Compellingly competitive

ST. LOUIS – North Carolina is the most talented team. Illinois has had the best season. Michigan State navigated the most difficult tournament road. Louisville is simply playing the best.

What we have here is a Final Four for the ages which is the only proper way to conclude a March that was perhaps the most maddening of them all.

Four teams, four dreams and you could make a compelling argument that any one of these heavyweight programs and their star coaches could enjoy one shining moment here.

And to think this is happening a decade after the floodgates opened and players started routinely leaving school early or skipping college altogether.

OK, maybe it was the recent defections of LeBron and Amare and Carmelo that brought the doomsayers out of the woodwork, but the fact is by losing some of its talent, college basketball has become more compellingly competitive.

There is no question college basketball has taken a hit from all the early defections or complete no-shows. If not for them, it might be Ohio State (and LeBron) against Memphis (and Amare) waiting to meet Syracuse (and Carmelo) or Connecticut (and Emeka).

Whoever clips the nets Monday night probably couldn't have even reached the Final Four two decades ago. That's reality.

But would those stars players have produced better heart-stopping drama than last weekend's incredible regional semifinals?

How could they?

Through all the knocks, college basketball has kept on plugging, morphing into something different and, in its own way, something better. What this sport has done is remind everyone how to celebrate who is here, not lament over who isn't.

"This Final Four, to me, has been the most fun," said Louisville coach Rick Pitino, who is taking his third team to his fifth Final Four. "I just look at the guys and how happy they are, how the fans are so happy. You witness the elation of all the people around you, friends and family. It's just really fun to be involved with."

The beauty of college basketball, of course, is just that. No matter how much things change, so much stays the same. Franchises don't move. Uniform colors don't change. Coaches can remain for decades. Traditions, legacies and legends can still be handed down through the ages. The emotion of winning is still as sweet.

In some ways, the prom-to-the-pros trend has cleaned up the college game. It was Wednesday's McDonald's All-America game that the NBA scouts and the would-be agents couldn't miss, not this.

This is a Final Four heavy on juniors and seniors. Without the individual brilliance, team play – Illinois' unselfishness, Michigan State's tenacity, Carolina's balance and Louisville's multi-pronged power – has ruled the day.

"(Then-freshman) Carmelo Anthony led Syracuse (to the title in 2003)," said North Carolina coach Roy Williams. "(But) I think guard play and experienced play is by far the common denominator (to success)."

"I've always said that if you have an experienced, talented ball club, you've got a shot at making a Final Four," added Pitino. "And that's the case with all these teams."

All of which has produced a more watchable – and certainly more competitive – brand of basketball.

The ironic part is that college basketball has learned to thrive under the present system that was supposed to kill it. It is now the NBA that is pushing hard for a minimum player age of 20 in its next collective bargaining agreement.

David Stern acknowledges the shot in the arm that LeBron and the others have provided. But the monumental business failures of wasting guaranteed million-dollar contracts on unproven busts is too much to ignore. NBA execs are adamant they need a better system for evaluating players, so sending most top young players to the NCAA for two seasons is the plan.

A few years back, this would have seemed like a lifeline to college hoops, a dying sport.

Now, with the best Final Four in years, capping off perhaps the greatest tournament ever, you wonder if the NCAA even needs it.