In honor of the four BEST college basketball teams getting to the Final Four and playing this weekend for the coveted NCAA National Championship I thought it appropriate to write something about “the best”. As a former D1 player at Middle Tennessee State and a college coach at Oral Roberts and Iowa State I am fully aware of the controversy in labeling any one player or any one team “the best”. Like most sports fans I still like to compare. In 1974, while serving as an assistant coach at ORU, we came within an overtime of going to the Final Four. Every year during March Madness I reflect on what might have been all those 51 years ago and look forward to what is about to happen this weekend.

This is the first time since 2008 that all four of the #1 seeds got to the Final Four. The selection committee can take a bow, but a short, quick one. I believe NIL played a significant role in making the committee’s job easier. As a college sports fan, I hate to think about the effect NIL and the Portal will have on college sports in general, and the mid-majors in particular in the future. The “playing field” was never “level”, now it is even less so. I digress, the focus for now is on “the best”. The best time of the year if you are a college basketball fan, or maybe just a basketball fan, or just maybe if you are A sports fan. I bet you are one of the over 50 million fans that filled out a bracket and entered a basketball pool? That is part of what makes this weekend “the best”. So, with that in mind here are my BEST.

The Teams

The best offensive team in the Final Four is Duke, sorry Florida. For the season, the Gators are the #3 scoring team in the country at 85.4 points per game to the Blue Devils #9 at 83.7 but a deeper dive makes me favor Duke. They make 10.1 3s a game on 26.3 attempt (38.6%). The Gators attempt more 3s (27.7) but their percentage is lower at 35.7. Duke is third in the nation in assists to turnovers (1.8) and they average 17 assists a contest, which is 16th in the country. Duke makes 79% of their free throws, and winning games at this level often comes down to who makes their free throws. Florida does have the edge in rebounding over Duke. They are the #3 rebounding team in the country and rely on second chance shots to help them win. A great team must have an Alpha Dawg, a “clutch player”; with Duke it is Cooper Flagg. As every college basketball fan knows by now, Florida has a “pretty good one” in Michael Clayton. Auburn has Johni Broome and Houston has L.J. Cryer to deliver at “crunch time”.

The best defensive team in the final four is Houston with Duke a close second. It is not surprising to basketball fans that all four of these teams play great defense. Houston only gives up 58.3 points a game while limiting their opponents to 38.1 field goal percent. Duke gives up 62.6 points a game and allows only 38.4 FG percentage. Florida allowed 69.7 points on 40% from the field. Auburn allowed 69.2 points on 40.6 per cent from the field. Kelvin Sampson has built his coaching reputation and this team on defense. They can shut down good offenses, AND they take pride in doing it. They average turning their opponents over 13.4 times a game, and score over 9 points a game on those turnovers. Duke’s starting five averages 6’8” which means they can all guard anyone at any position. It also makes their switching man-to-man defense very effective. I give a slight edge to the Cougars because of their experience. They start a team of “veterans”, in age and experience.

The Players

The best individual “scorer” is Cooper Flagg, who at 6’9” is a matchup nightmare. He may shoot only 37 percent from beyond the 3-point line, but he does everything else with great efficiency. Johni Broome (if healthy) is a close second. He is big, versatile, smart, experienced player that cannot be stopped without doubling him. The best defensive player is Joseph Tugler for the Cougars. He is only a sophomore but at 6’8” he blocks shots and is quick enough to guard perimeter players. His teammate Milos Uzan can also defend. The best shooter(s), I couldn’t just pick one, are L.J. Cryer of Houston and Tyrese Proctor of Duke. The best rebounder could be any one of three Gators; Rueben Chinyelu, Alex Condon, or rising star, Thomas Haugh. But I am going with J’Wan Roberts of Houston who at 6’8” plays bigger. (I know Broome averages a double-double.) The best playmaker is Michael Clayton. Sometimes I think he tries too hard to get his teammates involved and should shoot more.

The Intangibles

These are the unpredictable facets of the game that often determine the outcome of games played at this level. Coaches have nightmares about these “what ifs”. The what ifs take on added importance in “one-and-done” scenarios. Foul trouble shouldn’t be a factor for any of these teams, they all have outstanding benches. UNLESS, the player that gets in foul trouble is named Broome. He would be the biggest loss to his team because he is the most valuable to his team. Clayton would be a major loss even though the Gators have 4 outstanding guards. The same would be the case if Houston’s point guard, Milos Uzan, missed a lot of playing time. IF Duke does not make 3s that could be tough for them to overcome. Even though Houston shoots fewer than any of the final four teams from 3 Cryer and Emanuel Sharpe must make SOME. The same could be said for the Gator’s outside shooting. Will Richard, Alijah Martin, and Denzel Aberdeen need to make some 3s. The Gator’s “bigs” are also capable from the arc. Even with the offensive power of these four teams, I think it will be difficult to recover from a “bad” half or even a bad 6 or 7 minutes. Attention Florida Gators! IF the officials “let them play” I like Houston. If the Blue Devils get a “quick whistle” their opponent is in trouble. IF the game is decided in the last seconds I like Florida. The Tigers are the most capable of “running off” the most points in a short period of time. Auburn may have the best freshman in the Final Four not playing for Duke, Tahaad Pettiford. He seems to play best under the “bright lights”. The best bench coach is Sampson. The Houston Cougars will have a “homecourt” advantage. My pick since January has been the Gators, I’m not switching now.

I have had the opportunity to attend seven Final Fours, and nothing in sports compares to the semi-finals on Saturday, it is the BEST. The atmosphere, the excitement, the anticipation, the “crazy” fans, the level of intensity, it is simply “THE BEST”. I can’t wait to see the BEST play on this BEST weekend for college basketball.

Next time, I will share my BEST championship game.