Sanity returns to the sport world
At some point beginning around the time March pops up on the calendar, things change. Certain members of your family, or maybe your friends, or even your work colleagues become less engaged in their regular day-to-day lives. They start to spend hours looking at their TV, phone and computer, and speak a lot about something called a “bracket.” As the month progresses, you’ll start to hear them referencing certain institutions of higher learning while referring to them, “breaking brackets,” and their normal cheery demeanor may be replaced by anger, sadness or frequent outbursts riddled with sports jargon and cursing. If this is something you have noticed, the people around you may be suffering from the ailment known as, “March Madness.” Have no fear though, because their return to reality is now eminent.
For those of us who have been keeping up with the insanity known as the NCAA tournament, we all know last night it sadly came to an end. Starting with 64 teams, which dwindled to 32 then 16 then 8, then 4, and finally to 2, has now given us one overall champion. For the first time since the 1980s, the Louisville Cardinals have won the NCAA National Title.
Final Four
Before playing in the championship game, both Louisville and the Michigan Wolverines had to make their way through a tough list of foes. Though the road was long, before being granted a shot at the title, both teams had difficult match ups in the Final Four.
In one of two semifinal matchups, the number four ranked Michigan squad saw themselves matched up against the other remaining four-seed in the Syracuse Orange. While both teams were running on high, the Orange squad was coming off a huge upset that saw them prevail with their defense.
With a game plan to attack the Syracuse D relentlessly, the Wolverines were throwing all the offense their young team could offer at the Orange. Associated player of the Year, Trey Burke, though Michigan’s greatest offensive weapon, was having an off night. The young player went 1-for-8, only chipping in seven points. This, though, was not enough to stop the Wolverines from advancing to their first National Title game since 1993. The game came down to the final seconds, but botched plays that could have forced overtime gave Michigan the win.
In Louisville’s match-up against the number nine ranked Wichita State Shockers, the Cardinals looked more than human. Down by as many as 12 in the second half of their semifinal game, the Cardinals rallied on the back of sixth man Luke Hancock to grab an epic comeback that gave them a birth to the National Championship game.
National Title Game
With both teams coming in ready to win some hardware, Monday’s game did not disappoint. To start the matchup, one of the biggest surprises of Monday night was Michigan Freshman Spike Albrecht. Coming into the game for Trey Burke who got in early foul trouble, Albrecht was hot. Having only had a season high of seven points before last night, he made four straight treys, giving Michigan an early bump and a huge lead. On top of that, the rest of the Michigan squad rode that energy, and before the Cardinals could respond, they had a double-digit lead.
Like any great game, a double-digit lead only means one thing: A double-digit comeback. Before Michigan knew what hit them, the Cardinals came soaring out of the gates in the second half, never letting their foot off of the accelerator. With only five minutes left to play, Louisville had taken the lead 67-64. The momentum of the game changed at this point, and Louisville would ride that to the title. With what many analysts would call a clean block by Michigan’s Trey Burke, a foul called on the play gave Peyton Siva two shots from the stripe, which he hit both. From here, Louisville went on a 7-2 run in the final minutes, never extinguishing their late lead. Luke Hancock scored 22 points for the Cardinals in their victory that saw head coach Rick Pitino become the first coach ever to win national championships for two different teams. Peyton Siva added 18 points to the Cardinals win, while Trey Burke led Michigan with 24 points.
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