Grant Hill Predicts March Madness; Talks Zion Williamson and 'Choices Matter'

The name Grant Hill is synonymous with March Madness success. 

Hill was a two-time national champion, an ACC Player of the Year, a two-time All-American and made arguably the most famous pass in men's college basketball history when he found Christian Laettner with a cross-court heave to set up the buzzer-beater to eliminate Kentucky in the 1992 Elite Eight.

Jay Bilas even called him the greatest player to ever don a Duke uniform.

So who will join the Blue Devils great on the list of Big Dance champions at this year's Final Four in Minneapolis? 

"If I had to choose one, I would go with Michigan State," Hill said, while conceding predicting a national champion from the Spartans, Virginia Cavaliers, Texas Tech Red Raiders and Auburn Tigers is incredibly difficult.

The Hall of Famer and CBS broadcaster pointed to the leadership of Tom Izzo—who he called "as good a coach as there is in college basketball"—and the overall balance and toughness the Big Ten representative brings on a nightly basis.

"There's something about this Michigan State team that's special, and I've been saying that from the Big Ten conference tournament," he said. "They don't wow you with one individual player or players—obviously Cassius Winston's a great talent and has been incredible—but they just play so well together and there's a collective toughness, they have experience, they have multiple guys step up and play well."

Winston was a primary reason the Spartans defeated Hill's alma mater in Sunday's Elite Eight clash, finishing with 20 points, 10 assists and four steals while turning the ball over just once against Duke's stout defense.

The fact Winston, Kenny Goins, Nick Ward and Matt McQuaid were all upperclassmen and played critical roles in Michigan State's victory over the freshmen-laden Blue Devils inspired Magic Johnson to tell reporters the victory for experience was a victory for college basketball.

Hill joked that of course Michigan State's most famous former player would think it was good the Spartans won but granted experience was important for both the Spartans and Virginia heading into the Final Four:

"I think it shows in some respects that experience wins. Duke was super talented and just off the charts in terms of what they can do, but the other team was experienced and had been through it and had been tested and ultimately made the right plays down the stretch. I think it's good that you have a program like Michigan State, you have a team like Virginia who last year lost in the first round and was upset being the No. 1 seed. Bouncing back and coming back and getting back to that moment in the first round down 14 against Gardner Webb, [they] managed to pull out and get to the Final Four, showing their mental toughness and collective will."

While both teams still have the opportunity to cut down the nets as national champions, Michigan State did something Virginia was unable to in two tries this season—beat Zion Williamson and the Blue Devils.

It almost feels wrong this season's Duke team will not be on the sport's biggest stage in Minneapolis given it led storylines throughout the campaign.

Williamson is the presumed No. 1 pick who somehow managed to make neutral fans enjoy watching the typically hated Blue Devils with his sky-walking dunks, highlight-reel blocks and genuine joy playing the game. RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish are potential top-five picks as well and made Duke appointment viewing throughout the season.

Zion Dunks/blocks

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While they were unable to join Hill on the list of national champions who played at Duke, he believes this season's team will be remembered for much more.

"I think in this era of one-and-done players and particularly at Duke, I don't know if there was a team—maybe the Kentucky team in '15 that went undefeated until the semifinals—I'm not sure there has been a team that has captivated everyone's imagination like this team has. The way they went through this season and had signature wins, had buzzer beaters, had games on the road, had adversity, pretty much had it all and became sort of these rock stars. Even in losing, I just think the way they played, they competed, they did things the right way, they showed a lot of class, they're good kids, they had a genuine spirit about them.

"I think, although they didn't win it, I think people will remember them and remember this season as a special season and as a team of guys that, whether you were a diehard Duke fan or not, I think you enjoyed watching and following."

Few know better than Hill about dealing with the pressures of transitioning from the spotlight of Duke into high expectations at the NBA level. He was the No. 3 overall pick in the 1994 draft following his legendary collegiate career and was seen in some circles as the savior for the Detroit Pistons.

Williamson will surely be seen as a savior for whichever lottery-bound team lands him in the 2019 NBA draft, and Hill believes Duke's latest superstar will thrive at the next level because of more than just his basketball skills.

Zion Williamson with the Jam

"He's a great player, a great talent, has a great work ethic," Hill said. "As great a player as you've seen on the court, he might be a better person. He really is a remarkable kid, he's pure, he's a team guy, a great teammate. So I think the combination of who he is and what he is, I think he'll have a fantastic career."

A fantastic career is exactly what Hill had after the Pistons drafted him.

The Hall of Famer was a five-time All-NBA selection, seven-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year while playing from 1994 through 2013 on the Pistons, Phoenix Suns, Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Clippers.

However, injuries were also a defining part of his tenure in the NBA, which is one reason he's teamed up with Choices Matter to fight the opioid crisis in the United States. Choices Matter encourages those who undergo surgery to explore other alternatives for pain management and discuss non-opioid options with their doctors.

The organization's website, PlanAgainstPain.com, cites the United States for Non-Dependence report and notes Americans were prescribed 11.7 billion opioids in 2016 alone. According to the website, that equates to 36 pills per person in the U.S. and was enough to send "3.3 billion unused pills flooding into communities."

Hill underwent more than 10 surgeries in his career and knows firsthand what it is like dealing with post-surgical pain in a number of ways.

He received a numbing agent injected during surgery as an alternative that managed the pain for a handful of days after the surgery without exposing him to any opioids in one of his final procedures and urged others to help counter the "epidemic" with their own actions.

"As someone who's had multiple surgeries—over 10 surgeries throughout my career—the surgery is obviously a tough part," he said. "But the pain management and most importantly taking that medication, it just never feels right, it doesn't sit right and obviously there's addiction issues that everyone is aware of, so I just encourage people to really explore their options."