If you are one of the populist BCS bashers, please consider this: The Final Four and the NCAA tournament are really big deals, and not taken for granted by most of the "big shots." When Villanova outlasted Pittsburgh, the senior class of the Wildcats called former Villanova star Ed Pinckney to say thank you, and to let him share in the win. Not only that, but the parents of the seniors got on the line. Pinckney, the star of the 1985 Final Four, told me that he broke down on the call. He couldn't get over the thoughtfulness and class the players showed him.
• In November, ESPN.com asked each of us to pick our Final Four. I picked North Carolina, Connecticut, Michigan State and Louisville. Of course, Michigan State and Louisville met in the Midwest Regional final, so only one could go to Detroit. I blame the committee for ruining my predictions.
• Even though there were a couple of "mild" surprises in the Final Four field, I still believe that the only real surprise of the second weekend was Memphis losing to Missouri, and the margin. If you had told me that Memphis would give up 100 to Mizzou, I would not have believed it. Outside of that, the surprises were few.
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Jay Bilas
