A Game of Big

So can we please stop buying the line of media malarkey that claims the NCAA Tournament is "all about the guard play?"

This is what I call an Instant Cliche', a ready-made paradigm that we're supposed to accept as an industry standard, even though few of us can actually recall ever hearing it before. In football, the concept of "separation" - as between a wideout and a defensive back - falls in the same excruciating category. "Separation" came into vogue about two years ago, but we nod our heads at the very mention, as if we all grew up hearing our Pop Warner coaches holler at us to "Separate, dammit!" Such is the case with the Big Dance being "all about the guards."

Consider your Final Four. George Mason outrebounded former NCAA champions Michigan State and North Carolina by an average of 7 boards per game. Florida dominated Villanova's four-guard attack to the tune of a 49-36 advantage on the glass, 30 of those coming from Joakim Noah and Al Horford. LSU's leading scorer? Glen "Big Baby" Davis. UCLA doesn't even get a chance at bludgeoning Memphis were it not for a 14 point, 10 rebound performance against Gonzaga from Luc Richard Mbah a Moute - his 8th double-double of the season. And shouldn't he add a couple more middle names, like Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo?

Point being, you STILL can't teach players how to be tall, and there's just not that many guys out there 6-8 or bigger who can handle the ball. Basketball is predicated on forcing an inflated spheroid through an elevated hoop - emphasis on "elevated." It's a simple game. If your bigs can play, you have the advantage. There's a reason why Pavel Podkolzine, Jake Tsakalidis, and for that matter, Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean Jacque Wamutombo still have jobs in the NBA.

Granted, there have been some wonderous performances in the tournament from the little guys. Historically, I'll give you Ty Edney, Bryce Drew, Bobby Hurley, Mateen Cleaves, and all the rest. I'll also give you Sean May, Emeka Okefor, Carmelo Anthony, Shane Battier, Ed O'Bannon, Christian Laettner, Danny Manning, Pervis Ellison, Ed Pinckney, Patrick Ewing, Akeem (no "H" yet) Olajuwon, Goose Givens, Bill Walton, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, and Lew Alcindor - all former Most Outstanding Players of the NCAA Tournament, and all forwards or centers.

Excellent trivia question: last player to win tournament Most Outstanding Player on a losing team? Olajuwon, 1983.

Why did UConn lose? Because their bigs played like crap. Hilton Armstrong and Josh Boone combined for 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven fouls. George Mason's Jai Lewis and Will Thomas, on the other hand, put up 39 and 19. Similarly, Big Baby Davis and his LSU frontcourt mate, Tyrus Thomas, combined for 47 points and 22 rebounds against Texas.

UConn's Marcus Williams scored 13 points and dished 11 assists against the Patriots. Villanova's Randy Foye, the Big East Player of the Year, scored 25 against Florida. Both in losing efforts. All about the guards? Puh-leeze.

I suppose, if you're a glass-half-empty kinda fan, you could point to the fact that Memphis (2-17 from three-point range) and Villanova (4-23) shot themselves out of the Final Four, thereby hanging it on the guards, but ask yourself this: what will be the most important matchups on the floor during the national semifinal games next weekend?

Taurean Green against Lamar Butler, who each scored 19 points in their Elite 8 games, or Noah and Horford versus Lewis and Thomas? LSU's Darrel Mitchell against UCLA's Arron Afflalo, or Big Baby versus the combination of Mbah a Moute and Ryan Hollins (14 points and 9 rebounds against Memphis, and he should have had 20 points - he was 2-11 from the free throw line)?

Gator fans, I'll submit this: if Florida is gonna win this puppy, they'll do it on the backs of Noah and Horford. Judging by last weekend, you've got to like your chances.