Your Week: 🏀 Why the Final Four is a…

April 5, 2024
by RJ Hamster

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Your Week with AZCentral

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Fri Apr 5 2024

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

@raphaeldelag

Hey reader,

Every year, basketball fans look forward to a thrilling month of collegiate hoops from March into the beginning of April. This year is no different, as the drama of the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments has already captured the attention of super fans and casual viewers alike.

The Final Four stage of the men’s basketball tournament will be held at State Farm Stadium in Glendale over the weekend. Although none of our local teams advanced to this round, Valley basketball fans can look forward to watching four great teams compete. But as metro Phoenix comes alive this weekend, there will be something for everyone.

This week, I spoke with The Republic’s director of azcentral sports, Mark Faller . He caught us up on all the drama in this year’s tournament, what hosting the NCAA basketball tournament means for Phoenix’s burgeoning basketball culture, and he reflects on his more than 20-year career in Arizona.

🏀 Finally Four: Road to Glendale set with compelling NCAA storylines

Before we get into it, our friends over at the education desk are launching a new newsletter that is meant to help keep our readers informed about everything K-12.

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With that, here’s what Mark had to say.

‘Nobody puts on a better show than Greater Phoenix’

We are deep into March Madness and the NCAA tournaments for men’s and women’s basketball are firing on all cylinders. This year’s Final Four men’s tournament stop will be held in the Valley for the first time since 2017. What does having the premier collegiate basketball tournament mean for Glendale and the rest of the metro?

Mark: Nobody puts on a better show than Greater Phoenix, and all the sports leagues know it, which is why they keep bringing their showcase events here. In the past 14 months we’ve had one of the greatest Super Bowls in history, the Diamondbacks in the World Series, the NASCAR championship and now the Final Four. On deck are the WNBA All-Star Game in July and a Fiesta Bowl that will be one of the first sites to host the newly expanded College Football Playoff. There’s a lot of increased competition in the West for these events, but Phoenix remains ahead of the pack because of its unique combination of amazing things to do, great hospitality and a spectacular desert environment. Those are assets that will always keep us in the national sports spotlight.

‘This event still can surprise’

The defending champions, the University of Connecticut, seek to repeat last year’s title run and become the first repeat champion since Florida in 2006-07. But you caution readers against thinking the Huskies have an easy path toward championship dreams. What can readers expect from Saturday’s matchup between Alabama and UConn?

Mark: They call it March Madness for a reason, and even though it’s April now, this event still can surprise. UConn has to be considered the prohibitive favorite because of its championship experience, and that will be more than enough to handle Alabama in their national semifinal game on Saturday. Making it this far for the first time is Alabama’s reward. I think the Huskies’ biggest challenge — and it could be massive — will come in the championship game. If Purdue makes it in, and I believe it will, how will UConn deal with the Boilermakers’ 7-foot-4 Zach Edey? UConn has a possible answer in 7-2 sophomore center Donovan Clingan, who is a defensive whiz and has gone for a double-double (points and rebounds) in two of the Huskies’ last three tournament games. Still, Edey is the nation’s leading scorer and, as a senior, has a chance to help Purdue atone for some embarrassing early exits in recent NCAA tournaments. That’s the final I’m hoping to see.

Our Cinderella story

On the other side of the bracket is the matchup between North Carolina State and Purdue. N.C. State is this year’s Cinderella story, overcoming all odds and making it further in this tournament than many expected. For readers who have not followed the tournament as closely as you have, can you get us up to speed on N.C. State’s run thus far?

Mark: Any time the Wolfpack makes a run it’s hard not to think back to 1983 and their championship season under the late, great Jim Valvano. Their famous mantra, which aptly sums up the tournament, was “survive and advance,” and this year’s N.C. State team has made that an art form. The Wolfpack was not playing well the last few weeks of the season, and had a losing record in conference play, but put all that behind them and won five games in five days to capture the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament title. No one, least of all me, can explain this turnaround. The consensus among reporters who cover the program is that it just took time for the players and coaches to figure it all out, believe in the system and in each other, and it solidified at just the right time.

A bittersweet moment for us

The Final Four will be a bittersweet moment for us here at the newspaper, as it marks the end of an era for our sports desk. As the tournament stop wraps up in Glendale, so will your time at The Republic as the director of sports coverage. You have seen the sports world in Phoenix undergo many changes since 2003 when you arrived at the paper. What are your predictions for the next 20 years of sports in the Valley?

Mark: Early in my time here I used to describe the Phoenix sports market as not being a great sports town, but a great sports event town. As I mentioned earlier the latter is still true, but over time the teams have started to catch up. With so many transplants here there always are going to be visiting teams that get a lot of support, but it’s becoming rarer for those fans to overwhelm the locals. Case in point: The Cardinals no longer have “Protect the Nest” requirements to buy tickets to multiple games in order to get them for an opponent like the Cowboys or Packers. The progress has been slow but steady and noticeable on the field, too. Since 2021 the Mercury have been to the WNBA Finals, the Diamondbacks played in the World Series and the Suns reached the NBA Finals. It’s really important for some of our teams to reach a level where making and excelling in the postseason is a regular thing, not an occasional bolt from the blue.

As for the next 20 years, much hinges on the teams finding ways — besides relying on public financial support — to create and maintain state-of-the-art venues to maximize revenue streams and compete for the best talent. The sports world is evolving at a dizzying speed and it will be fascinating to see where it all leads. For Arizona, I believe moving to the Big 12 represents a tremendous opportunity for our two schools, as it will more regularly expose Arizona and Arizona State to more of the country. I am optimistic the Coyotes will figure out how to find a forever home here, eventually MLS will find its way here and, one day, the Suns will finally figure it out and grab that elusive championship!

This newsletter is written by Raphael Romero Ruiz. Reach him at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.

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Your Week: 🏀 Why the Final Four is a big deal for Glendale

Your Week: 🏀 Why the Final Four is a…

Your Week with AZCentral

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

‘Nobody puts on a better show than Greater Phoenix’

‘This event still can surprise’

Our Cinderella story

A bittersweet moment for us

Thank you for subscribing. Here are more stories we think you’ll enjoy:

Best things to do on Final Four weekend in the Valley

Schools scrambling after Arizona withholds poverty funds

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Sign up for the news you want

Like this:

Your Week: 🏀 Why the Final Four is a big deal for Glendale

Your Week: 🏀 Why the Final Four is a…

Your Week with AZCentral

Raphael Romero Ruiz | Engagement Reporter

‘Nobody puts on a better show than Greater Phoenix’

‘This event still can surprise’

Our Cinderella story

A bittersweet moment for us

Thank you for subscribing. Here are more stories we think you’ll enjoy:

Best things to do on Final Four weekend in the Valley

Schools scrambling after Arizona withholds poverty funds

How VAI Resort is aiming to transform Arizona tourism

Judge OKs sanctions against Hamadeh, tosses election suit

Sign up for the news you want

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