This year‘s Final Four games could be some of the most exciting championship endings in college basketball history. Duke is going to play North Carolina for the first time ever in the NCAA tournament in one Final Four game and in the other, Kansas plays Villanova. I know it is hard to believe that Duke has not played Carolina before in the NCAA tournament, but that is because until 1985, when the tournament expanded to 64 teams, only one team represented the ACC in the tournament overall. In 1991, there was a chance for them to play in the championship game, but Kansas beat North Carolina.
I will be cheering for Villanova and Duke to make it to the championship game on Monday night. I think it would be a cool way for Duke's Coach K to go out with the chance to win his sixth championship just like John Wooden did in 1975c when he won his 10 championship with UCLA.
In the NBA, the regular season is coming to a close. All teams have only seven or eight games left before the playoffs begin. The Eastern Conference is historically close right now. There are only two games between the number one and number four seed in the standings. I’m getting more and more nervous about the 76ers prospects for the playoffs though. They seem to be having difficulty figuring out how to use James Harden and Tyrese Maxey together to support Joel Embiid. James and Tyrese play the same position. I hope they can figure it out before the playoffs start.
Opening day is just a week away for the Phillies. I have a positive outlook given the extra wild card playoff slot this year and the addition of two quality hitters to the lineup. There will be a lot of pressure for the team to perform this year since it has been 11 years since they made the playoffs. I’m hoping to have a fun summer watching the Phillies.
The men’s U.S. National Soccer Team has officially qualified for the World Cup that is to be held in November in Qatar. This is a big relief given that they failed to qualify for the last one. They will figure out who they will play on Friday in the group stage when the World Cup seeding draw takes place.
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A 2002 Cape grad and 2007 UD grad, Lewes resident Sumner Spence is one of the Cape area's biggest sports fans. Although he’s used a wheelchair his entire life, he has lived vicariously through his sports-playing father, brother, and friends, who gave him his love of sports. He hopes to provide new and interesting perspectives on the sports stories and issues of the day. Email Sumner at sumspence@gmail.com.
