The basketball gods can work in beautifully mysterious ways at times just when you don’t expect it. Even though I’m a little down on the Thunder’s season and how it will probably end in the first round against Steph, Klay and Kevin Durant…I’m okay. This week-end of regional final March Madness was perhaps the best set of four regional finals I can ever remember taking place on one week-end.
Obviously, OU is my team, I was prepared for a second round exit by the Sooners to Virginia. But what has transpired with both Texas Tech and Auburn has made this an unexpected treasure of an NCCA Tournament for me. As these two teams have made their first ever program runs to the Final Four… I’ve become caught up in their moments so to speak. Plus, I’ve always been a big Tom Izzo fan so this is truly a magical Final Four to follow for a basketball junkie who needs to divert his eyes from the burning rubble of a third straight Thunder season without Kevin Durant ending in a quick first round flameout.
Texas Tech with Chris Beard will be making its first ever Final Four and is a great story. But Auburn beating Kansas, North Carolina, and Kentucky in successive rounds is a magical story. These three programs Auburn just beat are the three most winning programs in the history of mens college hoops. If Duke had advanced versus Michigan State–then Auburn could been facing the fourth on the list versus Coach K in the national finals.
This is truly remarkable stuff we’re witnessing from Coach Bruce Pearl and his never say die Auburn Tigers. Even with the crushing season ending injury to Chuma Okeke these Cinderella Tigers just keep winning and in an impressive manner.
This year’s Final Four will be in Minneapolis. I haven’t seen the Vegas odds yet, but I would guess Michigan State is a slight favorite over Texas Tech and Virginia is probably a slight favorite over Auburn. Auburn and Tech are two teams in the same field who have never made the Final Four in the histories of their respective programs.
This has truly been a great tournament and if Carson Edwards and the Boilermakers were facing Auburn in the national semis it would be a perfect field for me. But you can’t have everything.
Our national semi-finals are set with Texas Tech vs Michigan State on one side of the bracket and Auburn vs. Virginia on the other side of the bracket.
Even if only by marriage did I become an Auburn fan–it’s a great time to be an Auburn Tiger.