Two Teams, One Dream
David Andrews
David Andrews
This year’s NCAA tournament was one of the best ones in a long time in plenty of ways. We got to see historic performances from players like Ja Morant and Carsen Edwards in the first round, a few upsets like Auburn taking down UNC in the sweet sixteen, and we even got to see an all time talent in Zion Williamson play at the highest level imaginable. Even with all these great moments they all paled in comparison to the one game everyone was looking forward to, the NCAA Championship.
This game was one of the more intense games we have seen in a while. It was so intense that something as little as an out-of-bounds call could have changed the outcome of the entire game. What made the game even better was that it was two teams that nobody really expected. In fact, Fivethirtyeight, a statistical analysis website gave Texas Tech a three percent chance of winning it all. Not only did they come in to the tournament as the underdogs, but their very own best player had something to prove to himself. With all the talk around the league surrounding freshman like Duke’s Zion Williamson ans RJ Barrett, sophomore Jarrett Culver began to feel like he was overlooked in a way. Many NBA scouts and analysts look at him in the same light as many of the other young talent, but for some reason nobody talked about him. Because of this, he earned the nickname “the best player nobody knows”, and he is just that.
Many people including former Hillgrove student Kevin Martin, thought Jarrett would rise to the occasion, but he ended up falling. Instead, Virginia star, De’Andre Hunter, did what people expected Culver to do. He finished the night with a career-high twenty-seven points, nine rebounds, and, as said in USA Today, his defense “had reduced Culver to a hopeless chucker.” He even shot the three-pointer that would end up bringing them to overtime. Even though Kyle Guy got the Most Outstanding Player award, if it was strictly based off of that one game former Hillgrove student, Jashua Julian said it would have gone to Hunter.
Even with Hunter’s great play and the lack of production from Culver. Texas Tech still managed to stay in the game. That alone shows how bad they wanted to win, but Virginia was not just going surrender and let them take it. They had to earn it. This had been the first time both teams had made it to the NCAA championship game in both schools’ histories, so this game meant a lot to both of them. Since each teams’ star players probably going to declare for the draft, there was no guarantee that these schools would ever make it there again. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys, and they treated it as such. This type of passion and determination is what made this game one of the best NCAA championship games we have seen in a long time. Hillgrove senior Zac Clark said it was the best one he has ever seen.
Now that the tournament is over and Virginia walked away with the championship, it is now time to see what is next for these players. Whether players like Kyle Guy will return to school for his senior season or take his talents to a bigger stage, the NBA, is still up in the air, and it is officially time for us to find out.
This game was one of the more intense games we have seen in a while. It was so intense that something as little as an out-of-bounds call could have changed the outcome of the entire game. What made the game even better was that it was two teams that nobody really expected. In fact, Fivethirtyeight, a statistical analysis website gave Texas Tech a three percent chance of winning it all. Not only did they come in to the tournament as the underdogs, but their very own best player had something to prove to himself. With all the talk around the league surrounding freshman like Duke’s Zion Williamson ans RJ Barrett, sophomore Jarrett Culver began to feel like he was overlooked in a way. Many NBA scouts and analysts look at him in the same light as many of the other young talent, but for some reason nobody talked about him. Because of this, he earned the nickname “the best player nobody knows”, and he is just that.
Many people including former Hillgrove student Kevin Martin, thought Jarrett would rise to the occasion, but he ended up falling. Instead, Virginia star, De’Andre Hunter, did what people expected Culver to do. He finished the night with a career-high twenty-seven points, nine rebounds, and, as said in USA Today, his defense “had reduced Culver to a hopeless chucker.” He even shot the three-pointer that would end up bringing them to overtime. Even though Kyle Guy got the Most Outstanding Player award, if it was strictly based off of that one game former Hillgrove student, Jashua Julian said it would have gone to Hunter.
Even with Hunter’s great play and the lack of production from Culver. Texas Tech still managed to stay in the game. That alone shows how bad they wanted to win, but Virginia was not just going surrender and let them take it. They had to earn it. This had been the first time both teams had made it to the NCAA championship game in both schools’ histories, so this game meant a lot to both of them. Since each teams’ star players probably going to declare for the draft, there was no guarantee that these schools would ever make it there again. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity for these guys, and they treated it as such. This type of passion and determination is what made this game one of the best NCAA championship games we have seen in a long time. Hillgrove senior Zac Clark said it was the best one he has ever seen.
Now that the tournament is over and Virginia walked away with the championship, it is now time to see what is next for these players. Whether players like Kyle Guy will return to school for his senior season or take his talents to a bigger stage, the NBA, is still up in the air, and it is officially time for us to find out.
