Forde's Final Four: It's the Next Best Thing to Watching It On TV
We should be watching the Sweet 16 play out around the country. In Seattle, the only thing we know for sure is the Washington Huskies wouldn't have been in it.
Yet we still would be watching, hoping that the Pac-12 and Gonzaga would make a decent showing for our sometimes underplayed and underappreciated region of college basketball.
A tournament participant last year, the 15-17 Huskies actually got off easy in slipping precariously from first to worst in the conference standings and going one-and-done in the league tourney.
Everything came to an abrupt end the day after Washington got eliminated by Arizona 77-70 in Las Vegas.
All was quickly forgotten about the Huskies' season of ineptitude as the NCAA, Pac-12 and the different schools quickly mobilized and pulled the plug on all further basketball competition out of concern for the rapidly spreading global pandemic.
Sports Illustrated's Pat Forde, as wistful as anyone over the disheartening turn of events, wonders how the NCAAs and March Madness might have turned out.
So Forde did something about it -- he used his considerable college basketball acumen to draw up the bracket and play it out.
He goes all the way to the final buzzer with his elaborate scheme. How many heavyweights make the Final Four? Were there any spoilers? Who won it all? How did Gonzaga do?
Well, to find out, you're going to have to take a look right here.
In the accompanying video, we give you a glimpse of the crowd and players on the bench, just to make it more realistic or else remind you of what might have been forgotten.
If you want to voice any opinions, good or bad, turn to the community section on this Husky Maven/Sports Illustrated site and let it all out.
We'll gladly respond and offer rebuttal and even commiserate together about a grand event momentarily lost.
