The Best NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament
The winning brackets will be revealed tonight as the Men’s NCAA Basketball National Championship game takes place. It will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with the…
HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 04: The Villanova Wildcats celebrate defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels 77-74 to win the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game at NRG Stadium on April 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas.
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)The winning brackets will be revealed tonight as the Men’s NCAA Basketball National Championship game takes place. It will be played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, with the Houston Cougars and the Florida Gators competing for the title.
Four number-one seeds were in the Final Four this year: Houston, Duke, Florida, and Auburn. 2008 was the only other year that happened.
2008 was the year my oldest son, Tyler, started his High School basketball career. His friend was the best player on the team, the kind of player that once you saw him play, you knew he would eventually play professionally.
He was also an outstanding human being, the kind of person that everyone roots for, even if they don’t know him or are not a fan of his team. Great kids come from great families, and it's certainly the case for him. The kind of family where whenever you spend time with them, it makes you want to be a better person.
My Favorite NCAA Men's Basketball Season
Ty and he had played on several teams throughout the years, including AAU and CYO, and in eighth grade, they won a state championship together with the latter.
His friend eventually went on to play in college, where he won a national championship, and continued to the NBA, where he currently plays.
Of course, we followed him through his college career and enjoyed watching his successes. His senior year, the NCAA Men’s Basketball season and the tournament to follow were the most exciting I’ve ever witnessed.
When his team went to the Final Four, Ty and a carload of friends took the long ride to NRG stadium in Houston, Texas, to watch their buddy play in the biggest game of his life. He didn’t disappoint his friends, who cheered from the crowd with pride.
They not only saw him have the assist on the buzzer-beating shot that won the National Championship but also receive the tournament’s most outstanding player award.
I am truly getting chills as I’m writing this. I think of how exciting it was for my family and me, and I can't imagine how much more exciting it must have been for the players and their families.
As the men battle tonight for the National Championship, I ponder and wonder about all the similar personal stories that we may never hear about.
