Jerry Sullivan’s Power Take: A unique, breakthrough Final Four

But after the Ducks lost shot-blocker Chris Boucher to a knee injury during the Pac-12 Tournament, Bell proved his ability to dominate inside by finishing with 11 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks in the Midwest Region final to help the Ducks beat No. 1 seed Kansas for their first Final Four since winning the 1939 NCAA title. It takes talent, team chemistry and luck as the tourney challenge intensifies every round. According to ESPN, Maye joined Laettner and former Villanova guard Scottie Reynolds as the only players to make a go-ahead field goal in the final second of an Elite Eight game since 1985. They will be joined by fellow newcomers in the South Carolina Gamecocks, who capped their underdog run to Phoenix with a 77-70 win over conference rival Florida.

“The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat”. North Carolina (31-7). Secondary ticket marketplace TickPick released its Final Four ticket prices report with the average cost of a ticket to see either the semifinal Saturday games or championship game Monday at $1,375.

Kentucky was whistled for 19 fouls in the game to UNC’s 18, but the Tar Heels shot 26 free throws while the Wildcats shot 19. “But I’m really happy for this team and the work that they’ve put in, the toughness that they’ve shown, and they’re just, they’re wonderful kids”. It remains a cherished memory.

The outlier in the Final Four is Under Armour, which represents the Gamecocks.

Longtime Kansas State basketball supporters have interest in watching the Final Four.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks are playing great basketball at the right time. Fiery Frank Martin, who took Kansas State to the Elite Eight in 2010, has engineered a similarly stunning turnaround at SC. He had a record of 117-54 at KSU.

In their first-ever Final Four appearance, the No. 1 seed Bulldogs are looking to capture their first NCAA championship.

SC will take on Gonzaga in the first semifinal Saturday at Glendale, Arizona. OSU’s 43-40 win against North Carolina came in the NCAA Championship game in 1946.

“It’s been a long time coming”, said OR coach Dana Altman, the 10th man to hold that job since Howard Hobson, who doubled as the school’s baseball coach, led the title team called the Tall Firs eight decades ago.

Unsurprisingly, Nike leads the way with Final Four endorsements.

Of those 37 brackets presumably filled out by SC fans – or cyborgs from the future here to instill a new world order – five of them actually picked the Gamecocks to win it all.

Ron Holt is a sports columnist for the Stillwater News Press. It’s the 20th time – the most for any program – and it’s the second consecutive year.