Upon closer inspection, there’s only one way for this 2018 NCAA men’s basketball tournament to end – only one conclusion that’s guaranteed to turn the off-court stench of the regular season into one slimy moment come April 2 in San Antonio.
That fitting finish is this: NCAA president Mark Emmert gritting his teeth as he hands the national championship trophy to Arizona coach Sean Miller and the most outstanding player award to Wildcats center Deandre Ayton.
After all, what could better sum up the monstrous mess that all of college hoops finds itself in today than Emperor Emmert being forced to give his organization’s most prized trophy to the coach who’s been accused of striking a $100,000 deal with an agent to procure the services of Ayton, who’s all but certain to be the next one-and-done mercenary to become an overall No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft?
That Miller is still coaching and Ayton is still playing is a shock to some, though perhaps only a slightly bigger shock than the ridiculously talented Cactus Cats receiving a paltry No. 4 seed in the South Regional after winning both the Pac-12 regular-season and tournament titles.
Perhaps that No. 4 seed was some kind of unofficial punishment for the yet unproven FBI charges aimed at Miller and Ayton, who both continue to vehemently deny the accusations.