More like Final Bore!
Unless you’re a basketball genius, or Jon Wilner, your brackets are probably more busted than T-Pain’s grill right about now. As a Bay Area sports fan, who should you root for in the Final Four? Consider this your highly unscientific guide:
North Carolina?
UNC produced former Warriors star Antawn Jamison and Golden State’s 2007 first-round draft pick/angel, Brandan Wright. The Heels defeated former Stanford head coach Trent Johnson and LSU in the second round, while guard Bobby Frasor chose UNC over Stanford after Mike Montgomery announced that he was leaving the Farm. And if Cardinal fans need any more reason to cheer against Roy’s Boys next weekend, just think back to 2000, when No. 8 seed UNC shocked No. 1 seed Stanford in the second round of the tournament.
Michigan State?
Again, the Bay Area ties here are few and far between. The Spartans defeated USC in the second round, sparing Cal and Stanford fans the horror of a deep tournament run by the Trojans. Longtime Warriors fan-favorite Jason Richardson learned to fly in East Lansing, and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA championship. Michigan State assistant coach Dwayne Stephens was an assistant coach at Oakland University, which you probably already know is nowhere near the foothills of Alameda County (it’s in Oakland County, Mich.).
Connecticut?
The Huskies’ success in the Final Four will depend on the play of Hasheem Thabeet, the best NBA prospect remaining in the tournament according to Tim Kawakami’s list. Donyell Marshall, who averaged a double-double for the Warriors during the 1999-00 season, played for Jim Calhoun. Hooray! The Connecticut women bounced Cal from the Sweet 16. Boooo!
Villanova?
The Wildcats trounced UCLA in the second round and dominated Duke in the Sweet 16, which might be reason enough to root for Jay Wright’s team. If not, you should know that Howie Long went to Villanova, and Howie Long will crush you if he hears that you’re not rooting for his alma mater.
And there you have it. Let us know what connections we missed and who you’ll be cheering for in the comments.
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By Scott on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 at 1:05 pm.