5 Things We Learned from the 2013 Final Four

Every year, we all gather around our television sets and are graced by Jim Nantz's famous saying: "Good evening, friends." We get to watch one of the largest sports spectacles in the US and indulge ourselves in the most quality college basketball the NCAA has to offer.

From the fans to the referees, everything is under constant scrutiny, and it is only right we overanalyze it.

Here is a look back at the 2013 Final Four...

NCAA Officiating Is Far from Consistent

With the four best teams remaining in the tournament, one would think the best of best would be officiating the games.

This may have been the case but the majority of the fans were displeased with the officiating of the Final Four. Sitting in the stands, unbiased Syracuse fans voiced their displeasure with the ending of the Wichita State versus Louisville game.

The jump ball call that essentially deprived Wichita of a change to tie the game ultimately proved disastrous for the Shockers and was a shocking call amongst the fans.

While some fans and experts were pleased with the fact that the zebras let the boys play, the men in black and white had a quick whistle in the most important of moments. Trey Burke’s picture-perfect block on Peyton Siva was whistled for a foul and ultimately hindered any momentum Michigan could gather in coming back. 

You hate to see referees have such an impact on games, but unfortunately their impact will be remembered in this Final Four.

Great College Fans Need More Student Seating

The Final Four is one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world. The semifinals and championship game all had over 70,000 fans in attendance. There were just above 75,000 in attendance on Saturday and another 74,000 on Monday night.

Of these seats, each student section was allotted approximately 700 student tickets that were stationed behind the basket on the turf of the dome.

Michigan is a university with over 40,000 students, thousands of whom longed for the opportunity to watch their squad in the Final Four. The exorbitant ticket prices kept those without student tickets to the game from attending—a true fallacy.

Final Four facilitators should do their best to try and accommodate more students from each school. College basketball is about the fans, and it is only right that students have the opportunity to watch their team in person.

Longer Timeouts

Another problem with the NCAA tournament is the media timeouts.

There are usually four media timeouts per half. However, in the NCAA tournament, coaching timeouts are often extended to media timeouts.

Not only do these TV timeouts alter the flow of the game, but they also elongate a game and take away from the collegiate nature of college basketball.  College basketball is about hardcore fanship and the love of the game.

Does the Dome Actually Alter Shots?

For some reason, whether it be the pressure of playing in front of 60,000 more people than usual or the open space in the dome, teams just don’t tend to shoot as well in domes. Research suggests that team effective field-goal percentages are slightly less in dome Final Fours. 

However, we watched teams shoot the lights out over the last weekend. I’ve come to the consensus that it affects all players differently.

According to KSR College, who conducted research on shooting in domes, there is evidence to suggest playing in such a large arena greatly alters field goal percentage. However, the Final Four burdens players with the most pressure they will encounter in their college basketball careers, and this can also be an explanation for higher volumes of missed free throws.

It is very difficult to isolate what factors into these missed shot attempts, as there are several variables. 

One Shining Moment Will Never Get Old, and Neither Will Peyton Siva

Every year, we watch one fortunate team bask in the glory of victory, and the other in the sorrow of defeat.

Year after year, one shining moment sends chills down our spines as we get to reminisce about the finest moments of the 2013 college basketball season.

Lastly, as Louisville cut down the nets, a few of us fans wondered, wow, how long has Peyton Siva played at Louisville? Perhaps it is the common mix-up with his former sidekick Edgar Sosa, or just his illustriously long career, but it seems as if Siva has been around for decades.

As Rick Pitino prepares to be enshrined into basketball immortality, we begin to wonder what Louisville basketball will be without the relentlessly durable Peyton Siva