2008 Woodie Awards
Four No. 1 Seeds Set Up Great Matchups
NCAA Basketball
Rajiv Leventhal
Issue date: 4/1/08 Section: Sports
Everyone loves the underdog. Well, this year, they aren't getting the underdog. Just two weeks ago when the tournament began, I thought that the top seeds in this year's NCAA Tournament were flawed and perhaps a little overrated. North Carolina doesn't like to play defense. Kansas always chokes. Memphis plays too much like an NBA team. These were my thoughts before the tournament started. Boy was I wrong.
For the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams, all four top seeds have advanced to the Final Four. While the tournament gives great opportunity for underdogs to become Cinderella's, it also gives No. 1 seeds the chance to prove their dominance - something that the four best teams in the country finally did this season.
North Carolina absolutely ran through their region, winning their four games by an average of more than 25 points. The Tar Heels proved they could win with a great offense, as they scored 100 points in their first two contests. But much more importantly, UNC stepped it up on the defensive end, holding Washington State to just 47 points and 32 percent shooting in the Sweet 16. And the Tar Heels forced Louisville into 19 turnovers in the Elite Eight - a huge reason they won the game. The biggest question facing the top overall seed in the nation was if they could defend well enough to win six straight games. But to the Tar Heels credit, they answered the critics by putting forth a more dominating effort than any other tournament team in their four games thus far.
North Carolina wasn't the only top seed to break through, though. Memphis was not necessarily the popular pick in the South region - experts picked Texas, Pittsburgh and Stanford as possible winners. But the Tigers were dominating in their own way, routing both Michigan State and Texas by 18 points in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. Memphis proved they didn't need to make free throws to win games, as their terrific backcourt duo of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts proved too overwhelming for any team that came their way.
For the first time since the field expanded to 64 teams, all four top seeds have advanced to the Final Four. While the tournament gives great opportunity for underdogs to become Cinderella's, it also gives No. 1 seeds the chance to prove their dominance - something that the four best teams in the country finally did this season.
North Carolina absolutely ran through their region, winning their four games by an average of more than 25 points. The Tar Heels proved they could win with a great offense, as they scored 100 points in their first two contests. But much more importantly, UNC stepped it up on the defensive end, holding Washington State to just 47 points and 32 percent shooting in the Sweet 16. And the Tar Heels forced Louisville into 19 turnovers in the Elite Eight - a huge reason they won the game. The biggest question facing the top overall seed in the nation was if they could defend well enough to win six straight games. But to the Tar Heels credit, they answered the critics by putting forth a more dominating effort than any other tournament team in their four games thus far.
North Carolina wasn't the only top seed to break through, though. Memphis was not necessarily the popular pick in the South region - experts picked Texas, Pittsburgh and Stanford as possible winners. But the Tigers were dominating in their own way, routing both Michigan State and Texas by 18 points in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight, respectively. Memphis proved they didn't need to make free throws to win games, as their terrific backcourt duo of Derrick Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts proved too overwhelming for any team that came their way.
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