How About A Top Four Final Four?

By the time this post has made it to print form this writer is hopeful that indeed it was the Louisville Cardinals who were able to get a back to back championship for Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals over the Michigan State Spartans.

From March 18th until April 7th-if you fielded a strong bracket-many of you shall be cosely watching the action as you try to correctly pick a slew of teams that you believe will reach a Final Four before a champion is crowned, This year the Final Four will be happening in Arlington, Texas of all places.

While doing a little research for this post I came across something rather amazing.

The Wildcats of Kentucky have garnered eight overall titles. Prior to 2012 the previous seven times-from 1949 to 1998-each time Kentucky won the NCAA Title the New York Yankees went on to win the World Series later that fall! Random but being shared with Opening Day about to get underway.

It's also a given that UCLA  and Kentucky have a wonderful and storied run of success in the NCAA Finals since long before the whole dynamic of 'Bracketology' came to be.

And while basketball is a team game where one player can carry the load during a rough stretch the question was posed to me who the best four players in NCAA Finals history might happen to be?

Adolph Rupp and John Wooden indeed raised some fine young men so for myself this quick hit list of who and why is pretty simple...and it commences in Los Angeles.

1. Lew Alcindor (The Artists Soon To Become Kareem Abdul Jabbar-UCLA).

Voted by many as the greatest ballplayer of all time his pedigree is such that you have to respect the 71 game win streak his high school in New York city happened to possess. Yes he was a 19 time NBA All-Star, Six time NBA Champ, and Six time MVP on the pro level. Did I tell you how Jabbar was also your back to back to back MVP when the Bruins were rolling in the NCAA?  Indeed that was a no brainer. To say nothing about that 'Sky Hook' creation. No argument on this one.

2. Earvin 'Magic' Johnson (Michigan State)

Dear Youguns: This is the 35 year anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest rivalries ever born from an NCAA game between two programs-one who still thrives today under Tom Izzo-and two players who take their passion and level of talent to the next level. We didn't know it then but the NCAA was about to cure the NBA of it's biggest ills of a poorly divested decade with rampant drug use and Finals placed on tape delay.

Magic Johnson's rivalry with Larry Bird with this one game in 1979 prepared the world for three rematches with these two warriors over time. Everything about this kid from the city of truth said, 'Superstar' and his style of play so unselfish that it was depressing to not see him perform live. Also a Top 50 Hall Of Famer, and we saw this coming.

3. Bill Walton (UCLA)

By now you will have read my interview with Bill Walton from last October and how he overcame lifelong severe back pain due to injuries sustained as a kid. His college time at UCLA was indeed truly amazing. Back to back titles won in 1972 and 1973 over Florida State and Memphis State. In that 87-66 victory over Memphis State Walton would go 21 for 22 shooting and account for more than half of the Bruins point total during a span that UCLA went 30-0  in back to back seasons.

An unheard of win streak reached 88 games before a stunning 71-70 loss to the Fighting Irish in 1974. It was also in 1974 that seven straight titles was ended when the Wolfpack of North Carolina State upended UCLA in double overtime 80-77. Long before all the congenital defects of birth would come to affect his many injuries and setbacks the ultimate Dead head truly knew how to perform and get the job done when the lights shined brightest within the Madness.

4. Jerry Lucas (THE Ohio State)

This has to be some kind of a first. You win a Gold Medal in the Olympics as part of the Mens Basketball team  in 1960. You win a national title for your Buckeyes program in that same year. That in itself is impressive. Now you add an NBA Title 13 years later with the New York Knicks in 1973 among such luminaries like Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley, and Dave Debusschere. Later to get voted into the Sports Illustrated 5 man All-Century team. And then you get into the Hall Of Fame TWICE as an NBA All-Star and Olympian thirty years apart?

Next question!

This is all arbitrary of course. While the rest of the nation now sets its eyes on the beginning of the NBA and NHL playoffs and Baseball's infancy it seemed worthwhile to just pick a Final Four of athletes who shined the brightest during that which we now refer to as 'March Madness'.

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will