The start of spring on the sports calendar can best be summed up in two words: March Madness. And what a tournament it’s been; hopefully your brackets (and bank accounts) weathered the storm. Not one, but two No. 15 seeds beat No. 2s in the first round: Lehigh stunned Duke, and Norfolk State toppled the University of Missouri. Both schools enjoyed brief Cinderella status, but after the early upsets, karma righted itself and the favorites took care of business.
As the Big Easy prepares to host the Final Four starting on March 31, there are no real surprises among the survivors: Kentucky, Louisville, Ohio State, and Kansas. None of the schools is a stranger to the national semifinals; in fact, they’ve made a combined 48 Final Four appearances, winning 13 championships.
If you’re looking for storylines, look no further than the All-Kentucky matchup between bitter rivals Kentucky and Louisville. With all the storied history between the two schools, it’s the first time they’ve ever faced off in the Final Four, and also the first time in-state rivals have met this far into the NCAA tournament since Ohio State and Cincinnati played in the 1962 Final Four. In other words, it’s the biggest game in the history of the hoops-crazed state. Expect madness, bordering on real, honest-to-God insanity, from the frenzied legions on both sides when the game finally tips off. You may need to turn your TV down to adjust for the decibel levels sure to test the Superdome’s structural stability. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Louisville coach Rick Pitino certainly knows the high-stakes pressure well. He’s taken three different schools to Final Fours, including 1996, when he won it all with the Kentucky Wildcats. The Cardinals aren’t laden with stars and were plagued by injuries all season long, but still managed to surprise critics with old-fashioned hustle and strong defense. Pitino will have his players, including center Gorgui Dieng, ready to avenge their regular season loss to the Wildcats on New Year’s Eve, 69-62.
Kentucky reached the semis by beating Baylor (and their atrocious neon green jerseys) handily in their Southern regional contest and has played consistently well all year long. Pitino’s counterpart, John Calipari, is equally experienced in big games. He, too, has taken three different schools to the Final Four, and last season guided the ’Cats to the Final Four, where they lost to eventual champion UConn. Kentucky enjoyed a stellar recruiting class and is stocked with future pros, led by its duo of Fab Freshmen: forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and center Anthony Davis. Davis will likely be named the NCAA’s player of the year and the NBA’s top overall draft pick in June. The “Battle for the Bluegrass,” as they’re calling it, represents everything good and pure about college basketball and certainly qualifies as must-see TV for fans of the game.
On the other side of the bracket, Kansas is back in the Final Four for the first time since 2008, the last time it won the NCAA championship. The Midwest region’s second-seeded Jayhawks are led by All-American forward Thomas Robinson, a potential player of the year candidate, and guard Tyshawn Taylor, who’s been inconsistent, but has shown flashes of brilliance at times. The Jayhawks started out slow this year but recovered to take the Big 12 title and upset North Carolina, and they’ll be giving their all for coach Bill Self, who’s going for his second national title.
The ’Hawks will have their hands full with Ohio State, a team hitting its stride at the right time. From the beginning of the year, the Buckeyes were a strong favorite to win it all, at one point the second-ranked team in the country. Despite some inconsistent play, they’re in position to make their first appearance in the title game since 2007. Buckeyes’ coach Thad Matta is looking for his first NCAA championship, as is star forward Jared Sullinger, the first team All-American who stayed for his sophomore season specifically to win it all. The Jayhawks beat the Buckeyes 78-67 in December, but Sullinger missed that meeting due to injury, so the rematch should be a different story. I tore my bracket up weeks ago, so I’ll spare you any predictions.
Though March has been dominated by college basketball, there’s still plenty more on the horizon for fans of other sports to cheer about. One sure sign of spring, as dependable as flowers in bloom, is the start of the baseball season. The grass is freshly cut, the gloves are worked in, and Major League Baseball is ready for opening day on April 5. All three California clubs look to be better this year, and in the offseason, perhaps no team did more to improve than the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
Bolstered by the offseason acquisitions of first baseman Albert Pujols from the St. Louis Cardinals and pitcher C.J. Wilson from the Texas Rangers, the Angels look to be early season favorites in the American League, along with the Rangers and Detroit Tigers. Adding Wilson to a staff including Jered Weaver, Dan Haren, and closer Jordan Walden gives the Angels one of the best rotations in the American League. If they can stay healthy, prospects are bright the Halos will be playing come October.
Over in the National League, the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers will be looking to overtake the Arizona Diamondbacks, the favorites this year in the NL West. The Giants experienced a World Series hangover in 2011, compounded by injuries to All-Star catcher Buster Posey and others. Posey is working his way back to health, and the team will be better overall, but the offense will have to score some runs to support their solid pitching staff, anchored once again by Tim Lincecum and closer Brian Wilson.
The Dodgers return with last year’s Cy Young-award winner Clayton Kershaw, star outfielder Matt Kemp, and second year manager Don Mattingly. Though they’ve still got an issue with ownership (Frank McCourt is out and the team must find a buyer by April 30) and low expectations, the Dodgers could play the role of spoiler once the drama at the top settles down a bit. Gotta think blue, crew.
But what do I know? I’m just a bum. And that’s my view from the bleachers.
The Bleacher Bum will be out for four weeks with a touch of Spring Fever. Contact him through jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Mar 29 – Apr 5, 2012.