Sports > April 10, 2008

By Nick Oliphant | Staff writer

Another thrilling NCAA tournament has sadly come to an end. Let’s take a look back at some of the highlights, as well as what we learned for the future: Always look for flawed or over-seeded teams when picking your first round upsets.

Vanderbilt had struggled away from home all year and relied heavily on the three-point shot, and Connecticut, while impressive at times, never had the look of a four seed. Both teams were exposed at the hands of 13th-seeded teams.

A double-digit seed will make the Sweet 16. This year saw a 10 and two 12’s make it that far, with 10th-seeded Davidson a shot away from knocking off eventual champion Kansas.

While a Final Four had never consisted of four number one seeds, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that history was made this year. Each of those teams had been dominant throughout the season to establish a clear separation between themselves and the field. And, each of the number two seeds had major flaws (Duke and Texas: lack of size; Tennessee: lack of a point guard; Georgetown: inability to score consistently) to prevent them from contending. I just wish I had thought of that before I put Louisville, Wisconsin and Texas into my Final Four.

Coaches can shatter their own glass slippers. With just under five seconds left in a first round game against Duke, Belmont coach Rick Byrd called for a low percentage lob into the paint, even though his team had more than enough time to inbound and run a quick play. The pass was intercepted by Duke to clinch the game.

Another botched end-of-game scenario cost Davidson its chance to become the first 10 seed to reach the final four.

Down by two with one possession left, Coach Bob McKillop called for shooting guard Stephen Curry to bring the ball up to create his own shot. While he may have been the best player in the tournament, he is at his best when catching the ball for an immediate shot or for a fake-dribble-shot sequence.

In addition, Davidson point guard Jason Richards led the nation in assists, and it would seem to make more sense to have the best passer in the country trying to feed the best catch-and-shooter in the country. The team had to settle for a Richards heave at the buzzer.

Memphis did have a great year, but I have to wonder how often John Calipari was caught saying, “No Derrick, pass it there . . . Chris, don’t take that shot . . . Joey, you’re supposed to . . .” this summer before installing a dunks, three-pointers and one-on-one offense.

College basketball is becoming an increasingly full court game, and teams that can recruit tons of talent and run can overcome flawed fundamentals.

In the end, we were all treated to a game that left me thinking, “This is going to have a special ending,” and, “These are the best two teams in the country?” at the same time, and that’s alright with me.

Would I prefer fundamentals and set offenses? Sure. But I’ll settle for an exciting game filled with drama as a way to put an end to the madness.