A Very Fantastic Final Four

Tyler J. ScottTHE SANTA CLARAApril 2, 2014

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith six seconds left, University of Kentucky guard Andrew Harrison hit game-winning free throws to defeat University of Notre Dame, who played almost a perfect game but lost.

University of Wisconsin shot 79 percent from the field in the second half to take out the University of Arizona.

No. 7-seed Michigan State University, the only non-No. 1 seed in the Final Four, prevailed over the University of Louisville in overtime.

Duke University was in a dogfight with Gonzaga University and found itself down four early in the second half, its biggest deficit of the tournament. The Blue Devils responded with nine straight points and did not trail for the rest of the game.

Kentucky, Wisconsin, Michigan State and Duke.

The 2015 Final Four is set and it features four Hall of Fame coaches, three members of the AP All-America team, a combined 25 Final Four appearances and 15 national titles.

Two players are being debated as the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NBA draft: Jahlil Okafor of Duke and Karl Anthony-Towns of Kentucky.

A rematch of the Final Four matchup last year of Kentucky and Wisconsin ended in Harrison hitting a deep three with ice in his veins when the Badgers had that game all but won.

The hottest team left in Tom “Mr. March” Izzo’s No. 7-seed Michigan State versus the Blue Devils and their talented freshman trio of Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Okafor.

There is a possible revenge game on one side of the bracket and experience versus young talent on the other.

A seemingly unbeatable team in Kentucky went down to the wire in their Elite Eight matchup versus the Fighting Irish. The Wildcats finally looked less like basketball gods and more like mere mortals for most of the game.

Michigan State came from nowhere to defeat the No. 1 and No. 3 seeds in their corner of the bracket to an unexpected Final Four berth and Duke defeated the extremely talented, tall and experienced Bulldogs of Spokane.

Every tournament game shown on television has been prefaced with memorable moments from the past.

One of which is “the shot” that Duke’s Christian Laettner hit over Kentucky as time expired to get to the Final Four in 1992. It is widely regarded as the greatest shot in tournament history — and Kentucky fans are still bitter about it.

The media wants a rematch between the blue bloods in the championship, but Wisconsin and Michigan State still stand in their way.

Whatever teams make the championship, it’s going to be a hell of a game.

Tyler J. Scott is a junior marketing major and the editor of the Sports section.