Where have you gone, George Mason? And for that matter, where have all the Cinderellas gone?
This March has been, unfortunately, anything but mad. In one of the most boring NCAA Tournaments in recent memory, all four No. 1 seeds reached the Elite Eight, and two cruised to the Final Four.
While this weekend was not without controversy (for the love of God, of course Jeff Green traveled - Vanderbilt was robbed), it was completely devoid of upsets. All eight higher seeds prevailed in the Sweet Sixteen, and in the Elite Eight, the only top seeds to fall were Kansas and North Carolina, two teams that despite the "No. 1" tags next to their names, really weren't much of favorites.
The Jayhawks and Tar Heels both shot themselves in the foot this weekend, with both teams losing as a result of the one factor that the two have in common: inexperience.
Kansas was led this season by three players averaging double figures in scoring: Brandon Rush, Mario Chalmers and Julian Wright, who are all sophomores. Similarly, on a Tar Heels squad that regularly started freshmen Brandan Wright, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson, sophomore Tyler Hansbrough was considered the lineup's grizzled veteran at the ripe old age of 21.
The downfalls of these two top-seeded squads both appear to be a microcosm of a greater problem in college basketball today. These young players may be talented, but when they reach the bright spotlight of the Big Dance, they inevitably choke.
Just look at the stats from this weekend's games. Look at the ball handling of the Kansas offense against UCLA (17 assists and 21 turnovers, seven of them from Chalmers). Look at UNC's shooting from beyond the arc against Georgetown (5-of-20, including an atrocious 2-for-10 clip for the guard duo of Ellington and Lawson). Look at the Jayhawks' free throw percentages (46 percent in the Elite Eight loss, and a slightly better, but still bad, 59 percent in their four tournament games).
These were supposed to be two of the best teams on the biggest stage in college sports. And yet when the games really count, these teams end up looking like a bunch of nervous rookies who are in over their heads.
This isn't your parents' college basketball scene, kids. This is the Nike Generation, where any 20 year old with a shred of talent knows better than to stay in school. He has no reason for an education - he can hightail it straight to the NBA where millions of dollars in endorsements eagerly await him.
I, of course, am a Celtics fan. For me, the biggest stories in pro basketball this year have been Bill Simmons "fantanking" in his ESPN column, Doc Rivers "actually tanking" in a Celtics-Bobcats game, and Danny Ainge being dumb enough to say he "accidentally" sat next to Kevin Durant's mom in Texas' second round loss to USC. What transpires on the actual basketball court at the TD Banknorth Garden is merely a footnote.
While the ubiquitous "Durant or Oden?" question continues to run through the mind of every basketball fan in New England, the best answer to that question continues to elude us all. That answer, I suddenly realized after watching this weekend's action, is one that lies a little outside the box.
Neither.
That's right, I don't want the Celtics taking Kevin Durant in the 2007 NBA Draft, and I don't want them taking Greg Oden, either.
That being said, I also don't want Memphis, Milwaukee or Charlotte snatching them up. Rather, the best-case scenario for all parties involved would be to see both young men back in college for another year.
The way I see it, everyone benefits when college basketball's young stars stay in school. The college teams benefit because they get to hold onto their best players; the NBA teams benefit because they get smarter, better-developed players with college experience; the players themselves benefit, because they have more time to hone their skills before making the huge jump to the professional game.
In an ideal world, this would happen every year: the nation's best freshmen and sophomores would head back to school without fail, and the NBA's worst teams would have their pick of the college game's best upperclassmen.
Really, I'd be just fine with that. I'd be perfectly happy if the Celtics drafted Acie Law. I'd be thrilled if they took Al Horford. And believe me, I'd be positively giddy if they went for Joakim Noah.
As much as I love Durant and Oden, they can wait another year or two. (Let's face it, Celtics fans, this isn't a one-year rebuilding plan anyway - it'll take three or four seasons, at least.) As painful as the next couple of years may be, watching loss after loss, all will be forgotten when we're laughing all the way to our 2011 NBA Finals victory parade.
So for now, let's suspend all the hype over all these freshmen. Let's hope they stay in school, and let's hope all of basketball is better for it.
To paraphrase Rick Pitino, Kevin Durant is not walking through that door, fans. Greg Oden is not walking through that door, and Brandan Wright is not walking through that door. And if you expect them to walk through that door, they're going to be young and unprepared. And as soon as you realize that those three guys are not walking through that door, this town will be better for all of us. All the impatience that's in this town sucks.
