Sunday, April 1, 2012

NCAA Championship Monday

I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord.
I've been waiting for this moment, all my life, Oh Lord.
Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord, Oh Lord.
by Phil Collins.

I feel Mr. Collins wrote it best in this set of lyrics from one of his best songs. You can feel it in the air. The chance to win a national championship. To stake your claim as college basketballs best. These players dream about CBS's "One Shining Moment". It is coming Monday night.

Two of college basketballs true blue bloods to square off for the games ultimate prize. They have very different paths to New Orleans as one has handled all comers very easily and the other has had to battle through rough final possessions to prevail. Regardless of the way each game has been played the name of the game is to survive and advance and both these teams have done that. This should be a great match up and hopefully equal some of the historic championship games that have taken place in New Orleans before. There is something about New Orleans that makes late game situations just a bit more interesting. Is there something in the air?

In the 1982 championship game a very talented freshman for North Carolina named Michael Jordan hit the go ahead basket with 17 seconds left and a crazy errant Hoya pass to the wrong team at the end doomed Georgetown.

In 1987 it was Keith Smart hitting a fading jumper in the corner literally stunning Syracuse still to win another title for Bob Knight's Hoosiers.

In 1993 the "timeout" Michigan didn't have called by Chris Webber resulted in chaos for The Fab Five and sent North Carolina home with another national championship.

Finally in 2003 with just 3 seconds left Hakim Warrick's block of a potential game tying Kansas three pointer sealed Jim Boeheim's first national championship for Syracuse.

These New Orleans Final Four moments are lasting memories and just examples of that Voodoo That They Do down in Louisiana. I can only hope this season's championship game gives some resemblance of this history. It almost feels like Kansas has been using a little black magic to keep surviving these late game situations against Purdue, N.C. State, and Ohio State. Kentucky really is the superior team on almost every level. They are loaded with McDonald's All-Americans but it only takes one night, 40 minutes, and a little something special in the air to pull out the impossible. I think this Kansas team is tough minded and doesn't get rattled when the chips are down. As I see it I feel these Jayhawks have one more magic bean left in the bag.

Can you feel it coming?

Kentucky and Kansas can.

I guarantee it!

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