Random Thoughts From the Final Four

It takes a team to win a game.

Oklahoma's Buddy Hield may be the player of the year, but Villanova held him nearly scoreless as the rest of his team watched and wilted.  Down at one point by more than 40 points, Oklahoma's veteran coach couldn't seem to find a way to put a pin in Villanova's balloon.  It was a less than inspiring performance by everyone not dressed in navy blue.

The talking heads were consumed with the Buddy Hield is a great guy and a fantastic player meme in the week leading up to the semi-final games on Saturday.  Would Oklahoma (read Hield) be able to shoot in NRG Stadium's dome was about the only worry.  The same talking heads were dealing with the pronunciation of Ryan Arcidiacono's last name and not much else when talking about Villanova.  I was reminded of my discomfort when Wally Szczerbiak and Ben Roethlisberger underwent the same treatment.  These people get paid to talk; why is doing it well such a big deal?

Nobody was paying attention to what was the story of the game, at least in my eyes.  Villanova's Wildcats passed and ran and boxed out and yes, Ryan Arcidiacono scored 21 points but the team as a whole made 71.4% of their shots, and that is what won the game.
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Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden were put in their place by Charles Barkley.  Sure, they had Villanova (she got a masters degree there) and Syracuse (he went to law school there) still alive in their brackets, and sure, they were sitting up close to the action in comped seats, but Charles made sure to remind them that, come January 20th, they are going to be sitting up hiiiiigh in the rafters with the rest of us peons.

They had the good grace to laugh.
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I don't understand why the female anchors on the various iterations of Sports Center are being dressed in too short skirts and too much decolletage.  The men are in business suits, with matching pocket squares, and the women are wearing outfits which would never be seen in a board room.

There are dressers and stylists and the talent may not have much input on the subject but I can't imagine that any of them are thrilled with the new look.
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Prognosticating is a tricky business.  Three of the four Number One Seeds in the tournament did not make it to the Final Four.

This reminds me of my confusion when companies don't make their target numbers.  Just because Wall Street thought something, does that make it true?
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Finally, the play of the senior guards should be a wake up call to all those highly recruited high school seniors who think that college is a one-and-done experience.

Watching the players mature over four years made the tournament special for fans.  But the kids benefited as well.  As a parent, I think I'd forego the early, easy money and encourage my kid to spend ages 19 and 22 surrounded by his peers, mentored by a coach, eventually leading a team rather than sitting on the bench, traveling the country with men who are decades older, growing on the fly.
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That should get you through any water cooler chatter this Monday morning before the Championship Game.  Villanova takes on North Carolina at NRG Stadium in Houston; the game starts at 9 Eastern Time, if you are interested.