Until a new indoor stadium opens at the old RFK site sometime next decade, the District isn’t a candidate to host a Final Four. Even then, those games would be hard-pressed to deliver the pedigree of this weekend’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 matchups at Capital One Arena.
“This is like a Final Four if you ask me, when you look at it’s [seeds] 1, 2, 3 and 5,” Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. “I think this is almost a chalk tournament. I’m just proud and excited to be part of it.”
Hosting March Madness for the first time since 2019, the District’s East Regional games showcase four men’s basketball programs — Duke, St. John’s, Michigan State and Connecticut — trying to add to their own legendary histories.
Despite their name brands and collective past pedigrees, however, this revolutionary, money-laden time in college athletics has led to a flattening of tiers that makes any history mostly irrelevant.
“There’s no difference between Kentucky, North Carolina than Illinois or St. John’s. There’s no difference anymore,” said Rick Pitino, who is in his 25th NCAA Tournament and second in three seasons as St. John’s coach. “There’s no difference between Michigan State, who is a blue blood, to any of the other teams from the conferences, from Mississippi, when they get it going. It’s all going to be the same.”
Back in the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999 after a buzzer-beating win over Kansas, the fifth-seeded and Big East champion Red Storm have their season’s biggest challenge with No. 1 seed Duke in the first game Friday evening.
“I think we’re a pretty good basketball team. Are we good enough to beat Duke? I have no idea,” Pitino said. “We are very hungry. What team in the Sweet 16 is not hungry? You’re four games away from a national championship — the dream of every athlete and every coach and every fan. We are extremely hungry. But we know Duke is very hungry.”
The tournament’s No. 1 overall seed, the Blue Devils ride a nation-best 13-game winning streak into their third straight regional semifinal appearance, including a second-straight ACC Tournament title.
“I think from our perspective, part of the reason we played the schedule we did this year, I think you want to be in big-time environments where the games matter that you play,” said Duke coach Jon Scheyer, whose team beat then-No. 1 ranked Michigan in a game in the District, 68-63, on Feb. 21. “This was a team that was great from the get-go, [but] I don’t think we hit our stride until we lost to North Carolina [Feb. 7].”
Forward Cameron Boozer leads Duke in scoring, averaging 22.5 points per game. He also swept the USBWA National Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards this week — much like Cooper Flagg did with the Blue Devils last season.
“He’s one of the best players in the country. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s smart. He makes the right plays. His offensive rebounding is really good,” St. John’s forward Dillon Mitchell said. “But just his size, how smart he is with the game, understanding the game, plays the right way, plays as a team player. Not one of those top guys trying to get his own. He’s a winner. He’s a really big challenge.”
ACC Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year Maliq Brown is one of three players from the D.C. region likely to start. The Culpeper, Virginia, native joins two who will face off in Friday’s nightcap between No. 2 UConn and No. 3 Michigan State.
“That’s the glory of this team. We’re talented 1 through 15, top to bottom,” said Huskies junior guard Solo Ball, a second-team All-Big East selection from Leesburg, Virginia. “When you have a bunch of different players that are capable of doing so many different things, you just got to feed the hot hand.”
The Huskies boast one of the most balanced scoring offenses in the nation, with Ball and senior forward Alex Karaban among five players averaging between 10.6 and 14.2 points per game.
“We always got to dictate how we play, just the pace we play at, make sure our defense is set, communicating after a made basket,” Karaban said. “They’re one of the fastest teams in the country, and we have to be ready for that.”
UConn is in its sixth straight tournament under coach Dan Hurley, a program record, and seeking its third national championship in the last four seasons.
“I think you love the day-to-day, the grind. I think you love the work. You love the people that you do the work with,” Hurley said. “How close you get to your staff, your players when you’re striving for things together. It’s incredibly difficult to do. You sacrifice and you commit and you care so much.”
The Big Ten boasts six teams in the Sweet 16, all still seeking the league’s first NCAA title since the turn of the century. On the adjacent bench will be the last coach to accomplish that feat.
“I mean, we’ve been pretty good for 30 years,” said Izzo, who is in his record 28th straight NCAA Tournament as a coach. “Haven’t won enough national championships. I don’t know where we are [perceived historically]. Whoever takes over for me has got a job.”
Izzo’s Spartans are the only one of the four teams that haven’t played in the District this season, but starting guard Jordan Scott brings plenty of local seasoning. The freshman from Reston, Virginia — shooting 43.8% in the last 12 games after working his way into the lineup — is the son of former Maryland women’s basketball star Christy Winters Scott, while his sister, Brianna, plays at Georgetown.
• George Gerbo can be reached at ggerbo@washingtontimes.com.
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