The fan bases of four teams remain completely engaged in March Madness. Here is the best fan reaction from SB Nation's network of blogs about this weekend's upcoming Final Four matchups:
On the Kentucky Wildcats
Even though I feel, without any real doubt, that this UK juggernaut is the absolute best team in the country, that truth just isn't enough for me to feel comfortable. Add the Cardinal element to an already nerve-wracking set of Final Four circumstances, and memories of recent vintage Big Dance letdowns come flooding back into my consciousness. Reminding me no one, or no thing is absolute when it comes to athletic competition (well, with the exception that a Dookie will at some point flop ... and sometimes "flop" in more ways than one). (Via: Ken Howlett, A Sea Of Blue)
On the Louisville Cardinals:
No two fan bases care about college basketball more than Louisville and Kentucky, and partially as a result of that, no rivalry in the sport is accompanied by more mutual disdain. Take all of that and ship it to New Orleans for a meeting in the Final Four and you've got...well, I don't even know. Nobody does.
What I do know is that regardless of what takes place, this will be a week all of us will remember and be talking about for the rest of our lives. (Via: Mike Rutherford, Card Chronicle)
On the Ohio State Buckeyes:
Unlike Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, etc., when Ohio State makes the Final Four, it's all the more memorable because it's not taken as much for granted. The roller coaster ride that OSU has been on for the past 20 years has made the highlights easier to cherish in contrast to the lowlights. The 2007 Ohio State team, with two top-five picks in the NBA Draft, probably didn't get their just appreciation due to the enormous talent level. However, subsequent top-five teams and their early exits have given a renewed vigor toward these lofty achievements. (Via: Kyle Lamb, Along the Olentangy)
On the Kansas Jayhawks:
As Kansas fans, we are rarely afforded this opportunity. Not to go to the final four; that is an opportunity we are thankfully afforded a lot. But the opportunity to watch a team with more question marks than sure things (you could even say all question marks) grow into a league champion, and then in three consecutive NCAA tournament teams where they could have easily lost, pull out tough wins. This Kansas team didn't out talent everyone. They out toughed, out fought, and out competed everyone. (of course it didn't hurt to catch a couple of big breaks along the way). (Via: fetch9, Rock Chalk Talk)
For more on the 2012 NCAA Tournament bracket, poke around SB Nation's NCAA Tournament hub for tons of analysis on the Final Four in New Orleans.
