The NCAA tournament is a great event, but keep one thing in mind, "more than anything, it sends dreamers back to reality".

I can recall the high flying Oregon State Beavers, sometime around 1980, ranked number one nearly all season, with their cheerleaders crying their eyes out down on the baseline, after the dream was shattered in an early round loss. Chambers & Vranes senior season, ranked # 6 at one point, losing at home in the second round. Stanford Cardinals this year. Most U followers weren't prepared to lose this early last Sunday, but I'll bet many people were more disappointed when the Utes advanced even farther last year, being so tantilizingly close to the title. Heck, Majerus stated he went into a 3 month depression, and still has flashback pangs of disappointment. The 23 game winning streak this season was fantastic. As more people on this board talked like a final four trip was almost a forgone conclusion, my experience and realism was pushed into the background somewhat. The Utes seem like they will have a great lineup next year, but the long twisting road to the final four is a difficult one, requiring skill, and sometimes a little luck. We might make it, but more than anything, the NCAA tournament sends dreamers back to reality. Playing in the final game really is like climbing Mt. Everest. If you haven't read it, you might consider reading, Into Thin Air. The closer one gets to the summit, the more difficult it gets. A huge amount of effort is put forth to make the myriad trips up and down, higher, then down again, acclimating, and preparing for the summit bid. Most people are forced to turn back, many with the summit within view, sometimes close enough to see a lucky few victorious at the top. Among the many things to be considered at that moment is the fact that they will probably never be even this close again, what with all the effort, money, and yes, luck invloved.

Maybe, just maybe, some time in the next several decades, I'll get to watch the beloved Utes stand at the top of the NCAA basketball podium. If it happens, maybe it will come under the watch of the great Rick Majerus, or possibly some unknown future coach. In the meantime, I'll be watching, cheering, hoping for the best, and supporting the Utes.

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A Utah Man, sir, and will be 'till I die.

Excellent points. I think we all have to realize that no matter how good the Utes may be in future years, winning the NCAA tournament requires a certain amount of luck. Look at Dean Smith. For all of the great teams he had over the years he has only two championships; and he wouldn't even have those without the help of Fred Brown and Chris Webber. I think most of the champions I can remember over the last 15 years needed a lucky break somewhere along the line ('98 Kentucky barely held on the beat Stanford; '97 Arizona held off Cinderela Providence in OT to get to the final four; '95 UCLA needed last second heroics from Tyus Edney to beat Missouri in the second round; etc.). The one exception was Kentucky in '96 - they pretty much destroyed everybody they played (UMass gave them their only decent game). Duke may do the same this year, but we'll see.

Having a great team like that '96 Kentucky team is no guarantee of a championship either. The prime example was the '91 UNLV team. That was one of the greatest college teams of all time and it didn't win the tournament. Neither did the '83 North Carolina team, the '84 Houston team or the '85 Georgetown team. Last year there were four teams that were in a seperate elite class during the regular season: Kansas, Arizona, Duke and North Carolina - and only one of them even made it to the final four. Look at how many great teams UConn has had in recent years, with zero final fours.

As the Utah program becomes one of the elite, I think we have to keep the tournament in perspective. It's great when your team has a run like last years, but no so great when your good enough to go to the final four but lose to a team from the MAC in the second round.

I'm with Ultimate Ute. I hope that the Utes are both good and lucky enough to win the whole thing just once in my lifetime.

ever since I was lucky enough to go to the FF twice as a kid, I always said the all I wanted was to see the Utes just be there once in my lifetime--and, win, lose or draw, prove that they belonged. We can now thank Majerus for that. I think that we now have a special appreciation for just how rare and special was last year's achievement. This is why I rank Miller as the Utes' best ever.

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