The dreams of the Trip have been realized this afternoon after the Spartans took it to the ‘ville in Indianapolis to the tune of a 64-52 victory over the 1 seed to send Michigan State home to Detroit. This caps another amazing weekend for college basketball for myself.

Friday night, the ladyfriend and I took a trip down to Phoenix to catch the West Regional Final between #1 Connecticut and #3 Missouri on Saturday afternoon. Turned out to be a great game, as Missouri’s unorthodox style was able to give UConn trouble, even helping the Tigers take the lead midway through the second half. The Huskie’s size down low was able to overpower Missouri in the end, and gave UConn a 82-75 victory over Mizzou. Missouri fans were completely brutal, with sloppy clapping, stupid chants and this weird wave thing they did during their fight song with no words. A lot of old people with Missouri pants and t shirts. A true slacks convention. I did have breakfast with one old dude in a purple shirt, who was very happy with the Spartan’s play the night before, knocking off Mizzou rival Kansas. We came back to Vegas after the game.

It was a nice little trip, and I’m glad the randomness in my life prevailed, as it seems like a lot (five hour drive, sleeping in a crappy Econo Lodge) to put up with just for one game. BTW, Glendale AZ is a far superior host for a tournament than Philadelphia. If Phoenix wasn’t off by itself in the middle of the desert, I’m sure they’d get more run. Better grub, a very nice city center type area with shops, pubs, open areas to sit and watch people walk by, easy parking, and very few chuds.

Today I took in the entire MSU destruction of Pitino’s Louisville Cardinals. With UConn and Villanova (both teams we saw in Philly), I was worried about the state of mind of the trip in relation to the final four. We were never going to get a break, right?  No stupid giant letter “ville” hats for us. No hockey jerseys for the bandies. For the first time, a team the Trip follows on a regular basis and roots for will be at our site. The site of sites. The Final Four. Downtown Detroit. Real bars, real fans and a chance to see the greatest on the greatest stage. My flight leaves Friday afternoon, and I cannot wait to get there. Fellas, chill down the beers (which I’m sure you’re able to find fairly easily, unlike Philly), I’m coming to knock down a few and watch some hoops. Tourney Coat is packed.

I unofficially proclaim myself Mayor of Hoops City, and will arrive to take my thrown in 5 days.

1. Connecticut:  Why they will –  All world big man Hasheem Thabeet will always give them a chance. A coach and program who’s been there before and knows how to get it done in March. Balanced scoring with four players averaging 13ppg. Why they won’t – One of those players is Jerome Dyson, who isn’t about to sniff a pair of sneakers for the rest of the year. Oh,  they can’t beat Pittsburgh either.

2. Pittsburgh:  Why they will - Best big man in the country hands down. DeJuan Blair is an animal who plays with fire, wants to be the best and has shown he can be against anybody in the nation. Why they won’t – Lost three road games this year, two that should have been won easily IMO, (@ Villanova, @ Providence). This shows me they are prone to overlook teams. Haven’t been there before.

3. Oklahoma: Why they will – Blake Griffin is a monster. Enough said. Why they won’t – The Sooners have stumbled as of late, with and without Blake.

4. Michigan State: Why they will – Battle tested coach who’s gotten it done before. Younger talented players have learned a lot with bad losses this season (I hope). Peaking at the right time. Why they won’t – The Spartans have been horribly inconsistent all year. No killer instinct. Young players tend to show their true colors in pressure situations.

5. Louisville: Why they will – Terrence Williams. Guy does it all, and Rick Pitino should write this guy into his will. Deep team with shooters off the bench (Jerry Smith, Andre McGee) provide a lift when often maligned Edgar Sosa wants to dribble the ball off his foot 50 times a game. Why they won’t – Any team that gets blown out by Notre Dame by 30+ points has to have something wrong with its head. That, and Pitino won’t be wearing his white suit until the Kentucky Derby.

6. North Carolina: Why they will – They play an amazing brand of basketball based solely on being faster than everybody else, and less on true talent. Roy Williams has asked God and the following day he found a quarter in his shoe. Why they won’t – Ty Lawson’s toes are falling off. The walking pelvic gyration that is Tyler Hansbrough is a hot head.

7. Memphis: Why they will – Freakishly athletic. Abnormal. They could seriously be aliens. Tyreke Evans is a beast. How do you guard this guy? He’s closer to being a power forward than a center. Calapari is a good coach, you just wonder how long he’ll be able to stay in CUSA with these bottom feeders. He’s made a mockery of the conference. Why they won’t - Haven’t played with the big boys since the start of the season. That Gonzaga win in Spokane was nice, but hardly like running through a Big East or Big Ten schedule.

8. Kansas: Why they will – Sherron Collins. Guy is lightning in a bottle. Plays fast and hard for 40 mins. Clutch (as shown several times this year). Watching him play you can tell he enjoys his roll on this team. Why they won’t – Inexperienced and young. You have to put in your dues before you gain the success. Two of these players even played last year for Kansas. Oh, Bill Self hasn’t tithed enough this year. For Shame!

See you next year: Duke, Villanova, Wake forest, and anybody from the Pac-10. You’re all garbage. Especially Duke. No true big man front court player. Everybody takes charges too often. I don’t see it happening. I love Villanova, but they just don’t have the horses to run with the guys on the list.