If you’re like me every year you fill out a bracket for the NCAA tournament you are pulling out your hair trying to figure out who is going to be this year’s Cinderella. This year was no exception as Davidson came within a bucket of reaching the Final Four. But when it was all said and done UCLA, North Carolina, Memphis, and Kansas all punched their tickets to San Antonio. This should come as no surprise as these were 4 of the top teams all season, however this is a fist for the NCAA tournament. This is the first time all four #1 seeds advanced to the round of four. Let’s take a look team by team how this historic Final Four unfolded.

     UCLA – The Bruins led by All-American Kevin Love, were the regular season and tournament champions in a very good Pac 10 conference this year. In the first round the Bruins dismantled Mississippi Valley State by holding them to only 29 points while scoring 70 of their own. In the second round they faced a scare escaping with a 51-49 victory over the Texas A&M Aggies. In the sweet sixteen they were able to overcome a scrappy Western Kentucky team by ten points. Then in the regional final they won convincingly over the #3 seeded Xavier 76-57 earning them the right to take on Memphis in the national semi-finals. With their size and tough defense UCLA is a tough draw for any of the remaining #1’s

     North Carolina – The Tar Heels were the ACC regular season and tournament champions. They entered the Big Dance as the #1 overall seed drawing Mt. Saint Mary’s the winner of the play-in-game and began their dominating run through the first 4 rounds. The games were not even close as UNC won their first game by 39. They then proceeded to beat the SEC tournament runner-up by 31 and a quality Washington State team by 21. In the elite eight they took on a hot Louisville team and Tyler Hansbrough proved why he is an All-American as North Carolina prevailed 83-73. UNC has looked unstoppable and will look to continue their dominance in their next game against Kansas.

     Memphis – Of all of the #1 seeds Memphis was picked by most to be the first to be bounced out. The knock on them was that they played in the week Conference USA. They began their tournament run with a 87-63 win over Texas-Arlington. In the second round they were in a dog-fight with the #8 seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs. They were able to escape with a 3 point victory. They were then able to easily dispatch Michigan State setting up a regional final match-up with Texas. Memphis won in impressive fashion dominating from the opening tip. Their athleticism was too much for the Longhorns to handle as they cruised to a 85-67 victory. And what was even more impressive than the score was their new-found ability to hit free throws. For a team that shot under 60% on the season they are better than 70% in the tournament. If they can continue to shoot that well, look out because they have the speed to run almost any team out of the gym.

     Kansas – The Jayhawks won the Big 12 tournament securing their bid as a #1 seed. Kansas has arguably had the easiest run to the Final Four facing no team ranked higher than a #8 seed. In the opening round they made light work Portland State with a 85-61 win. In the second round they won by 19 over UNLV and they were able to get past a surprising Villanova team 72-57. They then put and end to Davidson’s run escaping with a 59-57 win. Kansas is a very balanced team and it will be interesting to see how they respond when they have to play by far their toughest opponent in the tournament in North Carolina.

     With all four #1’s reaching the Final Four we will be treated to three fantastic games as whoever cuts down the nets when all is said and done will have had to have gone through 2 top seeds on their way to the championship. Each team can make a strong argument for the championship so look for this to be one of the most exciting finals we have seen in years.