The left side of the United States must wait another year, at least, to end its NCAA championship drought.
Not since Arizona’s remarkable run in 1997 has a team west of Waco, Tex., won the national title.
The Wildcats appeared poised to end the streak after reaching the Final Four as co-favorites for the trophy but were sauteed by Michigan in the semifinals Saturday night.
At this point, there’s no telling how long the streak could last. The landscape has only gotten more difficult for all but the richest programs from coast to coast.
In theory, Arizona will remain a title contender on a regular basis under coach Tommy Lloyd. But UCLA is struggling for traction in the Big Ten, Oregon has regressed significantly and Gonzaga’s talent level has dipped a bit.
No other program seems remotely close to constructing a roster capable of winning six single-elimination games.
San Diego State? BYU? Both have significant ground to cover.
Washington? USC? Please.
The most confounding aspect of the drought is the speed with which it materialized.
The region won NCAA titles in 1990 (UNLV), 1995 (UCLA) and 1997 (Arizona) and produced the runner-up in 1998 (Utah).
Then: zippo.
Arizona, UCLA, Oregon, San Diego State and Gonzaga have all reached the Final Four, with the Zags coming the closest to a championship with their six-point loss to North Carolina in 2017.
The stupefying aspect of the drought itself is the central reason we’re hesitant to project an end point.
This was the year. Arizona was the team … until it wasn’t.
Our look at winners and losers from the Final Four.
Winner: Michigan. Despite having their best player (Yaxel Lendeborg) limited by injury, the Wolverines laid waste to the team everyone believed to be their equal. When humming on both ends of the court, Michigan possesses a gear everyone else can only wish for.
Loser: Arizona. The Wildcats played bully-ball all season but finally ran into a bigger bully. Their freshmen played like upperclassmen all season, then looked like rookies on the big stage (especially guard Brayden Burries). Their lack of 3-point shooting wasn’t a detriment for 38 games but became a gigantic problem in the 39th. The end result was an epic beat down by the Wolverines and an all-systems failure for Arizona on the sport’s biggest stage. Did the Wildcats choke? Yes, and no. They played poorly when they needed to be at their best, and Michigan was superb.
Winner: Arizona. Let’s not lose sight of the five-month adventure. The Wildcats had a stellar season in which they won 36 games and the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles and reached the Final Four for the first time in a quarter century. The journey was unforgettable; the ending was a nightmare.
Loser: The Big 12. Given the conference’s bold claims about being the best in the sport, March Madness was a huge letdown: Eight teams in the field, just one in the Elite Eight and a blowout loss in the Final Four. Yes, injuries were a major obstacle, but the ledger is the ledger. The Big 12 cannot legitimately claim supremacy over the Big Ten. And speaking of …
Winner: Big Ten. Barring a major upset Monday night — Michigan is favored over Connecticut by 7.5 points — the conference will win the NCAA championship for the first time since 2000. Even better: The prize will come a few months after the Big Ten won the College Football Playoff.
Loser: SEC. The conference was home for the College Football Playoff championship game and home for the Final Four. Sure, these things are cyclical, and the SEC is only one year removed from winning the NCAA title (Florida). But seeing its rival hoist the trophy in both major sports would cut like a knife.
Winner: UConn. The Huskies won ugly over Illinois in the first game Saturday and stand one victory from their third NCAA title in four years, a feat not accomplished since the UCLA dynasty in the 1970s. Yes, they are significant underdogs. Count them out at your peril.
Loser: UCLA. In case you’d forgotten, or were never aware, Michigan center Aday Mara, who just scored 26 points and dominated a national semifinal, averaged six points and played 13 minutes per game for the Bruins last season.
Winner: Dan Hurley. The UConn coach is not Mr. Warm and Cuddly, but he can coach like nobody’s business — especially at this time of year. Hurley is a remarkable 11-0 against the point spread in the Sweet 16, Elite Eight and Final Four during his tenure with the Huskies. Insane.
Loser: The ‘no more blue bloods’ crowd. UConn certainly qualifies as a true blue blood of the sport, and Michigan, which has nine Final Four appearances, is a light-blue blood. Sure, the sport has changed with NIL and the transfer portal, but the last teams standing are royalty.
Winner: Big East. UConn’s advance to the big stage Monday night means the Big East has placed a team in the national championship game for the fifth time in the past 10 years. As basketball goes, it’s a power conference in every regard.
Loser: TV viewers. The TBS/TNT broadcast is decidedly suboptimal for the sport and its fans — an event as momentous as the Final Four should be on a broadcast network. With Paramount, which owns CBS, acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, which owns TNT/TBS, there’s a good chance the semifinals and championship will be available over-the-air starting next spring.
Winner: Tommy Lloyd. The Arizona coach’s shrewdest move of the season? Locking up that glistening new contract, and a load of political capital within the university, before Michigan locked up his team.
