*An Official Final Four has Stanford and UCONN
Everything is set for the Women's NCAA Final Four to grind to its finale of excessive anxiety and the chewing of painted nails. Texas A&M and Notre Dame got the call this year as sacrifical segues. Once they are predictably subdued, the magical ethereal plane is reached where titan Stanford (the near-irresistible) meets gargatuan UCONN (the immovable) to battle in an Official Women's NCAA Basketball Championship. Certainly the crowd will be raucous, the viewers rapt as UCONN once again smashes through to a place beyond the Summitt despite an increasing paucity of suspense.
Coach Auriemma senses it as he notes UCONN fans as spoiled. Though it may not show it yet, America may soon be getting gassed by UCONN's success. It's a tad bit as exciting as Iowa winning the NCAA Wrestling Championship year after year. When they finally did go down it was nothing of great lose, rather heady anticipation of Hawkeye demise shrivelled to ennui. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe domination by a team makes news and causes a buzz.
Maybe not...as we now compare in a look over at the Men's side of the NCAA Final Four. Sure there are two big names there, UCONN and Kentucky, but they play each other and thus only ONE can move forward to the Championship. Plus, UCONN is the only one of the four teams to win in the Championship game in the past ten years. Realative newbies, last seasons pesky Butler and Cinderella VCU, are going to slug it out for sure and move on to meet one of the two biggies of either UCONN or UK. And, maybe Butler or VCU will win! An Official Final Four for men has Duke or NC (not Kansas) both vanquished.
I love the women's game, and it may be fun to watch Stanford lose again to UCONN with Maya Moore triumphantly sent to the Pros singing and playing the drums. However, as a Final Four contingency the Men quartet wins hands down this year (and maybe last) despite a regional flavor. Will dominance eventually give way to increased parity for Women as it has now in the men's game? I just don't see it as there are few really super women's players and a handfull of really great coaches. Male players and good coach seem to be found scattered through the NCAA D-1.
There is one thing to look for and cheer though if things run the predicted course: A Stanford win. They have won the NCAA Championship once and that was almost twenty years ago! So that's what I'll cheer for and miss Maya's vocals and drums.
Everything is set for the Women's NCAA Final Four to grind to its finale of excessive anxiety and the chewing of painted nails. Texas A&M and Notre Dame got the call this year as sacrifical segues. Once they are predictably subdued, the magical ethereal plane is reached where titan Stanford (the near-irresistible) meets gargatuan UCONN (the immovable) to battle in an Official Women's NCAA Basketball Championship. Certainly the crowd will be raucous, the viewers rapt as UCONN once again smashes through to a place beyond the Summitt despite an increasing paucity of suspense.
Coach Auriemma senses it as he notes UCONN fans as spoiled. Though it may not show it yet, America may soon be getting gassed by UCONN's success. It's a tad bit as exciting as Iowa winning the NCAA Wrestling Championship year after year. When they finally did go down it was nothing of great lose, rather heady anticipation of Hawkeye demise shrivelled to ennui. Maybe it's a good thing. Maybe domination by a team makes news and causes a buzz.
Maybe not...as we now compare in a look over at the Men's side of the NCAA Final Four. Sure there are two big names there, UCONN and Kentucky, but they play each other and thus only ONE can move forward to the Championship. Plus, UCONN is the only one of the four teams to win in the Championship game in the past ten years. Realative newbies, last seasons pesky Butler and Cinderella VCU, are going to slug it out for sure and move on to meet one of the two biggies of either UCONN or UK. And, maybe Butler or VCU will win! An Official Final Four for men has Duke or NC (not Kansas) both vanquished.
I love the women's game, and it may be fun to watch Stanford lose again to UCONN with Maya Moore triumphantly sent to the Pros singing and playing the drums. However, as a Final Four contingency the Men quartet wins hands down this year (and maybe last) despite a regional flavor. Will dominance eventually give way to increased parity for Women as it has now in the men's game? I just don't see it as there are few really super women's players and a handfull of really great coaches. Male players and good coach seem to be found scattered through the NCAA D-1.
There is one thing to look for and cheer though if things run the predicted course: A Stanford win. They have won the NCAA Championship once and that was almost twenty years ago! So that's what I'll cheer for and miss Maya's vocals and drums.
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