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Many bemoaned the NCAA's decision to place Arizona and Kentucky in the same half of the draw. Surely, the pair of Wildcats should meet each other in national championship game and not the national semifinals. As Lee Corso would say, "Not so fast, my friend." Kansas knocked off Arizona in the West regional final and Marquette shocked Kentucky in the Midwest to ruin this year's dream matchup.

With all four number one seeds advancing to the regional finals, many were predicting that all four top dogs would play in New Orleans. Only Texas was able to survive after Oklahoma lost to Syracuse in what was virtually a home game for the Orangemen at the East Regional final in Albany. With Marquette and Texas making their first Final Four appearances in at least a generation, this year's Final Four has an almost surreal look. Surely, Al McGuire was smiling up above knowing his beloved Golden Eagles have made it to college hoops' penultimate.

With a great 2003, whom do we look ahead to as the teams to watch in 2004? With Marquette, Texas, and Syracuse, a lot will depend on who declares for the NBA fraft. The Eagles lose only senior center Robert Jackson, Deginald Erskin is the Longhorn of significance using up his eligibility in the Big Easy, and the senior from the 'Cuse is Kieth Duany. Carmelo Anthony is also likely to leave. Oklahoma coach Kelvin Sampson even declared "Melo" better than high school phenom LeBron James.

Many players had outstanding years. By virtue of his team's appearance in the Final Four, the National Player of the Year is T.J. Ford from Texas. Ford's dominance comes more in his ability to control tempo than by sheer numbers. The 5-10 sophomore from Houston is a master at keeping all his teammates involved and elevates their play. Ford led the Longhorns in scoring, assists, and steals at 15.0 ppg, 7.4 apg, and 1.96 spg.

The Freshman of the Year is Ford's Final Four opponent, Anthony. 'Melo was the gem of one of Jim Boeheim's best freshmen classes. Anthony was an immediate impact player. In their season-opener against Memphis, Anthony rocked Madison Square Garden with 27 points and 11 rebounds. With classmates Gerry McNamara and Billy Edelin, the 'Cuse is making its first Final Four trip since 1996.

After losing Tayshaun Prince to graduation and kicking Jason Parker and Rashad Carruth off the team, not much was expected of Kentucky this season. But led by senior guard Keith Bogans, the "Big Blue" won 26 straight games before having the streak snapped by Marquette in the Midwest regional final. Kentucky finished 32-4 on the season, going 16-0 in the SEC, and captured the SEC tournament championship. With that amazing season, Tubby Smith is the National Coach of the Year.

The most surprising team of the season was Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were picked to finish near the bottom of the ACC, but grabbed the ACC regular season title with Josh Howard and a very young team. Howard finished as the ACC Player of the Year and averaged 22.5 ppg and 8.1 rpg.

The year's most memorable game was the epic NCAA tournament second-round double-overtime game between Arizona and Gonzaga. The game provided heart-stopping moments for fans of both teams. Gonzaga needed a rebound basket by Tony Skinner to tie the game in regulation and Luke Walton's runner in the lane evened the scored with 4.1 seconds left in the second overtime. Only a miss by Blake Stepp at the end of the second overtime allowed the Wildcats to escape. After the game, Arizona's All-American point guard Jason Gardner observed, "that was definitely an ESPN Classic."

Although this year might not stand out from any other as a special year, there were many memorable moments. The return of Marquette to the national stage, Carmelo Anthony's outstanding year as only a freshman, and familiar faces in new places highlighted the 2002-03 college basketball season.

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