The Utes arrived in the Alamo City late Wednesday and, like Sam Houston and Jim Bowie, they're facing enormous odds. Compared to this, playing New Mexico on national TV was child's play. BYU with the house packed? A JV game.
Whether the Utes actually know what they're up against is another question. There's North Carolina, Stanford and Kentucky, and then there's the other factor: The dreaded "Final Four Circus." But the Utes are here, and the weekend is coming. It should be a strange and wonderful event; one they're sure to remember, whether they actually get to play a game or not.WHAT THE UTES CAN EXPECT FROM THE FINAL FOUR
Fans. Lots of them. If the Utes thought getting through the well-wishers and autograph-seekers at the Huntsman Center the other night was a problem, wait until they see this. This week even Jordie McTavish gets to feel like he's MJ.
Experts. Thousands of reporters, some from foreign lands, become instant experts on the Utes. This is when people - those who Karl Malone insists "never put on a jock" - pretend to actually know what Rick Majerus is planning.
Scouts. Every college coach in the country, and every scout in the NBA, is here. Being in the Final Four doesn't mean you'll play in the NBA, but play well and you can expect an invitation to a rookie/free-agent camp.
Characters. The Utes will see droves of Carolina and Kentucky fans, parading along the Riverwalk, wearing blue-and-white Dr. Seuss headgear and big foam cowboy hats. Goofy, but they get the point across. They can also expect to see a lot of people who look like Richard Petty.
Interruptions. In their sleep. In their walks. In their interviews. The Final Four isn't conducive to order. There will be radio talk show hosts calling their rooms, last-minute requests, formal interview sessions. And if they get in trouble, they can expect a call from "Inside Edition."
Friends. We're talking real friends and for-the-time-being friends. People they haven't heard from since grade school will be calling for tickets. Andre, my man, remember me? We met in the checkout line in 1982 at Toys-R-Us. Say, I was just wondering . . .
Questions. And the Utes thought the regionals were a zoo. Miss a key shot and you end up being reminded on Sportscenter and in a thousand newspapers. And then there's the non-basketball questions. What's your shoe size? GPA? Favorite color? Your stand on gun control? All in all, it will be like playing "Jeopardy" nonstop for five straight days.
Food. Banquets honoring the teams, the coaches, the event, the sponsors, the media. Majerus will think he's died and gone to heaven. But a note for the players: Take it easy on chili rellenos.
Wackiness. Coaches do strange things under pressure, and Majerus is strange to begin with. So expect the Hoop Fanatic to be even more fanatical. In a few years, the players might even laugh about it.
Distractions. Let's see, there's the NABC news conference, the Final Four Salute Reception, the Final Four Salute Dinner, the Player of the Year news conference, the team press conferences, the NABC All-Star Game, the Dick Vitale sound-alike contest - and somewhere in there, they're actually going to play the games. Imagine that.
WHAT THE FINAL FOUR CAN
EXPECT FROM THE UTES
Bigness. The players are big. The coach is big. The plans are big. To put it in culinary terms, the Utes are a super-sized Whopper with cheese.
Red. Utah officials have declared it's time to get the red out. There will be every conceivable shade of red, most of them unmatched. Because both Utah and Stanford are in the tourney, this promises to be the largest collection of red V-neck sweaters this side of Bobby Knight's closet.
Nonquotes. Does everyone like plain vanilla? Too bad. That's the only flavor the Utah quotes come in. There's no Charles Barkley on this team. The media will just have to settle for more fat jokes from Majerus.
Quirkiness. Majerus is no picnic when he's getting ready for a normal game. This week, he'll be a lunatic.
Nice guys. Majerus has admitted if he had his way, he'd like to have a couple of "killers" on his team. Sorry. There's not an O.J. in the bunch.
Rhetoric. Majerus, as usual, will talk incessantly about how badly his team is overmatched. Then he'll talk about academics, ad nauseum. Just last week he compared Utah's academics to Princeton's. When someone asked him to compare his team with Stanford's, he said the academics were closer than the talent.
OK, the man's getting a little crazy. That's what the Final Four is about.