NCAA: Semifinal Saturday: a national affair

Throughout March, Americans have seen, heard and read why the NCAA Tournament is the best sporting event on earth. At this late juncture of the Tournament, and on the last day of March, I might as well throw one more reason into the long list.

I therefore submit reason 83a to further prove the NCAA Tournament's greatness: what signature championship event other than the Final Four can boast of having "National Semifinals?"

There are Wimbledon Women's and Gentlemen's Semifinals--nice, but not overwhelming. There are World Cup Semifinals, but they're not called "International Semifinals," so too bad, soccer! You missed out on your chance to have increased stature.

The NBA? Conference semifinals. Zzzzzzzzzzz.

Baseball and football? No mention of semifinals at all.

But get to college caging, and the Final Four offers the majesty, the nationwide pride of "National Semifinals." Say it loud and proud: "NATIONAL Semifinals." As long as I could see those two words over the game scores on CBS' Final Four telecasts, I always got an extra special jolt of excitement as a kid. I still do today.

Other than the Super Bowl, no other single day in American sports celebrates a game better than Final Four National Semifinal Saturday. And besides pure quality, which is always better in college basketball than in pro football, the other reason why the NCAA Tournament stands out (reason 83b) is that its showcase (the Final Four) involves four teams and two games, not just one game with two teams. Once again, college hoops is representatively inclusive in the best of the American tradition. National Semifinal Saturday is a special day.

This year, the quality of the quartet that will take the court in the two National Semifinals is particularly high. Four name programs who all figure to be more hungry than tight (because first-timer Maryland will go up against a familiar and beatable foe in Duke) should provide great theater and high-caliber hoops.

In looking at the first semifinal, Arizona and Michigan State is even better than the already-enticing Duke-Maryland tilt, because it is an intersectional, interconference matchup with more intrigue and more questions. The biggest of the big questions for the Cats and Spartans are as follows:

1) Will Michael have the Wright stuff for Arizona? Michael Wright didn't take a shot against Illinois, whose army of big bodies kept him quiet. Michigan State can't go quite as deep as the Illini, but the Spartans play the same grinding, Big Ten style of ball. If Wright, Arizona's main muscleman, can reasonably neutralize the board-hawking Spartans in the paint, the Cats should fare well.

2) Can Loren Woods contain Andre Hutson? CBS gave Loren Woods the Player of the Game Award last Sunday against Illinois, but Woods got pushed around by the Illini and was there to make a few plays at the end only because Illinois' front line had fouled out. Woods can't get pushed around by Andre Hutson or Zach Randolph if the Cats expect to win. In addition to being a defensive force inside, Woods will have to contend with Hutson's consistent medium-range jump shots from the top of the lane. If Hutson can draw Woods away from the basket, the Spartans will have a big edge.

3) Will Jason Richardson rise to the rim... and the occasion? MSU's sensational freshman wing player has lurked in the background for much of the NCAA Tournament so far. His ability to come up with a big game--a factor that is partially, but not completely, predicated on Hutson's jump-shooting performance--will have a lot to do with a Spartan victory.

In Maryland-Duke IV, a multiplicity of questions isn't needed, because these teams have played out three scintillating dramas already. They know each other, they respect each other, they've played a game with a Final Four feel in a big dome before (their ACC Tournament Semifinal in the Georgia Dome before 40,083). The simple question is: who will benefit more from the familiarity between the two teams?

Will the Terps blow the teflon cover off the Metrodome with confident, dead-on shooting, or will Duke, with Shane Battier's emergent low-post game (something not seen from him in the ACC semi against Maryland), be a bit more selective and successful in its halfcourt offense?

The X-factors in the game are Terrence Morris for Maryland and Chris Duhon for Duke. A big game from the inconsistent and mercurial Morris would be just the thing to put the Terps over the top. As for Duhon, who was tentative about shooting and driving the ball in the East Regional, the familiarity of an ACC foe could shake him from his indecisiveness and lead toward a big scoring game that would carry Duke to the title game.

The analysis is over--except for the "Packer Points" on the CBS broadcast.

Just settle back and enjoy the full-tilt spectacle that is "National Semifinal Saturday" at the Final Four.