The college basketball season ended Monday night with Shabazz Napier and the Connecticut Huskies cutting down the nets in North Texas. This game just capped off what was a wild season in college basketball. This season was deemed the "Year of the Freshman" with so many highly touted NBA prospects in this year’s freshman class, including myself. Last I checked Chad Ford has me projected going to the Tune Squad (if you don't know who I'm referring to, we’re not friends). However, it was experience that triumphed over youth at the end of the day. There were so many great moments this season, not so many in Bloomington, and in this article I'll take a look at the top-five moments of this past season.
5. Indiana upsetting Wisconsin:
To say this was a disappointing season for the Hoosiers would definitely be an understatement. This was a team that was the pre-season No. 1 in 2012 and even though they lost a lot of pieces from that team they were still expected to make the NCAA Tournament. However, with late game collapses and questionable coaching decisions, the Hoosiers weren't even fortunate enough to make the NIT and gracefully declined an invitation to the CBI. Regardless of all the disappointments this season, this was the one night where the Hoosiers played like the team they were supposed to be. I was fortunate enough to purchase seats behind the basket right before the game and the atmosphere in Assembly Hall this night was electric. The 16-0 Badgers came into Bloomington looking to extend their winning streak over the Hoosiers to 13. However, great efforts from Stan Robinson, Will Sheehey, and Yogi Ferrell led the Hoosiers to this huge upset win. The Hoosiers used a 12-0 run in the second half run to take the lead, which they never relinquished, and Assembly Hall was rocking. Even though in hindsight storming the court was probably stupid, in the moment it was awesome. I even made a cameo on ESPN while they were interviewing Yogi Ferrell. After this game the Hoosiers season really went down the drain but this one night it seemed like the Hoosiers could do no wrong.
4. Doug McDermott dominance:
It's a rarity today to see players with McDermott's talent to stay in college for all four years. The lure of the NBA usually leads players to leave early even though they might not be ready but McDermott stayed in school to work on his game and get his degree. This was the last time we would see Dougie McBuckets in the Creighton uniform alongside his dad and he definitely went out with a bang. He led the country in scoring, pouring in 27 per game, and rained in the hardware by winning the Naismith and John Wooden Awards. McDermott also joined the 3,000-point club and rose all the way up to fifth on the all-time scoring list. He passed the likes of Oscar Robertson, Elvin Hayes, and Larry Bird. McDermott isn't the most athletic player and won't have any highlight reel dunks but he can score the ball in bunches. He should be successful in the NBA and his extra time spent in school will definitely benefit him at the next level. McDermott is the minority these days by staying in school all four years but he showed the benefits of staying in school and will definitely be missed in college next year.
3. Shockers almost perfect season:
Even though Wichita State got upset in the round of 32 by Kentucky, its undefeated run was still incredible. The Shockers were the first team to go 30-0 in the regular season and to have a 35-0 record. People will doubt their strength of schedule all they want but no team will go 35-0 for a while. The Missouri Valley conference isn't a power conference by any means but the pure dominance Wichita had over these teams was impressive. The Shockers would suffocate teams with their tenacious defense night after night. I was all in on the Shockers and I may have had them winning my bracket but they fell just short vs. Kentucky. Even in defeat Wichita State showed they were deserving of a No. 1 seed and could hang with the giants in college basketball. Kentucky was much better than an eight seed as they showed on their run to the National Championship game and there was no shame in losing to the Wildcats. Wichita State's undefeated run this season was truly incredible and I don't think we'll see another team have this type of run for many years.
2. March Mayhem not Madness:
Going into this tournament many people were proclaiming their bracket as the perfect one, which would win Warren Buffet's billion-dollar prize. People know the odds aren't in their favor but there's always that glimmer of hope that this could be the year you don't miss a pick. However, Dayton’s upset over Ohio State in the first game busted many people's brackets immediately and this just kick started the mayhem that would ensue. The first weekend of the tournament featured a record amount of overtime games and crazy upsets and moments. Who saw the Mercer Bears defeating the mighty Duke Blue Devils or Dayton upsetting the likes of Ohio State and Syracuse? Desmond Haymon's improbable four point play at the end of regulation to tie up the game led to Stephen F. Austin's upset over VCU was pure insanity .The tournament was filled with moments like this that had you left speechless.
Aaron Harrison emerged as one of the most clutch players in the country hitting three go-ahead 3-pointers to propel Kentucky into the title game. His game winning shot he hit in the Final Four in the face of Wisconsin player Josh Gasser will go down as one of the best moments in NCAA Tournament history. This tournament definitely will have a lot of lasting moments and none of them will feature the Indiana Hoosiers, too soon?
1. UConn's title run:
A month ago today Connecticut lost by 33 to Louisville in a game where it shot 29 percent from the field and Shabazz Napier shot 2-for-13 from the field. However, a month later the Huskies are champs for the third time in 10 years and like their 2011 title run, it was guided by a superstar guard. Shabazz Napier was absolutely spectacular in the tournament just like Kemba Walker was in 2011 but Napier couldn't have done it without his supporting cast. Ryan Boatright and DeAndre
Daniels upped their play in the tournament and coach Kevin Ollie couldn't make a mistake. Ollie isn't just becoming well known for his coaching abilities but also his pencil mustache and great quotes. After UConn won Monday Ollie was quoted saying, "Somebody said we were a Cinderella. I was like, No, we’re UConn." This guy is like Coach Taylor (again, if you don't know who I'm referring to we’re not friends) in the way he can get you pumped up and motivate you.
Connecticut almost got bounced in the first round by St. Joe’s but was able to rally and this really kick started its run. UConn upset the likes of Villanova, Iowa State, Michigan St., Florida, and finally Kentucky. The way the Huskies’ defense dismantled Florida's offense was amazing and showed why they were the only team to beat the Gators in the past four months.
One of the reasons I'm happy Connecticut won is now I don't have to hear my friend Ryan complain how none of his sports team have ever won a championship. Like it's my fault Yadier Molina hit a home run in Game 7 or the Jets suck but now that's all done since his beloved Huskies won the title. Well, congrats Ryan you've done it and have fun partying it up in Storrs. UConn’s run was truly incredible and they emerged as a college basketball powerhouse.
This season is now over but there will definitely be a lot of long lasting memories. ESPN has already put out its early top-25 for next season and there’s no sign of IU. Teams will now wait to see if their prized underclassmen will declare for the draft or decide to come back for another year. The season just ended Monday night but I can't wait for next year already.
-Tyler Darwick
