ncaa final four game #2 features the villanova wildcats (ranked #11 by the ap during the season) vs the unc tar heels (ranked #2 during the season). it's one of those classic matchups where one team (villanova) has a really good defense and the other team has a badass offense, so something's got to give somewhere or the world will collapse in on itself. here's what sort of matchup we're looking at...
the villanova wildcats are a team with a storied ncaa tourney history. back in 1985 (a time when i actually still cared about ncaa basketball), led by coach rollie massimino, they became the lowest seeded team to win the championship when they defeated big east opponent georgetown, who was led by patrick ewing. this year, they're one of two big east conference teams (along with uconn) in the final four, led by senior forward dante cunningham & guard scottie reynolds. jay wright (their coach) has only been coaching the team since 2005 & this year, he's the only final four coach who's never been to the final four before, so good for him...he can check that off his list.
the unc tar heels are led by all-everything senior forward tyler hansbrough, who besides holding the ncaa record for free throws made, has won every award ever, done well in the classroom & helped out in the community more than you did. overall, the team averages 90 pts per game & has five players who average in double digits. after losing to kansas (the eventual champions) in the tourney last year, they were ranked #1 at the beginning of the season and #2 at the end & as the announcers announced during the game, they're "on a mission."
basically, unc whooped ass from the get-go. villanova cut it to nine by end of first half, but by the time the game came back for the second half, i had sort of stopped giving the game my undivided attention. here's what i do recall...villanova never had a chance & the game was never close. if i was michigan st, i'd be scared right now.
my top player picks: reggie redding, villanova - funny name, didn't die / tyler hansbrough, unc - 18 pts, 11 rebs, upheld humanity
#80b - final four (in two parts).
snack: humbles olive oil, lemon & feta baked hummus chips
drink: weyerbacher old heathen imperial stout
as in part a of my final four coverage, i'm treating myself to a snack & a drink from the home states of this game's two participants--pennsylvania & north carolina. i know, i'm clever. i'm also lucky enough to have been able to find snacks & drinks to fit my theme. for a snack, during this game, i'm munching from a bag of humbles olive oil, lemon & feta baked hummus chips. they're made by good health natural foods, a boringly-named company out of greensboro, nc. you can reach them on the internet at www.goodhealthnaturalproducts.com. i believe you can also find them online at www.wehaveaverylongwebaddress.com.
ain't no potatoes in these badboys! they're baked & made from hummus/chickpeas & bear a slight resemblance texturewise to the popchips i tried just the other day. if they weren't $3 a bag, i might just eat them all the time. for the aforementioned reasons, they're healthier than your average chip & the olive oil, lemon feta flavor is both subtle & pleasant.
if you drive just about an hour or so north of the villanova/philly area, just past the non-jesus affiliated bethlehem, you'll reach easton, pa, where my second beer of the night, the weyerbacher old heathen imperial stout, is brewed. weyerbacher has been around since 1995 (& once had a brewpub in downtown easton) & brew a bunch of crazy-named beers--the blithering idiot, the imperial pumpkin ale, the slam dunkel.
in the spirit of the wraith-like figure on its front label, the old heathen is quite the dark beer. since i'm a heathen myself, i enjoyed it, but since i'm a heathen, i didn't embrace it. it wasn't all that special anyhow...stouty enough, i suppose.
that's it! til monday night & the championship battle!