Commentary from the Houston Cheap Seats: NCAA South Regional

Thanks to the elevated stage, we could see the floor better than I had anticipated (translation: feared).  We could even make out the players' numbers (without binoculars).  And we could hear everything (not live, but thanks to cranked-up microphones on the rim, the backboard, the referees' whistles, the pep bands, and, unfortunately, the cheerleaders).

Time for the games: I won't spend a bunch of time on stats and scores—you already know who won.  Texas took the first game, 82-62, on a huge 20-3 second-half run. The home crowd sure didn't hurt, as Stanford easily had the fewest fans of the four teams (and there are a lot of Texas fans in Houston, go figure.)

In the nightcap, Memphis destroyed Michigan State, jumping out to a ridiculous 50-20 lead.  If a team can ever get within 15 points of the explosive Tigers, their well-documented free-throw shooting problem could actually become a factor.

But that didn't happen in Houston.  Five hours after the first tipoff, it was time to go back to the hotel and reconvene two days later for the much anticipated matchup between Memphis and hometown favorite Texas.

And it wasn't much of a matchup.  I thought going in that Memphis had the better talent, and Sunday's final wasn't even close.  In fact, the only thing that disappointed me about the South Regional was the lack of close games.

REGIONAL SEMIFINALS

Texas 82, Stanford 62.

Memphis 92, Michigan State 74

REGIONAL FINAL

Memphis 85, Texas 67.

If you haven't ever been to an NCAA tournament session—bands blaring, fans screaming, colors abounding, coaches gesturing, buzzer-beaters falling—you need to go sometime in your life.  I'm glad I did.

And that's the story of the South Regional final—from the cheap seats.

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