So OK, now what? I've examined it from every angle and I'm lost. I don't know who I should pull for this weekend in the Final Four. I'm not unlike the contestants on MTV's "Real World/Road Rules Challenge." I know I have no life, so the task at hand is increasingly important to me. I have no specific allegiance to any of the teams left, and after this past weekend's amazing games I'm honestly too worn out to jump on a bandwagon at this stage. \nThere's no real underdog, but that doesn't mean that they aren't feel-good stories. Plus, there's just something about North Carolina, Illinois, Louisville and Michigan State that makes a true fan of college basketball happy to see them succeed. Here's a taste of why you should love each of these teams.
Illinois\nThe Illini spent the better part of the year undefeated and lost their final regular season game on a long three-pointer against Ohio State. Other than that loss, Illinois, led by its trio of stellar guards juniors Deron Williams and Dee Brown and senior Luther Head, have been nothing short of perfect. But their amazing comeback win Saturday against Arizona was their finest moment so far. \nTrailing by 15 with four minutes to play, Illinois never looked rattled. Head and Williams confidently led the team on a 20-5 run to close regulation and tie the game at 80. They held on in overtime to win 90-89, at times making Arizona look completely overmatched. Through it all Head, Williams and Brown looked nothing like college kids, they looked like seasoned professionals on a mission. \nSome people thought this team would be distracted by the death of head coach Bruce Weber's mother two weeks ago, but nothing could be further from the truth. And as if they needed any more motivation, you know they want to win it for their coach.
North Carolina\nUNC junior guard Rashad McCants is not accustomed to people feeling sorry for him. Earlier this year I referred to him as "mini-Artest" and I have since taken that back (that award goes to Iowa's Pierre Pierce). \nMcCants has earned my respect by playing through a devastating time in his life. His 50-year-old mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and soon after, Rashad himself became extremely ill with intestinal problems. It got so bad that he even sat out North Carolina's home game against rival Duke. Most everyone agrees that McCants got sick because he was worried about his mother and his play had not been up to par through the first two rounds of the tournament. He stepped up for his teammates in wins against Villanova and Wisconsin, and showed that he's determined to take care of business on the court. \nWith the help of the "round mound of rebound" (Sean May) and backcourt buddy Raymond Felton, McCants has a great chance to cut down the nets next Monday. Even if he doesn't get that chance, you can be sure he's making his mother proud.
Michigan State\nThey were dubbed losers, a disappointment and failures. It's hard to swallow words like that when you're a college kid, but the seniors on the Michigan State Spartans basketball team took that and more. \nComing in as a highly touted recruiting class a year after a national championship, much was expected of guards Chris Hill, Kelvin Torbert and Alan Anderson. They had a rocky first three years in East Lansing though, falling below expectations. \nBut, after an upset of Duke Friday and the thrilling double overtime upset against Kentucky Sunday, these three seniors have nothing to prove to anyone. Their win Sunday was one of the gutsiest performances I have ever seen and though I love Tubby Smith, I have to admit that I felt great for the Spartans.
Louisville\nThe Cardinals' head coach Rick Pitino has been here before; heck, he's won twice before with Kentucky and then jumped ship for the riches of the NBA. \nSo, why should we be pulling for him? Because he came back to college basketball. He admits now that leaving was a huge mistake and that if he had to do it over again, he'd still be at Kentucky. \nHe's turned Louisville into a national power again and preaches to his kids about staying in school, getting good grades and being ambassadors to the community. Trust me people, we need this guy around college basketball, nothing bad can come of it. This is a great team with a great coach, and it's hard not to like them.
So who will I root for this weekend? I like so many things about all of these teams and players, I really can't decide. How about I just root for some amazing games? If they are anything like what we've seen so far, I'll be very happy Monday night.
