WASHINGTON _ Whatever heights Zion Williamson might reach in his career, and we all have seen how he can soar, he never will be able to say that he was in a Final Four. And the past two days have shown how much everyone in college basketball prizes the chance to make that claim.
Everyone in the Elite Eight played his heart out. The winners, including the Michigan State Spartans after they literally ran out the clock against Duke here Sunday, reacted as if they had just earned a championship. In a way, they had.
The Final Four is not just an avenue, it is a destination in itself. It is sort of a title before the title, like a pennant in Major League Baseball. As a celebration/convention, the Final Four weekend (Friday through Monday) is like the Super Bowl. Everyone who makes it realizes that they have two more games to win, but they also realize that they already have accomplished something. It looks like teams treat it the way students do when they get into med school.
