College Sports: Best NCAA tournament ever ??

Top of the card, the best Dance ever?

By Gregg Doyel, SportsLine.com Senior Writer

Louisville has won 29 games, features an all-NBA backcourt in Francisco Garcia and Taquan Dean, and has a third NBA player in forward Juan Palacios. And it's a fourth Cardinal, Ellis Myles, who had a triple-double last week. Louisville is ranked No. 4 nationally, and is a No. 4 seed in the 2005 NCAA Tournament.

Four weeks ago, Kansas looked like a No. 1 seed. Four days ago, so did Arizona. They're both No. 3s.

All season, Wake Forest looked like a No. 1 seed. So did Kentucky. They're both No. 2s.

Is this bracket loaded or what?

Only history will be able to judge the 2005 NCAA Tournament, but in the final hours before the games begin, it's safe to say no NCAA Tournament in recent years -- and possibly no NCAA Tournament ever -- has had this many exceptional teams.

The dropoff is steep, with a weak collection of at-large teams rounding out the field, but soon those teams will be gone. Beginning with the second round, almost anything will be possible. And once the tournament reaches the Sweet 16, no team will be safe.

No team.

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I thought this was a really good article, even more so because I have been thinking the same thing since the brackets came out Sunday night. There are some unbelievable potential matchups! There should be some Sweet 16 matchups that you would be used to seeing as Final Four matchups.

The clearest sign of this tournament's depth was the No. 4 seeding of Louisville, followed by the simple explanation of NCAA Tournament selection committee chairman Bob Bowlsby: "Who would you bump off the (No.) 3 line?"

But let's not think about it too much, OK? This isn't the time to ask why the last two weeks of the 2005 NCAA Tournament could be the best two weeks in tournament history. This is the time to watch, and to enjoy.

The title of this thread just may be true. 3 OT games in the elite 8 round. Wow!

Originally posted by Gibbs Baby!!!
The title of this thread just may be true. 3 OT games in the elite 8 round. Wow!

I agree. And if not, it ranks right up there. That elite 8 weekend was unbelievable. The Wake-West Virginia double OT was another great game. And what better way to end it with the top two teams in the nation playing and tied in the last minute.

:party-smiley-018:

It does rank up there on one of the best, especially in the championship game, it was well worht watching, a lot of upsets and heartbreakers and just about every storyline you can imagine there was there.

...And let's not forget about Bucknell!!!