If you asked anyone in early April who would make the Final Four, how many people would have picked Notre Dame, Denver, Maryland and Johns Hopkins? Anyone? Pretty unlikely. Would anyone have even picked three of the four teams?
These teams have one thing in common. They have advanced to Championship Weekend. Besides that, they are actually quite different.
What’s the takeaway message? You can take many routes to the Final Four.
The way this NCAA Tournament has played out is further proof that winning in May is all that matters. It doesn’t matter how you get there… just win when the calendar hits May when you’re playing for your playoff lives.
Notre Dame has been ranked #1 in the country for much of the season and has taken care of business on the way to the program’s fourth National Semifinal appearance in the last six years. Meanwhile, Denver was the preseason #1 team in the country, had a couple hiccups, but has responded with 11 straight wins heading into Championship Weekend.
Johns Hopkins fell to 4-6 after a 15-12 loss to Ohio State on April 5. The Blue Jays have responded with seven straight victories, including wins over Maryland, Ohio State (in the Big Ten Championship Game) then Duke and Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament. Johns Hopkins went from out of the NCAA Tournament picture to reaching its first Final Four since 2008, snapping a long drought for a program that has 29 appearances in its history.
On the opposite end of the spectrum is Maryland, who was hovering near the top of the rankings through most of the season. The Terrapins lost to Johns Hopkins and Ohio State in April, within the matter of a week. The Ohio State loss eliminated the Terps from the Big Ten Tournament and put them in danger of not earning a seed in the NCAAs. Maryland also had three straight close calls (one-goal victories) prior to those defeats and was headed in the wrong direction heading into the NCAA Tournament. The squad earned the #6 seed and answered in a big way, earning a one-goal victory over Yale then dominating #3 seed North Carolina last weekend, to advance to its fourth Final Four in the last five seasons.
Last weekend’s Quarterfinals featured some classic games. Despite many feeling Albany would pull through against Notre Dame, the Fighting Irish proved too strong once again, winning 14-10. Albany held a 5-0 advantage in the third quarter to take a 9-8 lead after 45 minutes, but Notre Dame scored six of the seven fourth-quarter goals to reach a familiar place, Championship Weekend. Denver was down big (7-1) to Ohio State early before rallying for a 15-13 win to avenge a regular season loss to the Buckeyes.
Sunday’s games in Annapolis featured a pair of upsets as Johns Hopkins edged Syracuse and Maryland doubled up North Carolina. That sets up an intriguing weekend in Philadelphia. This group features 11 combined NCAA National Championships – nine for Johns Hopkins and two for Maryland. Notre Dame and Denver are in similar positions, with both making four recent Final Fours: Notre Dame (2010, 2012, 2014, 2015) and Denver (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015). However, neither has been able to pull out a National Championship with the Pioneers falling short of the title game.
The Final Four features teams who were predicted to be here (Notre Dame and Denver), one who has come back from the brink (Johns Hopkins) and another who has quickly turned its fortunes around (Maryland). It’s a lesson for college teams, and all teams, no matter the age. Never give up and keep fighting until the end. Momentum can switch in an instant, as it did for the Terps. It can turn a 4-6 season into a long winning streak and a chance to play for a National Title (Johns Hopkins). Following Denver’s loss to Ohio State, there were some doubters, but the Pioneers righted the ship. And for the Fighting Irish, there were people saying they didn’t deserve the #1 seed, but they’ve proved any doubters wrong.
In the end, no matter the route… just win.
