Conference and the NCAA Championship Tournaments are just around the corner. Teams like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, and a handful of others are always guaranteed a spot at the table, usually in the final four. Few teams have the wear-with-all to constantly become players on the main stage (deep into the tourny, or the Final Four), but more and more there is a new breed of "Bubble Teams," in today's college basketball. The days of UCLA's dynasty of championships is over, in the era of "one and done" ball. Players are forced to go to school (unlike Lebron, Garnett, Kobe, etc..etc...), whether they like it, or not. This has caused a major change in the game, recruiting and definitely in the NCAA Tournament. Only six #1 ranked teams have ever won the "Big Dance," thru the rigors of "March Madness" and Senior laden teams (Pitt '07, George Mason '06, Illinois '05, St. Joe's '04) are going farther into the tourny every year. The once "underdogs" of the game, like Valparaiso, Gonzaga, Davidson, and Butler's, of the college basketball world, are no longer sneaking up on anyone and continue to look stronger, each year (Although, they are not stronger, it is just the talent pool is leaving colleges faster). However, the month of march is still filled with just as much madness, as ever. There are three things colleges need to make it to the tournament, advance deep, and possibly win the whole ball of wax.
The first thing is a brilliant coach (Coach K, Roy Williams, Bill Self, J. Boeheim, to name a few). A coach who is able to bring kids together who are seniors, freshmen, going to the NBA, and those who are not. Cohesion/"gelling" at the correct time is essential. A team not playing together, is not a team, at all. Great coaches take the concept to the next level, making a team playing like a team, play like one player (almost). Plays run effortlessly, defense is suffocating, and the players on the benches know their roles and embrace the bench, as if they were playing on the floor. Few coaches ever achieve this kind of team, much less, repeat the process year in and year out. They are priceless to the university, their players, to the game, and they usually head to the hall of fame.
Next, constant tournament teams and some of the greatest teams have a magnificent point guard/guard. Whether the teams are today, or are teams of the past, these floor generals score, pass, play huge amounts of minutes, and always play defense. They can take over a game, if need be, but they are the metronome of the whole game. In a five game tournament, they must keep the other players in line, calm, and expressly are an extension of the coach himself, but are on the floor. These great guards (Isaiah Thomas, David Rivers, Bobby Hurley, Ty Lawson, Sharon Collins, etc..etc..) had all of those/these qualities, making them unforgettable and indispensable, at the same time.
The last piece to the puzzle has to be one strong and dominate big man. His presence inside the paint, both offensively and defensively, are so imposing he owns both sections of paint. His footwork, on both ends, allows him to block/alter all shots around him, score anytime he has position (which is often) and is generally unstoppable in all fazes of the game. He is a leader and does not fluster, no matter how much pounding he takes. As with the guard, a tourny bound team/elite team must have, the centers/forwards from the past and future (Russell, Chamberlain, Walton, Manning, Duncan, Hansborough, Thabeet, etc...etc..), all had these features. They play, as if they are possessed, fearless, and/or have hammer their will on the opposition.
A coach, dominate big man, and a great floor general is the only way teams make it to the tournament. This year is a prime example, Notre Dame has a great team on paper (once ranked in the top 10), a "good coach," guard (McAlarney) and big man (Harringody), but they have not gelled, not playing as a team, and they are now faced with having to win the Big East Tournament, to have a chance to go the "Big Dance." However, other teams who are not/will not have any problems making the conference tourny, much less "The Big Dance," are pretty easy to see: Duke, Missouri, UCONN, Florida State, UNC, Kansas, Louisville, Gonzaga, even Butler already clinched a spot, as conference champs. However, look for these teams to be the ones to beat, come "March Madness Tourny" time and the two players (a big time guard and inside player): Oklahoma ((T. Griffin/Blake Griffin), UNC (Ty Lawson/Hansborough), UCONN (Miller/Thabeet), KU (Collins/Aldridge), Texas (Pittman/Abrams). This handful of teams has all three parts, and should be a dominate force, when everything counts and teams play in a one and done atmosphere. In a five game tournament, for the national title, several teams can enter and play, but very few can win consistently.
