Of the teams in the Final Four, 3 of them are among THE flagship programs of college basketball. Any list of the greatest programs has to include UCLA, North Carolina and Kansas. (I would also throw Kentucky, Duke, and Indiana in there – I think that’s your top 6 hands-down.) I find it singular that every one of them but Indiana has blue as their primary color.
And all four of the teams this time are blue-based. Hm.
I’m pulling for Memphis, as they are the closest thing to an underdog here. They were everyone’s pick for the 1-seed that wouldn’t make it, and instead they have caught fire in a big way. The Conference USA and state of TN connections also help – love for ConfUSA going back to its roots as the Great Midwest and UAB’s last turn as a big-time program. In fact, a Memphis-Kansas final would suit me right down to the ground.
Yeah, this is a strong Final Four. I just wish they would catapult Nantz and Packer into a swamp and give us Gus Johnson on play-by-play. Seriously, he’s this generation’s Dick Vitale – just electrifying without having become self-parody yet.
There will be more about blue later.