MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.— Auburn finds itself playing for something bigger than basketball during its first trip to an NCAA Final Four.
During its trip through post season, a deadly EF4 tornado stuck Beauregard, Alabama March 3, a community nine miles southeast of the Auburn campus in Lee County. Twenty-one people died in the storm.
“The heart of the storm hit about seven miles from my doorstep, kind of like behind my house,’’ Pearl recalled. “We were actually at practice and we heard sirens when the devastation was unfolding and the incredible loss of life, the entire community was shaken.
“So, what you do We all went to the store and bought water and diapers and things like that. Then we took our team and our mascot, Aubie, down there to visit the elementary school to the kids back. And we’ve kept in touch with the teachers and the parents. It’s just being a good neighbor.’’
Auburn dedicated their season to the town.
“It’s going to take months, years to rebuild,’’ he said. “We’ll never replace the loss of life, but my message is let’s not forget about the storm. We need to rebuild the town and it’s going to take a lot longer and a lot more than water and diapers.’’
The Tigers face the University of Virginia—a defensive minded ACC team that is the lone top seed left standing, here Saturday in the NCAA semi-finals at the U.S. Bank Stadium. Their faith and the most underrated back court in the country—Jared Harper and Bryce Brown—have gotten them this far, past Kansas, North Carolina and Kentucky in the Midwest Region, even after their biggest star, forward Chuma Okeke, suffered a season ended torn ACL against the ACC Tar Heels in the second half of the Sweet 16. Michigan State plays Texas Tech in the second game.
We could be witnessing the start of a changing of the guard among the coaches and programs at this year’s NCAA Final Four.
Tom Izzo of Michigan State is back for the eighth time in 22 years, the last time in 2015. But the other three coaches—Chris Beard of Texas Tech, Bruce Pearl of Auburn and Tony Bennett of Virginia– are all new faces. And this is the first year Auburn and Texas Tech have ever advanced to a Final Four. They all bring all new stories with them.
Aside from Izzo, the five other active Hall of Fame coaches – Mike Krzyzewski of Duke, John Calipari of Kentucky, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse, Bill Self of Kansas and Roy Williams of North Carolina– are nowhere to be found.
Krzyzewski, who the rest of the world regards as the best coach in the world after he won three straight Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012 and 2016, has only been to the Final Four once since 2011, winning a national championship in 2015 with three freshman starters. His team was the prohibitive favorite entering this year’s tournament, with Zion Williamson and three other freshmen—RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish and Tre Jones– who should be first round picks in this June’s NBA draft. But the Devils played with fire against Central Florida and Virginia Tech and finally got burnt by Michigan State by a point in the East Region finals.
Calipari, who won his lone national championship in 2012 with three freshman starters, and arguably had the best NBA prospects in 2011 and 2014 and 2015 when the Cats advanced to the Final Four. But he has not been to a Final Four in the past four years.
Williams, whose team won a title in 2017 and finished second the previous year, has made just two appearances since 2011 as have Self and Boeheim.
But there is more parity now than ever before and experienced teams appear to have the advantage over perennial powers like Duke and Kentucky, who are heavily reliant on players with one and done credentials. Villanova, North Carolina and Villanova—the last three teams to win the national championship—did not start a true freshman.
“It used to be that 8-10 teams could win the national championship,’’ Pearl said. “Now you can make a case that anyone in the Top 25 can win it. It’s all about the increase in the talent pool.’’
And the level of experience.
Pearl starts three seniors—forward Horace Spencer and guards Bryce Brown and Malik Dunbar– and two juniors. Beard, who had to replace eight of his top 10 players from last season, starts two fifth year post graduates —guard Brandone Francis and 6-9 shot blocker Tariq Owens— red shirt senior guard Matt Mooney and two sophomores. Virginia starts one redshirt junior—forward Mamadi Diakite– and two juniors, Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome. Michigan State starts a redshirt senior Kenny Goins, senior forward Matt McQuaid and junior point guard Cassius Winston.
This year, there are only two freshman starters among the four teams that advanced here—guard Kihei Clark of Virginia and wing Aaron Henry of Michigan State and no one-and-dones.
“That’s the beauty of college basketball,’’ Virginia coach Tony Bennett said. “There are different ways to build a program and there’s so many different styles and systems of play and I love that about the game. It’s pure. There’s no cookie cutter way.
“So, my formula has always been, from what I observed from my father at Wisconsin, is to get guys who are experienced, get them to where they have two or three years where they learn and maybe learn the hard way and then when they are upperclassmen, they’re ready to play against the best. And that of what we stuck with at Virginia—I think it fits Virginia.’’
