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 For the first time in history, the NCAA men’s tournament featured all number one seeds in the Final Four: North Carolina, UCLA, Memphis and Kansas. They were the top four teams in the preseason rankings and were the four teams left standing at the end of the year.
With the way this year has turned out at the Division I level, it shouldn’t come as any surprise that the favorites dominated all year at the Division II and Division III levels, too.
Coming into the season, Winona State from Minnesota was trying to bounce back from a devastating loss in the Division II championship a year ago. After leading by seven points with 45 seconds, the Warriors coughed up the game and what would have been a second straight championship, falling to Barton University 77-75.
With John Smith, the reining Division II Player of the Year, returning for his senior year, Winona entered the 2007-2008 campaign with high hopes of a third straight appearance in the championship, much like UCLA at the Division I level. Ranked in the top five all year, Winona was one of the clear favorites heading into the postseason.
Behind the play of Smith, the Player of the Year for a second straight season, and senior Jonte Flowers, a second-team All-American selection, the Warriors cruised to a 32-1 regular season record, a conference championship and a shot a redeeming their fall from glory in last year’s championship game. The Warriors coasted through the playoffs, winning all five games by at least eight points before returning to the finals in Springfield, MA, to battle underdog Augusta StateGeorgia on March 29. from Unlike the Bruins, who have yet to win a National Championship in their three appearances in the Final Four, Winona battled back from a 16-point second half deficit and held on for their second championship in three years with a 87-76 win over Augusta State. The dynamic duo of Flowers and Smith led the way for the Warriors in the finals. Flowers dropped 30 points in the win and earned the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, while Smith finished with 18 points.
At the Division III level, there would be no Cinderellas this year either. In the preseason poll, Washington University in St. Louis and Amherst College—the defending national champions— were the number one and number two ranked teams, respectively. At the end of the year, they were the last two teams standing, as well. The Washington University Bears had an up-and-down regular season. After losing in the Final Four of the Division III tournament last year, the Bears entered the 2007-2008 year ranked the best team in the country, but that distinction didn’t last long. The Bears opened up with two losses in their first three games and dropped off the pace of perennial powerhouse Amherst who took over the number one ranking. After finishing the University Athletic Association conference play with a 10-4 record and losing to Chicago University in the conference playoffs, the Bears received an at-large bid into the national tournament. With a disappointing 19-6 record heading into the postseason, the Bears were flying under the radar.
After surviving their first three postseason games by a combined 16 points, the Bears found their form at the right time. They reached the Final Four for the second straight year behind the spirited play of senior big man Troy Ruths, who averaged 20.5 points per game and 6.5 rebounds this year and was named the Division III Player of the Year. While the first three rounds of the playoffs gave the Bears trouble, they cruised in the Final Four. The Bears took out number one-seed Hope 89-74 in the semifinals before reaching the finals against the other preseason favorites, No. 2 ranked Amherst. Washington made quick work of the Lord Jeffs, outgunning Amherst 90-68 in the finals on March 22, earning the Bears the school’s first national championship in any men’s sport. Ruths' 33 points in the championship paced the Bears to the win and earned him more awards as the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. Ironically, both of the Division II and Division III men’s basketball champions had the National Player of the Year on their squad.
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