On a day when a judge heard arguments that will shape the revenue-sharing future of college sports, some things never change: March Madness is awesome. Good to the last drop of Florida’s comeback.
NCAA Tournament still binds us, young and old, Todd Golden to Kelvin Sampson.
Cinderella left this March Madness well before midnight, but that gave way to a Final Four of the nation’s best teams.
We just can’t quit you, March Madness, because you never forsake us sports fans.
If you possess working ears, you’ve heard all about how college sports ain’t what they used to be. Maybe so, but March Madness ain’t ever stopped being three weeks of basketball splendor, either.
On a day when a federal judge heard arguments that will shape the revenue-sharing future of college athletics, some things never change: March Madness is awesome. So dang awesome.
And though the national title game became no beauty contest, this goes down as a truly epic Final Four, complete with a championship decided in the final seconds.
Not one, not two, but three second-half comebacks unfolded across three games in San Antonio.
Florida enjoyed the lead in its 65-63 national championship victory over Houston for barely more than a minute, but it led when the buzzer sounded, and if we learned anything these past three weeks, it’s that the score only matters when the clock strikes zero.
The semifinals and championship were decided by a combined margin of 11 points – one point more than the fewest of 10 points at the 1982 Final Four. That’s madness.
The Gators beat Houston at their own game, playing dogged defense and relying on grit, guts and gumption to battle even when their shots weren’t falling.
And when it was finished, you couldn’t miss the elation on the faces of the Gators’ senior guards, and your heart went out to a veteran Cougars team that looked simply gutted.
UPS AND DOWNS: Winners and losers of NCAA men’s tournament
Because, yeah, these modern college athletes are paid, but if you watched even a few minutes of this game Monday, you noticed that winning a national championship mattered one heck of a lot to every man who stepped on that court.
I keep hearing about how the transfer culture sullies college sports, but then I watched J’Wan Roberts, a sixth-year senior who spent his entire career at Houston, becoming the glue of the program’s resurgence, make two clutch free throws against Duke to secure Houston’s spot in the national championship game.
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I watched Florida’s Walter Clayton Jr. deliver a six-game performance that ranks among the all-time great tournament escapades. He totaled 64 points in the Elite Eight and Final Four, but Clayton proved his mettle against Houston even when his shots weren’t falling. His defense prevented Houston from getting off a game-winning shot attempt.
Clayton transferred to Florida to play his final two seasons. He considered Florida his “dream school” out of high school, but he was a zero-star recruit. So, off to Iona he went, to play two seasons for a guy named Rick Pitino before transferring and culminating his career by bringing glory back to Florida, his homestate school.
These are great stories only March Madness can tell.
Alijah Martin, another of Florida’s starting senior guards, also began his career as a zero-star mid-major signee. He helped Florida Atlantic to a Final Four. Now, he’s one of those Gator boys who just kept winning in March and into April.
This tournament and its bracket pools unite basketball diehards and casuals, the young and the old. Literally. Florida’s 39-year-old Todd Golden became the youngest coach to win an NCAA championship since Jim Valvano in 1983. As the final seconds ticked away, Houston’s 69-year-old Kelvin Sampson, trying to become the oldest coach ever to win this tournament, watched straight-faced as his Cougars received a merciless ending after a cathartic trip to the finals.
A handful of conference commissioners chirped the past few years that March Madness ought to go under the microscope. From SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey to the Big 12’s Brett Yormark, they said the tournament should expand beyond 68 teams.
Maybe, tournament expansion will occur in time. A few extra teams competing in play-in games wouldn’t ruin this event, but you’d be hard-pressed to convince me March Madness could be improved upon.
“One Shining Moment” is March Madness’ soundtrack, but, in truth, this tournament provides dozens of shining moments every year.
This year, those moments included Houston beating Purdue on Sampson’s brilliant inbounds play, and then Houston stunning Duke with the best 75-second comeback you’ll ever see.
This tournament has a way of turning fairytales into reality.
Auburn star Johni Broome injured his elbow, and he initially thought he was toast, only to return later in the same game and drill a 3-pointer to help secure the second Final Four appearance in program history.
No March Madness is complete without a buzzer beater, and Maryland’s Derick Queen made sure we were covered on that front.
The underdogs didn’t uncork their usual amount of hijinks, but we still saw a Drake lineup full of transfers who were playing Division II ball last year topple a team from the mighty SEC. Plus, a once-sullied coach secured redemption at McNeese State, while his boombox-toting student manager provided the theme music.
Texas Tech used an epic comeback to turn back Arkansas, only to go down virtue of one of Florida’s four second-half rallies, en route to the championship.
This tournament won’t be remembered for its upsets. Cinderella left the party well before midnight, but that gave way to a Final Four of the nation’s best teams, playing their best ball, complete with a collection of talented players who cooked up a memorable conclusion to a tournament that refuses to comprise its awesomeness, even in the face of college sports evolution.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer. Subscribe to read all of his columns.