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Road to Minneapolis a familiar one
Michigan State, Duke and Arizona no strangers to Final Four, join Maryland for final weekend of "Big Dance"

    Andy Frey - Arrow Staff

   March is a time for warming weather, sunshine and the start of spring, but more important than all that, March is a time for the best and biggest basketball tournament of the year - the NCAA Tournament.

   For those out there who don't follow basketball, the NCAA Tournament consists of the top 64 teams in the country, divided into four regions with teams seeded 1-16 in each region. Teams make the tournament in one of two ways, by winning their conference tournament or by getting an at-large bid.

   This is where the selection process disturbs me. Teams that win weak conference tournaments always end up as No. 16 seeds, and can hardly be considered one of the top teams in the nation. Sure, they deserve their moment in the spotlight, but are they really better than those major teams who play in the same conferences with the Dukes or the Kentuckys?

   For those teams that do end up receiving at-large bids, the method for selecting them is as confusing as a Czechoslovakian electrical outlet. No one knows how it works, and frankly I don't think anyone ever will.

   Anyway, now that everyone is caught up on how the tournament works, it is easy to say that this year's "Big Dance" has truly earned its other nickname - "March Madness."

   The first round of the tournament, on March 16 and 17, featured many close games and upsets galore. Two No. 11 seeds, two No. 12 seeds, two No. 13 seeds and a No. 15 seed stole the spotlight and advanced to the second round. The biggest surprise of the tournament was No. 15 Hampton upsetting No. 2 Iowa State, which I must say, really screwed up my bracket.

   As expected, all four No. 1 seeds - Michigan State, Illinois, Duke and Stanford - advanced with ease. Since the tournament expanded to 64 teams, no 16 seed has ever beaten a one seed (surprise, surprise - all four 16 seeds were winners of weak conferences).

   The second round of the tournament, on March 18 and 19, went a little more as expected, with only three major upsets. No. 11 Temple shocked No. 3 Florida, No. 7 Penn State surprised No. 2 North Carolina, and No. 6 Southern California pulled one out against No. 3 Boston College.

   March 22 held the start of the Sweet Sixteen. All of the higher seeds advanced, except for Penn St., which was torn apart by the Temple backcourt, and Kentucky, which was worn ragged by a more athletic USC team.

   Two days later, the Elite Eight got under way. This round held two upsets. In the West the No. 3 Maryland Terrapins defeated the No. 1 Stanford Cardinal, and in the Midwest No. 2 Arizona shocked No. 1 Illinois. The Terrapins' victory gave Maryland head coach Gary Williams his first-ever trip to the Final Four, and made me look like a genius for picking them to go all the way. "Fear the Turtle!"

   Also advancing to the Final Four was Duke out of the East, and Michigan St. out of the South. The Spartans ended John Cheney's hopes of taking Temple to their first Final Four, but the 69-year-old coach says he will be back next year for another shot.

   This year's Final Four promises to be excellent basketball worthy of viewing, so catch all of the action tomorrow evening on CBS.