Here are some of the shining moments that stood out to this columnist over two-plus decades of covering the Final Four.
NCAA Tournament
The women’s Final Four was supposed to begin Friday in New Orleans. Aces players combined 14 times to reach the Final Four and won two national titles.
The Final Four semifinal matchups in the Review-Journal’s What If Tournament appear to be competitive on paper. Oddsmaker Vinny Magliulo set numbers on the hypothetical games.
There’s no Final Four this year, but William Hill has posted odds for next year’s champion. Duke, Gonzaga, Kansas and Kentucky are co-favorites.
Freshman Justin Moore provided the heroics as third-seeded Villanova knocked off No. 1 Baylor 83-82 to win the South Region of the Review-Journal’s What If Tournament.
Veteran coach Tom Izzo once again has his team peaking at the right time, as the Spartans continued their run through the East Region in the R-J’s What If Tournament.
The Aztecs’ magical season came to an end Friday in the Review-Journal’s What If Tournament.
The Jayhawks survived when defending champion Virginia missed a long 3-pointer at the buzzer in the Review-Journal’s NCAA Tournament simulation.
UNLV has a proud basketball history of appearing in four Final Fours, including winning the 1990 national championship.
Freshman star Vernon Carey missed two free throws in the final second as Duke was ousted by Richmond in the Review-Journal’s NCAA Tournament simulation.
Dayton’s Obi Toppin didn’t get much help as the top-seeded Flyers’ season came to an end with a loss to No. 8 Florida in our What If tournament.
Texas State stuns No. 2 seed Florida State in second-round upset
Two games came down to the final possession, and none of the First Four matchups was decided before the final minutes in the Review-Journal’s simulation of the NCAA Tournament.
Cinderella won’t have her chance to wear a glass slipper, the NCAA Tournament having been canceled for the first time in 81 years.
The Review-Journal announces the bracket for the “What If Tournament,” which will play out over the next three weeks.
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE