They are saying This Last 4 repeats the historical past of 2008And, out of seed, they’re proper.
Kansas, Ucla, North Carolina and Memphis have populated the final 4 this seasonMarking the primary time that 4 seeds n ° 1 have grasped all semi-final stains. This feat has by no means been repeated up to now. Auburn,, Florida,, Duke and Houston Rumble to San Antoniowhich additionally welcomed the 2008 Last 4.
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The similarities cease there primarily. In some ways, this Last 4 differs from 2008. For this reason:
∎ A single blue blood this time. John Calipari joked in 2008 that in the event you mixed the nationwide championships gained by the UCLA and Memphis, they’d have 11. The punchline he didn’t say, in fact, was that the UCLA has 11 titles and Memphis don’t.
UNC and Kansas joined the UCLA to offer three Last 4 Blue Bloods. On the time, this trio had 17 nationwide mixed championships. Kansas and UNC have gained extra titles since then.
Duke, winner of 5 nationwide championships, gives the one blue blood on this quartet.
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Florida has gained consecutive titles beneath Billy Donovan. Todd Golden joins Donovan and Lon Kruger as trainers to elevate Florida in a Last 4.
Bruce Pearl is the one coach to take Auburn in a Last 4. He did it twice. Auburn continued his first nationwide championship.
Kelvin Sampson raised Houston to invisible heights since coach Man Lewis and his Phi Slama Jama Crew of the Eighties. This marks the second Last 4 de Sampson in Houston. Lewis offered 5. The cougars have by no means gained a nationwide championship.
∎ The surveys predicted the 2008 Last 4. The 2008 Last 4 mirrored pre-season projections. The primary 4 groups of the USA TODAY pre-season coaches have been these: North Carolina, Ucla, Memphis and Kansas. The media selected it the identical manner. Not one of the 4 has ever slipped exterior the highest 10.
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The primary 4 of the coach survey this season started with Kansas, Alabama, Uconn and Houston. Kansas collapsed and misplaced within the first spherical as a seeded n ° 7. Uconn, eighth seeded, misplaced a second -round battle with Florida, and N ° 2 Alabama succumbed to Duke within the elite eight.
Duke ranked n ° 5 in pre-season, Auburn registered at n ° 11 and the Florida arrived at No. 21. You can’t label these favorites of the Last 4 Forged both, however they weren’t both pre-season favorites.
∎ Extra upheavals occurred earlier than the Last 4 2008. The 1 2008 Graine celebration occurred after the upheavals crammed the earlier towers of the match. Actually, this match offered one of many best Cindinellas, Steph Curry and his tenth seeded Davidson.
Curry, sporting an acceptable uniform for the time, turned virtually an evening’s feeling whereas Davidson loaded the elite eight in opposition to Kansas. The Jayhawks prevailed, 59-57, after launching two defenders at Curry within the final seconds, forcing him to a move to his teammate Jason Richards, whose 3-point pointer missed. The Kansas then trampled UNC within the Last 4 and survived Memphis in additional time within the nationwide championship.
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Western Kentucky and Villanova, a pair of seeds n ° 12, joined Davidson as Candy 16 Cinderellas. Even because the final 4 approached, some eyes dwell on Davidson within the rear view mirror.
Because the veteran sports activities columnist Mike Lopresti wrote it earlier than the Last 4, “if we can not have Davidson, this subject must do.”
Then again, the N ° 10 of Arkansas has grow to be the one Candy 16 crew of this season at larger than the No. 6. Calipari resulting in a crew of the Arkansas purchased on the switch portal designed for an uncommon cendrelon.
Cinderella shone in 2008 earlier than returning residence earlier than the chronometer hit midnight. This 12 months, she left a lot earlier, simply after cocktail time.
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∎ The recruitment of the varsity reigned in 2008. Transfers didn’t consider the equation virtually as a lot in 2008. Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers, veterans that Invoice signed as recruits praised, propelled Kansas to the title. Memphis’ finest gamers have been Chris Douglas-Roberts and Derrick Rose, Blue Chippers signed by Calipari.
Kevin Love and Russell Westbrook fueled the UCLA. Tyler Hansbrough and Wayne Ellington propelled the northern Carolina engine. Extra examples of Ballyhooed recruits flourished with this system that signed them.
This Duke crew provides 2008 vibrations. The primary -year stallions Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel lead the cost, alongside Duke Mainstay Tyrese Proctor. Houston additionally provides veterans who’ve performed their full profession with Sampson, however transfers LJ Cryer and Milos Uzan additionally assist kind the Houston nucleus.
Johni Broome Drive Auburn switch supervisor. Broome started his profession at Morehead State. Walter Clayton Jr. started his profession at Iona earlier than flourishing within the Florida marking machine.
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In a switch world, a Duke title would mark again.
∎ No division I coach I coached on this Last 4. Golden, 39, had by no means gained a NCAA match match earlier than the final 4 of Florida. This additionally marks the primary Last 4 for Jon Scheyer, 37, third 12 months coach of Duke.
Pearl, 65, and Sampson, 69, chase their White Whale, an elusive nationwide championship in division I, to focus on successful careers. They’ve 5 ends of Last 4 between them. Neither has reached a nationwide championship match. Pearl is the one member of this coach quartet to win a nationwide championship. Its title got here to Division II of southern Indiana in 1995.
On this 2008 Last 4, Roy Williams had already gained his first nationwide championship in North Carolina, in 2005. Self gained the primary of its two nationwide championships in 2008. The nationwide title of Calipari got here in 2012 to Kentucky. From this 2008 group, solely UCLA Ben Howland has by no means gained a nationwide championship.
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Epic end? Kansas-Memphis delighted the 2008 nationwide championship match. Chalmers engraved its identify within the Kansas custom with its 3 factors to drive additional time. This championship adopted decisive leads to the semi-finals, nonetheless, regardless of the projections in accordance with which 4 seeds n ° 1 would trigger epic clashes.
Seventeen years later, they are saying that this Last 4 will likely be epic. Based mostly on the extent of expertise in San Antonio, it needs to be.
Three good video games could be one other manner this Last 4 differs from 2008.
Blake Toppmeyer is a columnist for the USA At the moment community. Ship him an e-mail to [email protected] and observe it on x @BtopPmeyer. Get down To learn all his columns.
This text initially appeared on USA At the moment: Why 2025 Last 4 of 1-Seeds is just not the 2008 March Insanity Bash
