The Sweet 16: Part Two

Don't miss The Sweet 16: Part One!

Before I get to the second phase of my Sweet 16, I unfortunately have to begin on a sad note. It appears that Army's women's basketball coach, Maggie Dixon, has passed away at the age of 28 following an arrhythmic heart episode. College basketball is a great game, but it's the people involved in the game that truly make it great. The game lost one of those people yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.

A few days ago, I presented eight of my favorite storylines from this year's men's NCAA tournament. Although the players, teams, and stories discussed then are truly memorable, they stalled once hitting the Sweet 16. I saved the Elite Eight for the truly elite.

Florida and UCLA did what 62 or 63 teams (depending on your viewpoint of the tournament's actual commencement) set out to do, but could not accomplish — make it to the last day of the season. Although each school got there by taking a vastly different road from the other, what mattered most was that each had the chance to go home with a trophy on Monday night.

Of course, under the no-tying rules of basketball, only one of the schools can win the title, but both should be acknowledged for the effort it took to get to the biggest stage of such a spectacular event. For that reason, the Elite Eight belongs to the UCLA Bruins, Florida Gators, and the game of college basketball itself.

8) Luc Richard Mbah A Moute

What's not to like? He's a got a great name, mad game, and this native of Cameroon has only been playing organized basketball for a short time. He can be excused for not playing well against Florida because frankly, Florida's defense made it hard for anyone to play well against them. Furthermore, were it not for Mbah A Moute's stellar play in the first place, UCLA most likely would have been spectators rather than participants in the big game.

NBA scouts are taking notice, as well. Like LSU's Tyrus Thomas, Mbah A Moute is another freshman that has made a name for himself by being an integral component of a very successful team. Just this week, ESPN reported that an anonymous scout had said that Mbah A Moute was "like Ron Artest without the crazy." Considering how valuable Ron Artest might be seen if were he not, well, crazy, it appears that Mbah A Moute has really emerged.

7) UCLA's Comeback Against Gonzaga

UCLA was cooked. There was no other way to explain it. Anybody who saw this game and saw the national championship game knows that UCLA played just as poorly against Gonzaga as they did against Florida. For 37 minutes, that is. For the other three minutes and change, UCLA frustrated, confused, and manhandled Gonzaga so badly that the Bulldogs completely melted down and literally gave away a game that they seemed to have dominated from the very beginning.

Just like Reggie Miller proved against the Knicks many years ago and every opponent of the Minnesota Timberwolves has shown this year, the game is not actually over until the final buzzer sounds. After being down by nine with just over three minutes to go, UCLA scored the game's final 11 points, six by Mr. Mbah A Moute, who scored the go-ahead bucket and contributed the key steal. The winning margin of two represented UCLA's only lead of the game.

6) Sportsmanship All Around

One of the more poignant moments in the tournament began during the game and ended after it. Before the final buzzer had even sounded in the aforementioned UCLA/Gonzaga game, Gonzaga's Adam Morrison broke into tears while on the court after realizing how suddenly both the game and his college career had possibly come to an end.

Now, many have been giving this guy a hard time for two reasons. One, for his quasi-mustache and two, for crying before the game was even over. I don't agree with the "crying part." To me, this is part of what makes the tournament so special. What we all sometimes disregard is that these are still college kids. There is something special about how hard they play every game, how much they want to win, and how badly they hurt when they lose. Sometimes, I wish the professionals would care as much. This brings me to what took place after the game.

In another example of why the kids sometimes are the examples to follow, it was two UCLA players, Ryan Hollins and Arron Afflalo, who picked up a sobbing Adam Morrison from the floor after the game. Regardless of how much trash was talked during the game; the UCLA players showed a great deal of sportsmanship by being celebratory, yet gracious in victory.

Morrison was a true sport in his own right with his post-game comments about UCLA when he stated, "That's just a sign of a great program and great people. They had enough guts as a man in their moment of victory to pick another man off the floor. That's more than basketball and I would thank them if I could."

It's refreshing to see that these players could compete so fiercely that they had to be separated by referees at one point, yet still manage to show the utmost respect for their respective opponents and the game of basketball in the end.

5) De-fense!

In all major American sports, defense wins championships. Tell me where I'm wrong. So, why does it seem that defense always seems to be the secondary focus of some coaches, many analysts, and most players and fans of the major sports? Yes, defense can make game look ugly. UCLA showed that. Hard work, however, doesn't always look good. It just gets results.

It was Garrett Temple and Tyrus Thomas' defense that played major roles in LSU reaching the Final Four. UCLA got to the final game by relying almost exclusively on their defense. Before the title game even started, Clark Kellogg stated that UCLA's best offense was their defense. But when it came down to it, it was Florida's defense that really stood out.

In a championship game where UCLA was expected to be the team to bring the "D," it was Florida that took the UCLA players out their comfort zone. Florida was blocking shots and getting steals at a ridiculous pace. They got in the way of UCLA's shooting, passing, and ball-handling, so much so that UCLA was feeling pressure even in instances where there was no pressure. I liken it to what David Carr must feel like the rare times his offensive line gives him time to throw. By going all "[Andrei] Kirilenko" on the Bruins, the Florida basketball team gained themselves many extra possessions at the expense of UCLA's possessions and that is how they built their lead.

Just a reminder, if a team that excels at defense happens to win a World Series, Super Bowl, or national championship from here on out, we probably shouldn't be surprised.

4) The Impact of Corey Brewer

Speaking of hard work, it was mentioned during the course of the title game that Florida swingman Corey Brewer's hero was his father because he showed him the value of hard work. Well, that hard work definitely paid off. Brewer was the catalyst for this victory.

When the game was close in the early stages, it was Brewer who was the key to helping Florida pull away. He single-handedly stopped two UCLA fast breaks by knocking the ball away from the point guard in transition. Two other times, he just missed tapping the ball away, but disrupted the breaks nevertheless. This was crucial considering how much UCLA had relied on its transition game to put points on the board.

In addition, Brewer did a little of everything else, including getting dimes and scoring inside and out while hitting some very key baskets for Florida early on. Oh yeah, he also did something else that was very impressive. He completely shut down one of UCLA's key offensive players in Afflalo. He didn't score until the game had been going for over 28 minutes and Florida's lead was comfortable.

3) Joakim Noah's Relentless Pursuit of Victory

Brewer was the catalyst, but Joakim Noah was Florida's best player on this day. He set the title game record for blocks before half-time. Besides that he was all over the glass, was scoring down low, and was running the floor as if he were a guard.

But in the end, his bread and butter was using his scrappiness, determination, and shot-blocking prowess to completely change the game. When Noah was in there, UCLA had absolutely nothing. At half-time, CBS' Seth Davis noted that it's usually wise to go at the shot-blocker and to not be in fear of him. Usually. Joakim blocked everything brought his way until UCLA stopped trying to go that route.

On top of that, he seemed to be the emotional leader on the floor and when the game was finally over, Noah made his way to the Florida student section to lead the post-game celebration. Priceless.

2) The Concept of "Team"

Many, including myself, believe that the winner of the NCAA tournament doesn't necessarily always reflect which team is the best, rather which team is the hottest. At the tournament's conclusion, however, I find it very hard to come up with any reason why I think Florida isn't the best team around.

The bottom line is that the Gators demonstrated their excellence by crushing everyone in their way except for Georgetown. They did this by playing great team defense in addition to their great individual defensive work. They also moved the ball around so well on offense that it seemed as if they only took good shots. In short, they epitomized the definition of "team."

Although Noah and Brewer got received much of the publicity for the win, nobody should discount what Taurean Green, Lee Humphrey, and Al Horford brought to the table as fellow starters. Also, in a matchup where many thought that UCLA's bench might give them the edge, it was Florida's bench, led by Adrian Moss, that outperformed their Bruin counterparts — and it wasn't even close.

Florida coach Billy Donovan had been quoted as saying that Al Horford had the highest basketball IQ out of any player he had ever coached. After watching his big guys run the floor, his little guys shut down the perimeter, and his entire team pass the ball like point guards, I think it's fair to say that the entire team, including the coaching staff, had mastered the mental aspect of the game.

I think we can now officially refer to Florida as a basketball school.

1) The NCAA Tournament Itself

Let's be honest; this tournament has to be close to the top of the list of reasons why people call in sick to work every year. People who have no interest in sports have interest in this event. There may not be two more compelling days in American sports than the first two days of this tournament every year.

Year after year, the tournament seems to give us moments that are unthinkable, moments that we could not script. We are introduced to new characters and new "feel-good" stories. And just when we think we've seen it all, the next year brings us new surprises and new personalities.

This year was no exception. From Northwestern State's shocking victory over Iowa in a game which it was losing by 17 points with about eight and a half showing on the clock in the first round to Florida closing out its title run against UCLA in dominant fashion, this tournament didn't disappoint.

As a matter of fact, can anyone think of the last time any tournament did? Yeah, me neither. This is why the tournament, itself, is number one on my list every time. The players and teams change, but the tournament; it always stays the same — and that's why we love it.