NCAA: Move over Aurora Borealis! The Final Four is here!

Northern Lights * "Luminous bands or streamers of light that are sometimes visible in the night skies of northern regions and are thought to be caused by the ejection of charged particles into the magnetic field of the earth" see also, aurora borealis. (courtesy, dictionary.com)

It is said to be one of the most spectacular events in the world, the Northern Lights. This phenomenon lights up the sky with beautiful illumination that provides a sight which is truly magnificent.

In the coming days, four teams will be participating in an event that is equally spectacular, the Final Four.

The land of ten thousand lakes will play host to college basketball’s most magnificent spectacle next weekend, in what promises to be quite a memorable event.

We now know for sure that the teams competing for college basketball’s national championship will be; The Duke Blue Devils, Maryland Terrapins, Michigan State Spartans and Arizona Wildcats.

These teams, all very deserving, will now battle it out for the right to be crowned the best of the collegiate hardwood.

These contests promise to be fantastic, and add this to the grandiosity surrounds Final Four weekend, and you have the recipe for something which will be truly amazing.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of attending the National Championship game, and I must say that it was quite an experience. With numerous vendors and scalpers selling everything from programs to cup holders, it was an atmosphere that is unlike any other I have witnessed.

That Final Four showed me that sports fans can still get together and engage in the safe, and courteous reverence that is lost all too often. As a former NFL season ticket holder, it is my opinion that the atmosphere of the Final Four is much more fan oriented, while, in my experience, the NFL atmosphere often features vulgarity and excessive alcoholism.

I should disclose that college basketball is among my favorite sports. I feel that it contains purity and maintains a truism to basketball that is often lost in the high-priced "glitz-and-glam" of the NBA.

The words aurora borealis translate from Latin to mean northern and dawn, and a special event in Basketball, the Final Four, will be dawning on the state of Minnesota this coming week.

The Final Four is a grand showcase for the best basketball the collegiate ranks have to offer, and the four teams who were lucky enough to get this far will be ready to put on a show that rivals the beauty of Minnesota’s Northern Lights. However, they won’t be looking to light up the sky, but rather, the scoreboard.

This article first appeared at Sports-Central (www.sports-central.org)