The NCAA Final Four is set. Although there were a lot of surprises early on, the remaining programs are the usual stalwarts. It isn’t a shock to see three top seeds and a 7th seed which should have ranked a lot higher. Three of these programs, Kentucky, Duke, and Michigan State, are all “blue blood” programs, powers that have been great for a generation; Wisconsin will be there soon.
In a tournament with a one-and-done format, where upsets and arguable fluke wins happen constantly, how did these particular schools make it this far? The common factor: all four of these squads are led by great coaches known for recruiting top talent and tightly running their programs. These coaches are the constant; even as the players they recruit change.
Because of this, the players buy into the system and trust their responsibilities when everything is breaking down. Winning these high pressure games requires someone who’s been there before, someone with the vision to create the right game plans. The players trust these coaches to do exactly that, and that is why these teams are moving on.