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Today’s Final Four memory

After all these years, it still doesn’t make sense. It really doesn’t.

Georgetown was the defending national champion during its fourth trip to at least the Elite Eight in six years. The Hoyas had the great John Thompson as coach, and they had the accomplished Patrick Ewing as leader of a loaded bunch.

March Madness in Atlanta:

Check out the AJC’s Final Four page

They mauled folks on defense by holding them under 40 percent shooting from the field (remember that). Among their two losses, none was to Villanova, a fellow member of the Big East.

Speaking of Villanova, it was nothing, at least compared to Georgetown.

Well, make that compared to most teams ever to reach the NCAA title game. The Wildcats were a No. 8 seed with a 19-10 record that kept them unranked for the season. They had 6-foot-9 Ed Pinckney as a potential NBA draft pick, but Georgetown had Reggie Williams, Billy Martin, Michael Jackson, David Wingate and Ewing.

Somehow Georgetown didn’t win the 1985 national championship.

Such things happen when the other team throws the only perfect game in the history of the tournament.

Seventy-nine percent? That’s what Villanova shot from the floor overall after hitting 22 of 28 attempts, including nine of 10 in the second half.

Even so, here’s what made that night at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena as memorable as anything else: Instead of grumbling, Georgetown players responded with clapping when the Villanova players were honored on the court as the most unlikeliest of national champions.

Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment | Categories: Final Four, Terence Moore's Final Four memory

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