2008 Woodie Awards
Games of the Week
Sam Summers
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Big Red Sports
Unlike NCAA football, this college basketball season will end up in the hands of the number one seeds. With upset after upset during the football season, many wondered if the basketball season would follow suit. Instead of surprising us, the NCAA tourney has fallen to the number one seeds in the Final Four. With Kansas State v. University of North Carolina and UCLA against Memphis, the Final Four promises to be entertaining.
UCLA cruises into the Final Four with a team led by freshman Kevin Love and head coach Ben Howland. With a win over Xavier, UCLA enters the Final Four for the third straight time- the longest string of Final Four appearances since they closed the John Wooden era with nine straight trips and added a tenth trip in 1976 under his successor, Gene Bartow. The Bruins have lost in the Final Four in the last two years. However, they go to San Antonio with Love, who has given them a formidable inside presence and has raised his game in the tournament. Memphis coach, John Calipari, has labeled the Tigers as underdogs all season despite their play which reached elite levels this year. Point guard Derrick Rose has become the difference-maker for the Tigers. He has been a prolific passer, game-changer and scorer to compliment All-American wing Chris Douglas-Roberts. Howland and Calipari have resurrected these once-proud programs that met for the 1973 national title in St. Louis and set the stage for an intriguing showdown.
For North Carolina, just getting to the Final Four was an accomplishment. Junior Tyler Hansbrough has wanted to win a national championship since he stepped foot on campus three years ago. In today's NCAA basketball world, where freshmen come in and leave after one year, a player like Hansbrough staying with a program is uncustomary. UNC was dominant in its run up to the Final Four winning easily against Mount St. Mary's and Arkansas in the first two games. The game against Washington State was close for ten minutes, but the Tar Heels dominated for the remaining 30 minutes of the game. Louisville was the only team that had Carolina worried with a 59-59 tie. However Hansbrough busted it open and took over the game with seven straight points. Kansas was able to survive the pressure cooker and beat Davidson 59-57 when Ronald Curry missed what could have been a game winning 3-pointer. The two teams meet, and while UNC seems to be the team to beat, Kansas is just happy to be in the Final Four under Self. With a confident UNC team, Kansas' veteran team is set to upset what many see as the strongest team in the tournament.
With the seeding committee finally doing a good job and all four number one seeds in the running, the Final Four promises a lot of action. Both games will test the teams involved and provide us with a great national title game that will be played on Sunday, April 5.•
UCLA cruises into the Final Four with a team led by freshman Kevin Love and head coach Ben Howland. With a win over Xavier, UCLA enters the Final Four for the third straight time- the longest string of Final Four appearances since they closed the John Wooden era with nine straight trips and added a tenth trip in 1976 under his successor, Gene Bartow. The Bruins have lost in the Final Four in the last two years. However, they go to San Antonio with Love, who has given them a formidable inside presence and has raised his game in the tournament. Memphis coach, John Calipari, has labeled the Tigers as underdogs all season despite their play which reached elite levels this year. Point guard Derrick Rose has become the difference-maker for the Tigers. He has been a prolific passer, game-changer and scorer to compliment All-American wing Chris Douglas-Roberts. Howland and Calipari have resurrected these once-proud programs that met for the 1973 national title in St. Louis and set the stage for an intriguing showdown.
For North Carolina, just getting to the Final Four was an accomplishment. Junior Tyler Hansbrough has wanted to win a national championship since he stepped foot on campus three years ago. In today's NCAA basketball world, where freshmen come in and leave after one year, a player like Hansbrough staying with a program is uncustomary. UNC was dominant in its run up to the Final Four winning easily against Mount St. Mary's and Arkansas in the first two games. The game against Washington State was close for ten minutes, but the Tar Heels dominated for the remaining 30 minutes of the game. Louisville was the only team that had Carolina worried with a 59-59 tie. However Hansbrough busted it open and took over the game with seven straight points. Kansas was able to survive the pressure cooker and beat Davidson 59-57 when Ronald Curry missed what could have been a game winning 3-pointer. The two teams meet, and while UNC seems to be the team to beat, Kansas is just happy to be in the Final Four under Self. With a confident UNC team, Kansas' veteran team is set to upset what many see as the strongest team in the tournament.
With the seeding committee finally doing a good job and all four number one seeds in the running, the Final Four promises a lot of action. Both games will test the teams involved and provide us with a great national title game that will be played on Sunday, April 5.•
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