle of the first half, Ware jumped to contest a shot out on the perimeter. When he landed, his lower right leg snapped about midway between the knee and ankle, the bone protruding through the skin.
It happened directly in front of the Louisville bench. The players sitting there recoiled in disgust. Some even reportedly vomited. The other four Louisville players on the court dropped to the floor as soon as they saw what happened. Russ Smith and Chane Behanan were crying, and so was Louisville head coach Rick Pitino.
The Cardinals didn’t just win the game — they destroyed Duke, 85-63. That the players were able to gather themselves so quickly and continue playing at such a high level is truly remarkable.
The four teams left standing are all very good. We’ll be treated to three really good games, and I’ll be able to sit back and enjoy them without worrying about picks I made three weeks ago.
